How to Build Interview Questions From a Competency Framework

Hiring leaders - have you ever wondered had a really promising candidate, who just doesn't deliver on the job? It might be because of the questions you're asking at interview.

Crafting interview questions that align closely with a competency framework can dramatically improve your recruitment outcomes. Instead of surface-level questions, you can pinpoint skills and behaviours critical to success in a specific role. Let's untangle how you can build effective questions that reflect your company's core competencies and values, ensuring a tailored fit for both role and organisation.

1. Understanding the Competency Framework

1.1 What is a Competency Framework?

Consider the competency framework as your strategic blueprint for hiring. It is a carefully curated list of skills, behaviours, and abilities necessary for a role within your organisation. It bridges the gap between your company’s objectives and the skills you need to achieve them.

• Purpose: By detailing what excellence looks like, it simplifies decisions on who to hire or develop.

• Application: Used in recruiting, performance evaluations, and talent management.

Without it, you risk inconsistency. A competency framework ensures everyone’s on the same page, leading to more fair and effective assessments. Implement it, and your recruitment process becomes streamlined and focused. You’ll see clearer alignments between potential hires' capabilities and your organisational needs.

Pro-Tip: When developing your competency framework, engage diverse stakeholders for input. Diverse perspectives ensure a comprehensive approach to defining roles.

1.2 The Importance of a Competency Framework for Interviews

Think of your interviews as the first real test for candidates; a competency framework sets the questions for that test. It ensures you're not just assessing a candidate’s résumé but their practical fit for a role. Here’s why it matters:

• Objectivity: Eliminates personal bias by standardising evaluation criteria.

• Precision: Targets key competencies, leaving less room for misinterpretation.

Moreover, using a competency framework in interviews ensures the focus stays on specific, relevant skills rather than abstract perceptions or charm. It leads to hires who not only 'fit in' but 'fit well,' reducing the risk of high turnover. The CIPD highlights that organisations using competency frameworks report more consistent and defensible hiring decisions.

If you're new to competency frameworks, check out this guide on creating an effective one for a deep dive into its creation and implementation.

1.3 Identifying Core Competencies Relevant to the Role

Not sure where to start? Start by identifying the competencies critical to success in the role you're hiring for. Understanding these core competencies can transform your hiring strategy:

1. Break down the role: List out key responsibilities and the skills needed for each.

2. Business alignment: Ensure competencies align with broader company objectives.

3. Consultation: Engage team leaders or managers to identify competencies they value.

Consider this: if you're hiring for a customer service role, competencies might include communication skills, empathy, and problem-solving ability. Misalign here, and you risk hiring someone who delivers moderate service outcomes.

Pro-Tip: Regularly review and adjust your core competencies. As business goals shift, so too should the skills you prioritise.

2. Creating Interview Questions Based on the Competency Framework

2.1 Translating Competencies into Interview Questions

Crafting interview questions from a competency framework entails identifying how these competencies manifest in practical, role-relevant scenarios. Start by dissecting competencies into specific behaviours and proficiency levels needed for the role. For instance, if "problem-solving" is a core competency, translate this into questions like, “Can you describe a situation where you had to solve a challenging problem at work? What approach did you take?”

Transforming competencies into questions doesn't end with asking behavioural questions alone. Consider using structured formats like situational questions that gauge future actions, such as, “If faced with a last-minute project change, how would you handle it?” This approach helps in assessing how well a candidate might respond to unexpected challenges, ensuring a consistent evaluation across interviews.

Pro-tip: Align questions with competency indicators. Matching questions to specific competency indicators makes it easier to assess each candidate against the same criteria, enhancing the objectivity of your evaluative processes.

2.2 Structuring Questions to Elicit Demonstrable Evidence

Effective interview questions should be designed to draw out comprehensive, evidence-based responses. This involves using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) to prompt candidates into sharing detailed examples. For instance, ask, “Can you walk us through a project where your leadership skills made a significant impact?” Encourage the candidate to describe the context, their responsibilities, actions, and the resulting outcomes.

To further enhance the reliability of your structured interviews, mix question types including open-ended, scenario-based, and competency-specific questions. Open-ended questions invite candidates to provide expansive answers, helping you to understand their thought process and decision-making skills. Scenario-based queries can test their practical application of skills in hypothetical situations.

Pro-tip: Use follow-up questions strategically to dig deeper into initial responses. This allows you to explore the candidate’s experiences and skills beyond surface-level answers, enhancing interview effectiveness.

2.3 Aligning Questions with Company Values and Role Requirements

Align interview questions with your company's core values as well as the specific requirements of the open position. Begin by identifying the unique cultural and operational values of your organisation. For example, if innovation is paramount, include questions such as, “How have you driven innovation in your past roles?”

When aligning questions with role requirements, start by revisiting the job description. If the role demands teamwork, construct questions like, “Describe a time you worked collaboratively to achieve a goal. What was your role, and what were the challenges faced?”

Pro-tip: Consistency is key. Ensure all candidates are asked the same core set of questions, particularly those linked to company values and essential role competencies, to maintain fairness and objectivity throughout the selection process.

3. Evaluating and Enhancing Interview Questions

3.1 Best Practices for Testing Interview Questions

Testing your interview questions is crucial in determining their effectiveness. Start by conducting mock interviews, allowing you to observe how candidates might respond to your questions. You can use a mix of internal employees or external partners to simulate real interview conditions. This approach helps you assess if the questions genuinely draw out the desired competencies and insights.

Another essential step is to implement feedback loops. After each interview, take time to evaluate the responses with your hiring team:

• Are candidates consistently confused by certain questions?

• Do the responses provide clear evidence of the required competencies?

• Are there any inappropriate or unintended interpretations of the questions?

Revise your questions based on these insights to enhance clarity and relevance.

Pro-tip: Evidenced provides custom reporting on interview question efficacy, so you can easily see with questions need to be improved upon.

3.2 Gathering Feedback on Question Effectiveness

Gathering feedback is a powerful way to refine your interview questions. Post-interview, ask candidates and interviewers to provide honest critiques:

• Were the questions clear and easy to understand?

• Did the questions effectively measure relevant competencies?

• Was there any ambiguity in the phrasing?

With Evidenced, you can provide candidates with the opportunity to provide feedback directly after the interview, allowing for honest reporting that is not dependent on their success at interview. Google's re:Work also offers a well-regarded guide on structured interviewing and feedback loops that many HR teams reference as a benchmark.

3.3 Refining Questions for Future Interviews

Once you've tested and gathered feedback, refining your questions is where the magic happens. This stage allows you to optimise your interview framework so that each question seamlessly ties back to core competencies and truly reflects your organisation's values.

Break down this refining process:

• Simplify or reword complex questions that prove to be redundant or confusing.

• Replace questions that don't elicit unique or useful responses with those brainstormed from recent feedback.

• Incorporate recent trends or changes in the industry to keep your questions relevant and forward-focused.

Through regular updating and refining, your competency framework becomes a living document that continually serves to select the best candidates.

Reflecting on the dynamics of competency-based interviews reminds us of the importance of aligning questions with desired objectives. Through careful evaluation and refinement, your interview process becomes more strategic, creating a pathway to identify and nurture ideal talent.

Evidenced allows you to automatically generate interview plans built directly from your competency frameworks.

Auto-generate your first interview plans free.