A Guide to Competency-Based Interview Scoring

The competitiveness of today’s job market has seen hiring managers tasked with the challenge of selecting the right candidates who not only possess the necessary skills but also demonstrate the ability to excel in real-world scenarios, which has led to a rise in competency-based interviews. Here, competency-based interviewing has emerged as a tool that allows recruiters, hiring managers, and potential employers to evaluate candidates based on their past behaviours and experiences.

What are Competency-Based Interviews?

Competency-based interviews are also referred to as behavioural or situational interviews and are designed to assess specific skills or competencies crucial for a role’s success. While traditional interviews focus on qualifications and experience, competency-based interviewing allows recruiters, hiring managers, and potential employers to delve into candidates’ past behaviours to predict future performance accurately. With this method, they can gain deeper insights into candidates’ capabilities to handle challenges, work in teams, solve problems, and exhibit leadership qualities.

Key Competencies Employers Seek

Employers often seek a diverse range of competencies tailored to their organisational needs, including leadership, problem-solving, teamwork, communication, adaptability, and organisational skills. Here, each competency plays a key role in determining a candidate’s suitability for a particular position. For instance, effective communication skills are essential for client interaction roles, while adaptability is crucial in dynamic work environments. By leveraging the power of competency-based interviews, it helps one to find the right hire, faster.

Designing Competency-Based Interview Questions

As with any method used to assess a candidate’s skills, crafting effective competency-based interview questions is fundamental to the success of the hiring process. Questions should be structured to elicit specific examples of past behaviour, following the STAR technique—Situation, Task, Action, and Result. By aligning questions with job requirements and competencies, hiring managers can effectively assess candidates’ capabilities and suitability for the role.

The STAR Method

• S – Situation: When candidates utilise the STAR method, they begin by outlining the situation they encountered in a previous role or experience. As a hiring manager, understanding the context is crucial for assessing the candidate’s ability to handle specific scenarios.
• T – Task: Next, candidates elucidate the task or objective they need to accomplish within the given situation. This aspect provides clarity on the candidate’s responsibilities and the goals they aim to achieve.
• A – Action: In this stage, candidates articulate the actions they took to address the situation and accomplish the assigned task. As a hiring manager, focusing on the candidate’s individual contributions and decision-making process is essential. It offers insight into their problem-solving skills and their ability to navigate challenges effectively.
• R – Result: Finally, candidates discuss the outcomes or results of their actions. This phase is particularly valuable for hiring managers as it provides tangible evidence of the candidate’s impact and effectiveness. Whether it’s quantifiable achievements, lessons learned, or the overall impact on the organisation, understanding the results of their actions helps assess their suitability for the role.

By encouraging candidates to utilise the STAR method during interviews, hiring managers can gain deeper insights into their capabilities and competencies. This structured approach not only enables candidates to articulate their experiences effectively but also allows hiring managers to evaluate them based on concrete examples from their past roles. Embracing the STAR method can streamline the evaluation process, ultimately leading to better hiring decisions and ensuring the selection of top talent for your organisation.

How are Competency-Based Responses Scored?

Scoring competency-based responses is a crucial aspect of the hiring process, necessitating a systematic and objective approach. In the UK, and beyond, employers implement various methods to ensure fairness and accuracy in evaluating candidates’ responses. Let’s explore some of the commonly used scoring methods:

Rating Scales

One prevalent method is the use of rating scales, where candidates’ responses are evaluated against predefined criteria. These scales typically range from one to five, with each level representing a different level of proficiency or achievement. Hiring managers can assign scores based on the extent to which candidates demonstrate the desired competencies, ensuring consistency and fairness in the evaluation process.

The STAR Method

Another effective approach is the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This method enables hiring managers to assess candidates’ responses in a structured manner, focusing on specific examples from their past experiences. By evaluating how candidates handled various situations and the outcomes of their actions, hiring managers can gauge their competencies and suitability for the role.

Rubrics

Employers may also employ rubrics, which provide a detailed framework for assessing candidates’ responses. Rubrics outline specific criteria and performance levels, enabling hiring managers to evaluate responses consistently and objectively. By using rubrics, employers can ensure that assessments are based on clear and transparent criteria, enhancing the reliability of the evaluation process.

Multiple Sources of Evidence

Additionally, employers may gather evidence from multiple sources to corroborate candidates’ responses. This can include references, work samples, assessments, and behavioural observations. By triangulating information from different sources, hiring managers can gain a comprehensive understanding of candidates’ competencies and make more informed hiring decisions.

Each of these scoring methods offers distinct advantages in evaluating candidates’ responses accurately. While rating scales provide a straightforward way to assign scores, the STAR method facilitates a structured evaluation of candidates’ experiences. Rubrics offer a detailed framework for assessment, while gathering evidence from multiple sources enhances the reliability of the evaluation process. By leveraging these methods, hiring managers can ensure fairness, objectivity, and effectiveness in scoring competency-based responses, ultimately selecting the best-fit candidates for their organisation.

Streamlining the Competency-Based Interviewing Process

As the demand for top talent increases, the ability to assess candidates based on their past behaviours and experiences becomes crucial for making well-informed hiring decisions. Shine Interview offers a solution to streamline and enhance the competency-based interviewing process. With our platform, hiring managers gain access to a user-friendly interface tailored to their needs. Through both live and one-way video interviews, candidates can effectively respond to behavioural and situational questions, providing hiring managers with valuable insights into their capabilities. Moreover, Shine Interview provides flexibility in evaluation methods, including rating scales, the STAR method, rubrics, and multiple sources of evidence. Leveraging our innovative technology, hiring managers can seamlessly score competency-based responses, ensuring fairness, consistency, and objectivity throughout the evaluation process. Experience the difference with Shine Interview and revolutionise your approach to competency-based interviewing today.