Here’s something worth knowing if you hire people.
Competency based interviews, the “tell me about a time when…” format that’s become the default in a lot of organisations, are well intentioned. They’re designed to bring structure and consistency to hiring decisions. And they do that reasonably well.
But they have a flaw that doesn’t get talked about enough.
They measure interview performance. Not job performance.
Here’s what I mean. 😊
The competency based interview format rewards one specific skill above all others: the ability to construct a compelling narrative on demand. And that’s a very particular talent that has very little to do with whether someone is actually good at the job you’re hiring for.
The person who freezes, or who speaks from the heart rather than a rehearsed structure, or who simply hasn’t encountered this format before, isn’t less capable, less prepared, or less confident than the person who aces every question. They’re just less practiced at performing in this specific format.
And here’s the bit that’s worth saying plainly: someone with genuine experience and integrity could give you a compelling competency answer. But so could someone who has perfected the art of saying exactly what people want to hear, regardless of the truth. The format, by its nature, struggles to tell the difference.
What it doesn’t reliably reveal is values. Character. How someone actually treats people when things get hard. Whether they’ll fit your culture. Whether they’ll still be giving their best two years in. Whether they’re the kind of person your team will trust.
So what does work? 💡
The most revealing interviews I’ve ever conducted didn’t feel like interviews at all. They felt like genuine conversations with someone I’d just met but already wanted to know better.
I remember asking a candidate once: “Our whole ethos is built around making people feel incredible. How does that resonate with you?”
She didn’t give me a structured answer. She talked about her time in hair and beauty, and the fantastic warmth she felt when a client looked in the mirror and said “wow, I feel amazing, thank you.” She lit up telling me about it.
That told me everything a competency question never could. Her values. Her warmth. The fact that making people feel good wasn’t just something she’d do in this role, it was something she genuinely cared about.
She was exactly the right hire. 😊
Here’s the thing about questions like that: they’re harder to prepare a polished answer for, which means what you get back is much more likely to be real.
So here’s what I’d suggest trying instead: ✅
Instead of “Tell me about a time you showed leadership,” try “Have you ever helped someone else succeed. What did that look like?” Leadership shows up in how people bring others with them, not just in how they describe their own performance.
Instead of “Tell me about a time you dealt with change,” try “How do you tend to react when something you were counting on suddenly shifts? What does that feel like for you?” You’ll learn far more about their actual resilience than any rehearsed example.
Instead of “Describe a time you went above and beyond,” try “When have you felt most proud of something you contributed at work, and why did it matter to you?” That question reveals what they genuinely value, not what they think you want to hear.
Instead of “Tell me about a time you handled conflict,” try “When you disagree with someone at work, what does that conversation usually look like?” Conflict handling shows up in the honest description of a real dynamic, not in a polished story with a neat resolution.
Instead of “Tell me about a time you worked under pressure,” try “What does it look and feel like for you when work gets really demanding? How do you tend to manage that?” That gets at the same underlying quality, how they cope under pressure, but invites a more honest, reflective answer rather than a rehearsed story with a neat resolution.
And perhaps the most revealing question of all: “What would need to be true about this organisation for you to still be here and thriving in three years time?” That one draws out their values, their priorities, and their self awareness all at once.
By the time someone sits in front of you, you already know they can do the job. Their CV told you that. The interview is for something more important: finding out whether they’re the right person to do it, here, with you, in the culture you’re trying to build.
That’s a different question. And it deserves a different kind of conversation. 💜
With warmth, Jacquie M:Brace HR