Behavioural Interviews in Recruitment: Competency-Based Questions and How to Score Them

What is a behavioural interview and why does it predict performance?

A behavioural interview asks candidates to describe real situations from previous work and what they did in them. It rests on the premise that the best predictor of someone’s future behaviour on the job is their past behaviour in similar circumstances. ^[2]

It is normally used within a structured interview: an assessment method that measures job-related competencies, with standardised questioning and scoring for all candidates. ^[2] The CIPD describes it as a predefined set of questions asked in the same order of every candidate, with answers scored against pre-agreed criteria. ^[1]

In a meta-analytic review by Sackett and colleagues published in 2022, structured interviews showed the highest mean operational validity for predicting job performance of the selection procedures reviewed, at 0.42, against 0.31 for cognitive ability tests, with a relatively wide spread around that mean across studies. ^[4] In other words, the benefit comes from how well the interview is built, not from simply calling it behavioural.

How do behavioural and situational questions differ?

The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guide distinguishes two question types in a structured interview: ^[2]

• Behavioural question: asks about actual past behaviour, for example: “Describe a situation in which you dealt with people who were difficult, hostile or distressed.”
• Situational question: presents a realistic job scenario and asks how the candidate would handle it, on the premise that intentions are closely related to actual behaviour.

General questions such as “what are your strengths?” invite rehearsed answers and point to no specific competency. The CIPD notes that skill-based assessments have been found to predict job performance better than traditional approaches such as unstructured interviews. ^[1] A situational question can be a practical alternative when a candidate lacks the previous experience needed to ask about similar past situations.

How do you build a competency-based behavioural interview?

Start from job analysis, not a ready-made question bank: review the job’s tasks and required competencies and ask subject-matter experts to confirm them. Then select the competencies the interview will measure; structured interviews typically assess 4 to 6 competencies unless the job is unique or high-level. ^[2]

Questions are written to draw out the three elements summarised by the STAR model: Situation or Task, Action and Result. ^[2] Each question has follow-up probes prepared in advance, and a rating scale of typically 3 to 7 levels, with example answers for each level agreed by the experts. ^[2]

Ready-to-use behavioural interview questions by competency

The questions below are adaptable templates, each tied to a single competency so that scores do not blur together:

Probes are open, such as: what was your role? what was the outcome? would you do anything differently? They must not signal the desired answer. ^[2]

How do you score answers with a behavioural scale?

A good scale describes each level with behaviour that can be observed in the answer. In an example published by OPM for the interpersonal skills competency, the scale runs from 1 to 5 and its examples rise with the difficulty of the situation: from situations with little or no tension to highly charged ones, such as defusing an emotionally charged meeting with external stakeholders. ^[3]

Hypothetical example

A panel is assessing a candidate for a customer service supervisor role on problem solving. The candidate first says: “We had delays in responses and we fixed them.” When asked about their own role, they explain that they analysed two weeks of request logs, found that most delays came from one type of request, proposed a standard reply template and tracked response times after it was introduced.

The first answer alone sits at level 2; after probing it merits 4 or 5, depending on whether they measured the impact and prevented recurrence. This is where probes earn their place.

How should you run the interview on the day?

• Same questions, same order: each interviewer asks only their assigned questions, and all candidates are treated the same. ^[2]
• A panel, not a single interviewer: the CIPD recommends panels, citing research that multiple interviewers in one interview give fairer and more accurate results than several single-interviewer interviews. ^[1]
• Descriptive notes: notes summarise what was said, without judgements about the candidate or their personality, and are detailed enough to justify the rating, because they may be reviewed on appeal. ^[2]
• Score alone, then discuss: each member scores independently before discussion, to avoid being swayed by others, particularly the most senior person present. ^[1]
• Candidate experience: tell candidates what to expect, avoid an unnecessarily long process, follow up promptly with feedback, and ask whether they need reasonable adjustments. ^[1]

Which rater errors spoil the decision?

The OPM guide warns against recurring rater errors: ^[2]

• Relying on first impressions or superficial factors.
• Candidate-order effects, where a candidate is judged against the previous one rather than the scale.
• “Similar to me”, favouring people who resemble the interviewer.
• The halo effect: letting the rating on one competency influence the others.
• Leniency or strictness, or central tendency, putting every score in the middle of the scale.

The practical remedy is to stick to the scale and its examples, and rate each competency separately from the written notes.

What should you not ask? Gulf considerations

The OPM guide says interviewers should never ask about or comment on age, sex, race, national origin, religion, marital or family status, disability or health status, or any other job-irrelevant factor. ^[2] In the Gulf, the rules differ by country:

• UAE: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on regulating labour relations prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, nationality, social origin or disability that would weaken equal opportunities in obtaining or keeping a job. The law applies to the private sector and excludes, among others, employees of federal and local government entities, members of the armed forces, police and security services, and domestic workers. ^[5]
• Saudi Arabia: Article 3 of the Labor Law states that citizens are equal in the right to work without discrimination based on sex, disability, age or any other form, whether during work, in recruitment or in job advertisements. ^[6]

In other GCC states, and in government bodies covered by their own HR laws, refer to the applicable legislation.

Conclusion

A behavioural interview is a powerful tool when it is built with discipline: competencies from job analysis, standard STAR-based questions, a scale with behavioural examples, and a panel that scores independently before discussing. Start with one frequently recruited role, build a complete interview guide for it, then roll it out after a trial.