Competency Based Interview Questions — Complete Question Bank

Employers use competency interviews because they predict job performance better than general interviews. Research consistently shows that people who demonstrated teamwork in university tend to work well in teams professionally. People who showed initiative in past roles tend to take ownership in new roles. This is why employers ask behavioural questions — they're predicting future behaviour based on past evidence.

The competencies assessed vary slightly by sector and role, but most employers across finance, law, consulting, and Big 4 assess: (1) Leadership — demonstrated through examples where you took charge, influenced others, or developed people. (2) Teamwork — showing ability to collaborate, support colleagues, and put team goals ahead of personal ones. (3) Communication — examples where you explained complex information clearly, listened carefully, or adapted communication style. (4) Problem-solving — situations where you analysed complex problems and recommended solutions. (5) Resilience — handling pressure, managing setbacks, and staying focused. (6) Initiative — taking action without being asked, spotting opportunities. (7) Commercial awareness — understanding business implications, thinking about customer value or financial impact.

Different roles emphasise different competencies. Investment banking might emphasise resilience and problem-solving. Law might emphasise attention to detail and communication. Consulting might emphasise problem-solving and leadership. Marketing might emphasise initiative and communication. When you research firms, identify which competencies they emphasise and prepare stories that showcase those.

Each competency is assessed on a scale, often: (1) Does not meet expectations — little evidence of this competency, (2) Meets expectations — demonstrates competency at entry level, (3) Exceeds expectations — strong demonstration of competency, (4) Far exceeds expectations — exceptional demonstration. Your goal is "Exceeds" on competencies the firm cares about.

Teamwork is assessed through: Do you listen to and build on others' ideas? Do you put team goals ahead of personal preferences? Do you support colleagues when they struggle? Do you communicate effectively within teams? Do you adapt your style to work with different people?

Strong teamwork example: "During my summer internship, I was assigned to a pitch team with four others. One colleague was clearly struggling with the financial model — they were quiet in meetings and seemed anxious about their piece. Rather than letting that be someone else's problem, I stayed late to work through the model with them. I showed them my approach step-by-step, explained the logic, and helped them debug their formulas. By the time we pitched, their confidence was high and the model was solid. The partner pulled me aside after and specifically thanked me for supporting the team. This taught me that good team members proactively support each other, not just contribute their own piece."

Weak teamwork example: "I worked with a team on a project. We all did our part and delivered on time." Generic and doesn't show actual teamwork.

Notice the strong example shows: recognising someone was struggling, taking action to help, specific support (helped with model), and outcome (confidence increased). This is what interviewers want to see.

Resilience is assessed through: How do you handle pressure? Do you stay focused when things get hard? Do you learn from setbacks? Do you persist when discouraged?

Strong resilience example: "In my final year project, my initial hypothesis was completely wrong. I'd spent four weeks building a model that turned out to be based on a flawed assumption. I could have been upset, but instead I saw it as valuable learning. I went back, identified the flawed assumption, rebuilt the model with the corrected logic. I delivered late by one week, but the analysis was solid. My supervisor commented that the integrity of my work was stronger because I'd caught and corrected the error rather than pushing forward with bad logic. This taught me that failure is often a step toward better solutions."

Initiative is assessed through: Do you spot opportunities or problems without being told? Do you take action? Do you see something needs doing and do it rather than waiting for instruction?

Strong initiative example: "I noticed our university careers fair had weak turnout from consulting firms. Rather than complaining, I reached out to recruiters at three firms, explained the opportunity, offered to help with logistics. Two firms committed to attending, attendance increased 40%, and the careers fair has continued with strong consulting firm participation. This wasn't part of my job, but I saw an opportunity to improve the careers fair and took action."