A Single Competency Framework Is Essential for Competency-Based Interviews and Discussions

  Conducting competency-based interviews and discussions with candidates or current employees is of great value to the success of organizations. This makes competency management tangible by clarifying which skills people already possess and which they can still develop. This enables targeted selection, coaching, and development discussions with staff. Above all, this requires clear competency-based language and a systematic approach to conducting interviews.  

Not Just for Hiring Interviews

In many organizations, competencies have now become the primary factor in hiring, helping to develop, and coaching employees. They form the basis of HRM systems and play a key role in employee recruitment, career progression, and turnover. Furthermore, managing and developing based on competencies helps organizations work in a more results-oriented manner, aligned with organizational goals. Consequently, HR professionals and managers today also want to conduct competency-based selection interviews, performance reviews, or coaching sessions, for example. When it comes to competency-based conversations, Recruitment & Selection is often the first thing that comes to mind. In this context, selection interviews using structured interviews provide insight into candidates’ competencies. But competency-based conversations are also extremely valuable when modernizing the conversation cycle with truly valuable performance reviews and coaching sessions aimed at employee development.  

A Unified Competency Language

An important tool for conducting effective competency-based conversations is a consistent set of competency terminology within the organization. This ensures that everyone speaks the same “language,” which prevents misunderstandings. A competency language clearly defines which definitions you use for the competencies-and the behaviors associated with them. Differences may exist between organizations in this regard; they may indeed use their own, distinct language. An organization can develop its own competency language or adopt one, as off-the-shelf options are also available. For example, users of HRMForce’s HRM software can simply use their own terminology and link it to the tools, but there is also a competency framework available that includes a comprehensive competency handbook. This framework encompasses approximately 50 competencies (based on the Big50) that make behavior measurable and discussable. For each competency, a definition is provided along with examples of behaviors at four levels (beginner, operational, tactical, and strategic). It also includes selection questions, development tips, and coaching advice. By describing competencies in concrete terms, it becomes easier to discuss competencies within your organization, for both managers and employees. There is also less confusion about the behaviors associated with specific competencies. This improves the ability to guide behavior. You can integrate your own competency language into your HR tools for, for example, Recruitment & Selection, the performance cycle, management development, and the training and development of employees. Watch a video explanation of both scenarios here: for organizations with or without an existing competency framework.  

Asking Questions in a Structured Manner

To work in a structured and as objective a manner as possible, the STARR method is often used (more on this later). This creates a systematic approach to interviewing. In this method, a candidate or participant is asked to describe specific behaviors from the (recent) past to substantiate his or her competencies. Numerous scientific studies have already shown that this approach has a higher predictive value than asking how someone thinks they will behave in a certain situation in the future. With this approach, you ask someone about various situations in the workplace and let them describe how they acted, what the outcome was, and what they learned. This provides insight into qualities such as results-orientation, adaptability, creativity, business acumen, flexibility, or innovative thinking. It all depends on what is important for your organization, the position in question, and the future.  

Big50 Competency Interview

To conduct competency-based interviews and discussions, you can use the many competency-based questionnaires available online for this purpose (such as this one). You can link the questions to the competency profiles that are important for your organization and roles. This allows you to have meaningful conversations with candidates or employees, but you can also take it a step further-for example, by incorporating the characteristics from the Big50 personality test into the discussion. This is certainly useful for career development or identifying high potentials. After all, an employee or manager can, in principle, develop any competency, but some skills are more difficult to develop than others. The more a competency is determined by attitude or personality traits, the harder it is to develop. Knowledge and skills, therefore, are easier to develop. Using scores from the Big50, you can focus specifically on competencies using the STARR technique. hrmforce also offers an interview guide for this purpose. The Big50 is valuable for translating a personality profile into competencies (that can be further developed). For each competency, an indication is provided of the extent to which an employee can develop that competency. This is based on personality and on the five key personality factors influencing behavior in work situations (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness).  

STARR as an Interview Guide

It is not always easy to remain objective when conducting selection or development interviews. The STARR method enables high-quality interviews that also provide as objective a picture as possible of a potential or current employee. This also makes it easier to compare different individuals. Many HR professionals use STARR as a tool and a type of interview guide to assess people’s experience and knowledge. STARR stands for Situation (what is the context), Task (what was the task), Action (what actions were taken), and Result (what was the outcome), often with an additional R for Reflection. It is important to ask follow-up questions on these points during the interview to gain a clear picture of the situation and how a candidate or employee would respond.  

Competency Profiles and Types of Competencies

A major advantage of the current focus on competencies is that these characteristics are objectively observable and assessable. This makes it easy to evaluate recognizable abilities and behaviors without resorting to in-depth psychological interpretations of behavior. Furthermore, this focus is practical because it links competencies to relevant and recognizable tasks or problem situations in the workplace. In principle, there are an infinite number of competencies. To keep them manageable, an organization selects the most important competencies for its own competency profiles, tailored to the various positions or roles within the organization. A competency profile often consists of six to eight competencies divided into four types (core competencies at the organizational level, departmental competencies, leadership competencies, and position- or role-specific competencies). For most organizations, the Big50 competencies are a perfect starting point.