Sample Only
Competency Selection & Sample Interview Questions
Please note that these sample questions are generic to probing for fit and competency
areas. Questions will be needed specific to the technical areas of each specific position.
General Probing Questions
Fit (i.e., management style, Why are you leaving your current position?
culture, environment, etc.) What interests you about working at XXX?
Describe for me your current role at………..
What objectives were you expected to meet in your position? What
were your results?
Describe for me your ideal position? Manager? Environment?
What frustrates you the most at work? Why?
If I contacted your former boss, what would he/she tell me was your
strengths? What area of development would he/she recommend?
What was your favorite position? Why?
What have you liked least about your positions? Why?
What are some of your long-term career objectives?
Give me examples of why you feel you would be a fit for this position?
For the organization?
Organization Competencies
Competency Behavioral Indicator Probing Questions
Project Management/Execution Drives for results and What do consider the most successful
success; persists through project that you have implemented?
identifying and overcoming What did you do? What were the
obstacles. Effectively results?
allocates time and resources What were some of the greatest
to meet objectives. obstacles that you encountered in
achieving your goals? How did you
handle them? What were the results?
Communication Skills Communicates effectively Describe for me a situation when you
through clear and concise had to handle a frustrated colleague or
verbal and written skills; client. What did you do? What was
listens attentively and solicits the result?
feedback and information. How do you ensure that the people you
work with are kept informed and keep
you informed about projects?
Give me an example of a presentation
that you had to create and present?
How was it received?
Client Management Skilled at building strong Describe a situation where you
relationships; demonstrates disagreed with a client’s strategy. How
an understanding of business did you handle it? What were the
principles. results?
Tell me what you believe makes a
successful client relationship. Give me
examples of how you have
demonstrated those attributes.
People/Teamwork/Corporate Deals effectively in all types of Tell me about a successful team
Citizenship situations with co-workers, experience that you have had. What
clients, peers and was your role?
organization. Give me an example of a time when
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you had to go above and beyond the
call of duty in order to get a job done.
Business Management Skills Demonstrates an Describe for me what you feel have
understanding of business been some obstacles to your current
practices, industry dynamics, employer’s success? Provide
market trends and operational examples of how you contributed to
issues. overcoming those obstacles.
Give me an example of how you stay
abreast of industry trends and current
best business practices.
Leadership Leads by example; strong Describe for me what you believe to be
corporate citizen. Actively the most important criteria for
develops staff and is open to successful leadership. Give me
receiving feedback and taking examples of where you have
action. demonstrated those criteria in your
career.
What has been your worst staff issue
that you have had to address? How
did you handle it? What were the
results?
General Competencies
Competency Behavioral Indicator Probing Questions
Analytical Skilled in using analysis to Where would you describe yourself on
draw conclusions from data; a continuum from being analytical to
systematic & rational. intuitive? Why do you describe
yourself that way?
What process do you use and what
things do you consider when building a
business case for a new program or
strategy? Give me an example of a
how your information influenced
someone’s decision for or against the
idea. What was the result?
Adaptable Capable of adapting to others Tell me about a situation when you had
and new situations; flexible; to reorganize your priorities because of
can handle multiple tasks. a change in direction from your boss.
How did you handle it? What was the
result?
What is an example of something in
your career that has been hard for you
to adapt to? How did you handle it?
Decisive Deals promptly with problems What was the most difficult
and issues; confidence in professional decision that you have
making decisions; remains had to make? What process did you
firm when challenged; takes use to get to your decision?
immediate action and avoids Please describe a situation when it was
procrastination. difficult to make a decision. How did
you handle it?
Detail-oriented Verifies work thoroughly to How do you go about ensuring that
ensure accuracy; recalls your work is accurate?
specific facts quickly and If I called your former boss, what would
efficiently; meticulous and he/she say about your level of detail in
accurate. your work? What is about you that
makes you so detail-oriented?
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Handles ambiguity Interprets unclear situations; Give me an example in your
copes with change; works well experience of how you have shifted
in an unstructured quickly from one situation or task to
environment; makes sound another. What did you do? What was
decisions when faced with the outcome?
unclear situations. Describe for me a situation or project
where limited information was available
but you were accountable for results.
What did you do to achieve your goal?
What was the outcome?
Influencing Impacts others; can persuade; How have you managed cross
shows creativity and functional work when the team did not
innovation in presenting report directly to you?
ideas; overcomes resistance Describe a situation where you
and wins support in an disagreed with your manager’s
argument. decision relating to an employee or
organizational strategy and how you
handled it. What was the outcome?
Organized Anticipates problems and Describe for me a situation when you
develops plans to deal with had planned your workload for the day
the unexpected; arranges and other priorities came up. How did
work to meet critical you prioritize?
deadlines; orderly state of Give me an example of how you added
mind. structure to an unstructured situation.
What were the results?
Resourceful Clever in finding and using Describe a situation for me when you
alternative solutions or have encountered a problem where the
resources, able to do more old solutions didn't work and when you
with less; knows how to came up with new solutions? What was
leverage experience, the solution? The outcome?
expertise and work of others; What have you done in situations
uses imagination to solve where you have been faced with too
problems. much for one person to possibly
accomplish in a given time?
Results-oriented Identifies, confronts, and Tell me about an experience when it
overcomes barriers to seemed as though you didn’t have the
success; demonstrates a time, money or people resources you
sense of urgency; focuses on needed to complete a project but you
outcomes rather than reached your goal anyways. What
activities; willing to stretch to was the outcome?
accomplish goals and “make it Give me an example of a situation
happen.” when you thought the obstacles to your
success would prohibit you from
achieving your desired results? How
did you handle the situation? What
was the result?
Strategic Thinker Thinks in future terms; relates Explain to me what the difference
short-term actions to long- between being strategic and tactical
term plans; develops means to you. Give me an example
contingency plans and “what where you have had to be both.
if” scenarios. Give me an example of how you would
go about developing contingency plans
and stay strategic in your thinking?
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