Competency

Based Interview

Aon APAC – Proprietary & Confidential

AGENDA

▪ Introduction
• Competency based interview
• Why CBI
▪ How to conduct CBI
• STAR Method & Probing Questions
▪ Practice
▪ Summary
 Introduction
• Competency based interview (CBI)
• Why CBI

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Definition of Competency Base Interview (CBI)
Competency-based interviews (CBI) is interviewing based on
discovering how the interviewee acted in specific employment-
related situations. Question is designed to test one or more Observable Behaviors
specific skills.

CBI are based on the idea that past behaviour is the best
predictor of future behaviour. Aptitudes

 Competencies
• Aptitudes, attitudes, skills and knowledge are not easily observed
Attitudes
• They lead to observable behaviors

• Observable behaviors can be easily seen

Skills

→
Knowledge

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Why do we use CBI?
The process is
reliable and valid
than traditional
interview

Focus on tangible Provide a benchmark

specific behaviours against which to
associated with select and recruit
success staff

1. To confirm facts listed in a candidate’s resume

2. To uncover additional information on a candidate’s past performance as it applies to your organization and the new role
3. To determine if a candidate’s past experience could translate well into the role at your company
4. To uncover information on a candidate’s personality and cultural compatibility for your organization.

Aon APAC – Proprietary & Confidential 5

Raise Questions - Situation
TRADITIONAL CBI

How do you deal with an angry, upset or irate We all have to deal with customers who are angry, upset or even irate. Tell
customer? me about the worst situation you had to deal with

What would you do if someone asked you to do Tell me about a time you were asked to so something that you felt was
something unethical? unethical.

Tell me about a work-related decision that, if you could, you would like to
If you could change one work-related decision you
redo. Why would you want to redo it? What did you learn from the
made during past year, what would that be?
experience that you would apply to redo?

Tell me a time you were faced with stressor at work that tested your coping
How do you work under pressure? Do you handle
skills.
pressure well?
Tell me about a time you did not handle a stressful situation well.

Give me an example of a time when you were not as successful in your oral
How would you rate your communication skills and
communication as you would have liked to have been. What did you learn
what have you done to improve them?
from this situation that you have used to improve your communication skills?

Give me an example of a difficult problem you faced and how you went
What process do you use to solve problems?
about solving that particular problem.

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 How to conduct CBI
STAR Method & Probing Questions

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Example
Q: Tell me about a time when you help to develop the performance of the team.

A: There was a time when James, the sales manager, came to me with a problem about his sales performance . He
asked for some advice, so I tried to be supportive and make some suggestions. I also helped him on some site
visits to customers. And, over the course of the next few months, he listened to my advice and managed to bring his
performance up to satisfactory levels again.
1. Time –
"How recently did this happen?"
2. Came to me –
"Why did he come to you?"
3. Problem
"And what was the sales manager's problem?“
4. Sales performance
"What exactly was wrong with his performance?"
5. Supportive
"How were you supportive?"
6. Suggestions
"So what were your suggestions?"
7. Site visits
"Tell me a bit more about what you did on these site visits."

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STAR Method

Situation Task Situation

Local • Describe the situation that you were confronted with or the
Training task the needed to be accomplished
Cost: • The situation is concise, informative and concentrating on
698,500,000 specific skills related to job requirement
VND
Result Action • Not a generalized description

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STAR Method

Situation Task
Local
Training
Task
Cost:
698,500,000 What goal were you working toward?
VND
Result Action

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STAR Method

Situation Task
Local Action
Training
• Demonstrate and highlight the skills and personal attributes that
Cost:
the question is testing
698,500,000
VND
• Focus on what candidates did, how they did and why they did it
Result Action

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STAR Method

Situation Task
Local Result
Training
• Explain what happened eventually, how it all ended
Cost:
698,500,000 • Describe what you accomplished and what you learnt in that
VND
situation
Result Action

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Probing Questions

General Probing Questions:

1. What was the situation?
2. What specifically was it that you personally did?
3.
Local Who else was involved?
4. What was the outcome – what tells you whether you were successful?
Training

5.
Cost:
What challenge or difficulties did you face?
698,500,000
6.
VND How did you overcome these?
7. What if anything would you do differently on reflection?
8. What was the impact on the business?

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Practice

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Competencies

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Practice

Breakout Session: 10’

▪ Pracetice in group of THREE

▪
Local ONE as interviewer
Training
▪ ONE as interviewee
Cost:
▪ ONE
698,500,000 as observer
VND

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Summary

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Do & Don’t

√ Use PAST behaviour X Not listening

√ Use open-ended questions X Not probing
Local√ 80/20 rule X Losing control of the interview or losing
patience
Training
√ Panel Interview: divide up the
Cost:
competency areas ahead of time, allow each
698,500,000
X Being influenced by own prejudices
VND interviewer to address a smaller number of
X Compromised
areas

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Q&A

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