Scottish Police Services Authority

Competency Based Interviews  

The interview assessment process involves competency based behavioural questions based on the competencies identified in the role profile.

Competency-based interviews are interviews where each question is designed to test one or more specific skills. The answer is then matched against pre-decided criteria and marked accordingly. For example, the interviewers may want to test your ability to deal with difficult situations by asking first how you generally handle such circumstances and then asking you to provide an example of a situation where you have worked under pressure and what your actions were. 

The interviewers will try to establish the skills and behaviours you applied throughout your example. 

To prepare for the competency based interview, first read the job description carefully and identify the skills and traits likely to be assessed.  Look at the behavioural competencies that are listed as essential to the role and think of the experiences and situations that you will refer to in the interview to demonstrate these skills. 

Interviewers will be looking for clear, well-structured answers and the STAR model will help you with this.  
 

SITUATION - describe a situation or problem you have encountered.

TASK - describe the task the situation required or your ideas for resolving the problem.

ACTION - describe the action you took and obstacles you overcame.

RESULT - highlight outcomes achieved. 

Apply the STAR model to all of your examples to

Top tips

1. Think about experiences you have had which demonstrate particular skills and abilities.
2. Check whether the competencies required for the role are Essential, Supervisory or Managerial.
3. Look carefully at the list of behavioural competencies listed in the role profile and check them against the criteria listed in the behavioural competency descriptors guide issued to you. Aim to demonstrate with your evidence and examples that you meet the competent or exceeding criteria for each of the behavioural competencies relevant to your role.
4. Apply the STAR model to all of your answers.