Ever wondered why your dream job slipped through your fingers, despite a perfect resume? You walk into your first interview with confidence, until the questions shift. They’re not about grades but real-life situations. You freeze. Sound familiar? Hiration reported that 47% of grads fail competency-based interviews simply because they don’t know what to expect. Don’t be another one. Understand the format, prepare your stories, and show them you’re ready.

A competency-based interview is one of the most favoured interview types that allows recruiters to gauge how the students used their skills in their previous life to understand and tackle challenges. However, most students make mistakes during this interview and end up leaving a bad impression. If you wonder what these mistakes are, you have landed at the right place. 

In this article, we’ll share the mistakes you must avoid in your interview. Before exploring these mistakes, let’s first get to know what competency-based interviews are.

What Are Competency-Based Interviews?

Competency-based interviews, also known as CBIs, are assessments that evaluate the key skills that a candidate needs for a particular position. These interviews are used to predict the candidate’s future performance based on past and present performance. Additionally, they are based on 6 to 8 predetermined questions regarding the specific skills required for a job.

The answers to these questions are then compared to pre-set standards to assess whether the candidate is the best choice for the position or not. Generally, these interviews are similar to traditional interviews; however, below are some key differences between them:

• Unlike traditional interviews, competency-based interviews are structured in a format where the same questions are asked of the candidates in the same pattern. There is no chance to change the order of this preset question list.
• Generally, the questions in this interview are based on the competency or behavioural, and the recruiter will ask you to give an example when you performed a competency, task, or skill in the past. Further, they will ask you some follow-up questions to gather evidence to support your answer.
• Once you answer the interview question, it will be scored against a list of positive behaviours. 

This interview is unique in its format and execution, so it is recommended that students prepare for it before graduation. However, for most students, it is hard to prepare for their final exams and this interview simultaneously. Such students should seek online exam help from The Academic Papers UK and ensure that they manage their exams and interview preparation successfully.

Why Students Struggle During Competency-Based Interviews?

New graduates may have had various student jobs, such as part-time jobs or summer jobs, which fit around their academic schedule. However, performing a formal and corporate interview is a completely different cup of tea, especially when it comes to jumping into your dream job sector.

Various challenges that students face during this journey include:

• First of all, the competition in the corporate world has been increasing day by day. According to a report by the BBC, 91% of applicants apply for each of the new job vacancies in the UK. If the recruiter has a wide range of options, then it would be hard for students to impress him.
• A competency-based interview is quite lengthy. The first interview can be 45-50 minutes long, but the second interviews, phone calls, assessment sessions, and more make this process nerve-wracking. So, if the student really wants the job, he must prepare himself for this rigorous process.
• During this interview, graduates must be confident enough to advocate for their skills, knowledge, and experience that he is going to bring to the table. Most students get nervous and, despite having all the required skills, they fall into self-doubt, which eventually leads them to dampen self-assurance. Therefore, they need to learn how to advocate for their skills in front of the interview panel. 

As you have explored competency-based interviews and the challenges students face during this type of interview, it’s time to learn the common mistakes that students usually make during them.

List of Top 9 Mistakes Fresh Graduates Make During Competency-Based Interviews

A competency-based interview is a great opportunity for the candidate to showcase that they possess all the essential qualities required for the job post. However, interviewees make some common mistakes during this assessment process that even jeopardise their chances of getting the job. 

To help them, we’ll share some common mistakes that a fresh graduate must avoid during this interview. Have a look at what these are.

1. Being Unprepared for Competency-Based Interview

One of the keys to giving a successful interview is to be prepared for it. This preparation will allow you to stay confident and feel ready to tackle the interviewer’s questions. To get prepared for the interview, you must read the following:

• The company’s background
• The market reputation of the company
• Get to know the competitors
• Familiarise yourself with the staff members

Apart from that, it is also important to fully understand the role being offered to you. It shows that you are lazy or uninterested in the role if you don’t understand it. Preparing for the interview also means figuring out the best route to reach the office and considering the factors you may encounter while reaching it. There is no excuse for being late for the interview. 

However, sometimes delays are inevitable, or circumstances are out of your control. In that scenario, it is better to get the contact information of the management so you can inform them in case of any mishap. This will show your enthusiasm for the role and dedication to your career. If you are giving a virtual interview, make sure that all your technology works well so that there is no delay in giving your interview. 

2. Talk Too Much or Too Little

Another mistake that students make is that they talk too much or even too little during the competency-based interview. However, it is important to strike a balance between talking too much and too little, which can be challenging. One of the best ways to learn this skill is to take part in a practice interview at your university, as it will teach you the best way to talk during your interview.

Apart from striking this balance, there are many other mistakes that students make while talking during the interview, including:

• Waffling is a common mistake that fresh graduates make while talking during the interview. It tends to be the result of nerves; therefore, you must avoid talking too much at once.
• In addition, avoid rambling while talking, as it can overshadow your skills. For this, when the interviewer asks a question, pause for a few seconds to think how to respond, take a breath, and then start answering.
• Forgetting the important points is as terrible as waffling, so you must avoid it. To make sure you will not make this mistake, practice answers to the common interview questions beforehand and make sure you mention your work experience that is required for the job.

Pro Tip: The interviewer knows that a competency-based interview is a nerve-wrecking process, so if your mind goes blank during the interview, politely ask the interviewer to give you a few seconds to gather your thoughts. 

3. Give Irrelevant and Inappropriate Examples

Undoubtedly, this interview type is a little bit tricky, as most graduates don’t know how to showcase their skills by presenting relevant examples. As a consequence, they end up giving irrelevant and inappropriate examples to depict their competencies. On the other hand, the competency interview aims to evaluate how the interviewee applied their skills in real-life situations and brought positive outcomes.

Therefore, it is essential to choose examples relevant to the role, company, and competency-based questions. Also, they must make sure that these examples highlight their achievements that they have received throughout their life. 

Additionally, candidates should not give examples that are:

• Too old
• Too personal
• Too negative

These competency-based interview examples will not fit with the company’s culture. Instead, the interviewee should give professional, recent, and positive examples that demonstrate their learning and growth. 

4. Inappropriate Dressing

Dressing is another important factor that plays a significant role in impressing your interviewer. Always wear clean and freshly ironed clothes. You must avoid wearing ripped jeans with a pair of trainers as it hardly gives a professional impression during a competency-based interview question and answer session. The best way to know what to wear is to know the type of company, as it gives you a clue what the dress code the company follows. 

For instance, in a legal business firm, the dress code is usually formal, while in a creative IT company, the dress code is generally informal. However, in case of any doubt, it is better to turn to formal rather than informal.

Bonus Tip: If you are going to wear the same outfit you wore last night out or on the weekend, you may rethink your choice. Always wear that dress in which you are confident and look like a part of the organisation.

 5. Lack of Self-awareness or Reflection

Unlike the traditional interviews, it is designed not only to assess the graduate’s capabilities but also to evaluate how he used his skills to achieve his life goals. Nonetheless, most of the time, students make this mistake to show a lack of self-awareness or reflection during the CBI. Therefore, candidates must avoid being overconfident, defensive, or arrogant, as it reflects that they are not open to development or constructive feedback. 

Also, the interviewee must avoid being too,

• Modest
• Self-critical
• Humble

It depicts that the candidate is not proud of what he has achieved in his life. Instead, the interviewee must strike a balance between showcasing their strengths and identifying the areas in which improvements are required. 

Also, the candidate must showcase their willingness to learn from feedback and failure. This will leave a positive impression on the interviewer, who will know that the candidate wants to learn and grow with the organisation.

6. Criticising the Previous Employer

One of the biggest mistakes that interviewees make during the competency-based interview is that they criticise the previous company or the employer. The candidate thinks that praising the new company and criticising the previous one is a good way to impress the interviewer, which is not true. That fact is that complaining about your previous colleagues, highlighting the negative aspects of the company, or moaning about your previous seniors is likely to reduce your chances of getting the job. 

These things leave a wrong impression on the interviewers, and they think about what you would say when you leave their company. Therefore, no matter the reason you left the company, always be diplomatic. 

Don’t talk negatively about your previous company in such a way that it shows you are complaining about it. However, you can highlight the others’ mistakes and emphasise what you have learned from them and what positive steps you took to avoid them in your journey. 

7. Lack of Engagement and Enthusiasm

Showing a lack of engagement and enthusiasm is one of the most common mistakes during this interview. This interview aims to not only evaluate how the candidate has performed in the past, but it also assesses how he fits with the current role, organisation, and the team. Therefore, interviewees must avoid being:

• Passive
• Bored
• Indifferent

These things show that the candidate is not interested in the opportunity, which eventually leads him to lose this opportunity. With this, the interviewer must avoid being too nervous, anxious, and stressed, as it would leave a negative impression. The best way to avoid these things is to show their engagement by asking relevant questions, expressing their interest, and demonstrating how they relate to the company and its culture. 

8. Negative Body Language During the Competency-Based Interview

We all hear that body language is important during an interview, but many of us do not know exactly how important it is. The body language is so significant during this interview that one can lose the opportunity due to failing to appear engaged and alert during the interview. Therefore, the candidate must pay attention to how his body is doing during the interview.

The interviewer must follow the tips below to demonstrate the right body language:

• Don’t bend your back on the chair; sit up straight.
• Look in the eyes of the interviewer when he is talking.
• Avoid looking at the ground while you are talking.
• Maintain eye contact with the whole panel during the interview, leaving nobody out.

And if you are giving your competency-based interview online is a little bit trickier as your sight can be a little off, and it is hard to have a clear eye with the interviewer due to Zoom fatigue. Therefore, you just have to keep your eye on the camera of your laptop. 

9. No End-of-Interview Questions

Last but not least, the most common mistake that fresh graduates make during the competency-based interview is to ask the question at the end of the interview. This is one of the greatest mistakes as it depicts that you have a bare minimum interest in working at the organisation. Therefore, to get the job, it is essential to prepare yourself to ask the questions during the interview.

If you are worried about forgetting these survey questionnaires, print them out on a page and bring them with you. Don’t worry; it doesn’t look unprofessional, but it does show that you are prepared and will leave a positive impression on the interviewer.  

If you are giving your interview online, you can use visual aids, like a Chrome extension, to create an impact. Additionally, make sure that all your questions haven’t been answered during the interview; if so, try to think of any others. 

As you have explored the most common mistakes that fresh graduates make during the interview, now look at the most common mistakes being asked during this interview.

A List of Most Common Competency-Based Interview Questions

Competency-based interview questions are designed to assess whether the candidate has the necessary skills related to the role or not. Every company designs its own set of questions for these types of questions. Have a look at some of the most common questions that interviewers may ask during this interview.

1. Tell us a situation where you worked as a leader of a team.
2. What is the biggest decision you recently made that significantly changed your circumstances?
3. Tell us about an incident after which your communication skills improved.
4. Describe what things you learned as a member of the team.
5. Give us an example from your real life where you used effective time management skills to achieve your desired goals.
6. Give a real-life example of the challenge you faced recently and elaborate on how you tackled it.
7. Tell us a situation in which you had asked to do things that you had never done previously.
8. What is the greatest problem that you have faced in your life? Tell us what you learn from it.
9. Tell us about your dream project and how you have planned to execute it.
10. How do you manage your time to finish a priority task? 

Now that you have explored the most common competency-based interview questions, it’s time to learn how to answer them.

How To Answer Competency-based Interview Questions?

Undoubtedly, this interview is a bit challenging for freshly graduates who have just entered the professional world. So, various techniques have been introduced by the expert to answer the competency-based questions; however, the most common are the STAR and CAR methods.

Check out how these techniques are used for competency-based interview questions and answers.

The STAR Method

STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. It is one of the most effective strategies to structure the answer to competency-based questions and communicate your point of view effectively. 

Every question that you answer with the STAR method, structured in the following way:

• Situation: State the challenge you encountered.
• Task: Highlight the actions and steps that you took to overcome the problem.
• Action: Explain what you have done, how you did it, and explain the reasons behind it.
• Result: In the end, conclude your answer by giving a summary of your actions.

Note: There is an updated version of the STAR+R method now being introduced that adds an additional R for reflection. In this reflection, you must state your experience and what you have learned from this experience.

CAR Method

The CAR stands for Context, Action, and Result. The only difference between STAR and CAR is that in the CAR technique, the challenge and task sections are combined as the context.

Check out more details about this technique.

• Context: Describe your circumstances and challenges that you have faced.
• Action: Tell the key action that you have undertaken to face the problem
• Result: State the lessons that you have learned from all your experiences.

Example of Competency-Based Interview Questions and Answers

Below is an example of how a competency-based interview question should be answered using the STAR+R competency method.

Question:

Describe a situation where you used time management skills to achieve success.

Answer:

• Situation: I worked on a university project on digital marketing with four other students majoring in marketing and business. At the last moment, two of them quit the project.
• Task: With the sudden step back of these team members, the other members had to perform some additional responsibilities to make sure that the project is completed on time.
• Action: We met with our project head and decided that each of the remaining members will perform some additional responsibilities that had previously been assigned to the members who had left the project. I reviewed the project deadline, assigned new responsibilities to the members, and gave extra time to this project.
• Result: With our teamwork and collaboration, we were able to complete the project on time and not only the successful completion, but we also won the best project award.
• Reflection: This experience taught me the importance of team collaboration and effective time management skills. It also taught me how to communicate effectively with team members to achieve successful outcomes. 

What to Avoid While Introducing Yourself in a Competency-based Interview?

If you are a freshly graduate, then the competency-based interview is a lifetime chance for you to thrive in a successful career. To make your interview successful, it is essential to introduce yourself in an impressive way. This introduction can make or break your whole interview. However, there are some common mistakes that you must avoid while introducing yourself in an interview.

Have a look at what these mistakes are:

• Interviewers mostly ramble during competency-based interviews, which gives a wrong impression. Therefore, it is essential to keep your introduction concise and practice it before commencing.
• Candidates often get nervous while giving interviews and introduce themselves in a trembling or low voice. This trembling can cause them to lose this opportunity. So, when you are going to give any interview, it is important to practice it before giving it so that at the time of the official interview, you can introduce yourself in a confident pitch that speaks volumes.
• Some candidates don’t consider the introductory part of the interview important, so they rush through it, which is not good. It is recommended that you keep the introduction, but don’t rush it while telling the interviewer about yourself. 

Some students start getting anxious about the competency-based interview during their academic years, and due to this anxiety, they do not focus on their coursework also. To tackle this situation and ensure higher grade scores, they can acquire coursework help in the UK from trusted writing companies.

Conclusion

After graduation, every student is excited to start their professional life. The best way to thrive in a professional career is to give a competency-based interview. Unlike traditional interviews, this type of interview aims to assess the candidates’ skills to handle challenges. It is designed to understand how the candidate has used a specific skill set to tackle a specific situation, what he learnt from this experience, and how he would use these learned skills in the future.

In simple words, this interview focuses on testing the candidates’ competencies. Sometimes, students make small mistakes that lead them to lose the outstanding opportunity to enter the professional world. To save them, we have shared these mistakes in this article. From inappropriate dress codes to negative body language, we covered everything. We hope that after reading this article, you can give a successful, competent interview.

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