In this article
- How behavioral questions are built around competencies
- Interpersonal skills questions
- Oral communication questions
- Writing questions
- Problem solving and critical thinking questions
- Teamwork questions
- Leadership questions
- Professionalism questions
- Career and self-development questions
- Follow-up questions
- Sources
How behavioral questions are built around competencies
A competency is a skill or quality defined by behaviors an observer can see, which an interviewer assesses with questions written for that skill. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) defines each of its competencies through a list of sample behaviors (NACE, Career Readiness Competencies, March 2024). A behavioral interview is an interview built on questions about actual past behavior, called a behavioral description interview or behavioral event interview by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Its premise is that the best predictor of future behavior on the job is past behavior under similar circumstances (OPM, Structured Interviews, September 2008, p.6).
A situational interview is the other format: it asks how you would act in a hypothetical scenario (same guide, p.6). "What would you do if ..." is therefore situational, and "Tell me about a time when ..." is behavioral. The wider behavioral interview guide covers the whole round; this page is the question list.
Which competencies get asked?
No single official list exists. OPM's sample rating form lists four general competencies: Writing, Oral Communication, Problem Solving and Interpersonal Skills (OPM guide, Appendix G). NACE lists eight: Career and Self-Development, Communication, Critical Thinking, Equity and Inclusion, Leadership, Professionalism, Teamwork and Technology (NACE, March 2024). Companies publish their own lists too, such as the Amazon Leadership Principles. The headings below follow the OPM and NACE names.
OPM says a structured interview typically assesses between four and six competencies, unless the job is unique or at a high level (OPM guide, p.5). Expect a handful in one round, and read the job description to guess which.
How is an answer scored?
OPM's guide says structured interviews score every candidate on a common rating scale, with at least three levels and a target of five to seven (OPM guide, p.8). Its sample scale runs from 1 Awareness through Basic, Intermediate and Advanced to 5 Expert. Its anchors describe behaviors of rising difficulty: higher levels are tied to exceptionally difficult situations and to serving as a key resource who advises others, so concrete detail about a hard case raises the score.
| Competency (OPM sample form) | Illustrative score | Level label |
|---|---|---|
| Writing | 3 | Intermediate |
| Oral Communication | 4 | Advanced |
| Problem Solving | 3 | Intermediate |
| Interpersonal Skills | 2 | Basic |
| Average of the four | 3.0 | Intermediate |
The scores are illustrative, not from a real interview. The halo effect is a rating error in which one strong impression lifts the scores of unrelated competencies; OPM's list of rating errors also names central tendency, leniency, strictness, "similar to me" and rater bias (OPM guide, Appendix F). In the table above, a halo effect would lift Interpersonal Skills from 2 to 4 and the average from 3.0 to 4.0.1 A strong answer helps by being specific: it names the situation, what you did and what changed.
What do interviewers probe after your first answer?
OPM groups its probes as situation, action and outcome. Examples from the guide are "What was the outcome?" and "Is there anything you would have said and/or done differently?" (OPM guide, Table 4, p.13). A strong answer covers the situation, the action and the outcome before the probes arrive. The guide adds that good questions elicit specific details about the situation or task, the actions taken or not taken, and the impact of those actions (p.7). Superlative wording such as "most", "last" or "worst" steers you toward one concrete incident (p.7).
Text description of the diagram
- OPM groups its probes as situation, action and outcome.
- A strong answer covers the situation, the action and the outcome.
OPM's wording folds the Task into the situation ("a situation, task, or context", p.7), which is why the diagram has three parts where the situation, task, action, result (STAR) method has four. For the structure itself, see how to answer with the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and how to answer interview questions.
Interpersonal skills questions
Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult, hostile or upset person.
Pick one real incident and name the person's behavior in a sentence. Spend most of your time on what you said and did: you listened, restated their concern, separated the person from the problem and agreed a next step. Close with the outcome and one thing you would change. OPM's own sample for this competency asks you to describe a situation in which you dealt with individuals who were "difficult, hostile, or distressed" (OPM guide, p.6).
Why it is asked: it shows how you behave under social pressure. Read the full explanation: what interpersonal communication is.
Tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news.
Choose news that affected someone else, such as a delay, a cancelled feature or a rejected request. Say who needed to know and why, how you chose the timing and the words, and what you offered alongside the news, such as options or a new date. End with how the person reacted and what you would repeat. Avoid blaming others or hiding the bad part.
Why it is asked: it tests tact and honesty together. Read the full explanation: what interpersonal communication is.
Knowing it is half the job. Saying it is the other half.
Interview Clozo is an AI interview copilot for real interview rounds: it hears the question and puts a strong answer on your screen, and you say it in your own words. See the features or how it works.
Start Free Trial →Oral communication questions
Describe a time you explained something complicated to someone without the background.
Name the audience and what they needed to decide or do. Then show the method: you started from what they already knew, used one example, dropped terms they had not met and checked understanding by asking them to restate it. Finish with the result, such as a decision made or a task done correctly. The best stories show you adapting to the listener, not simplifying for its own sake.
Why it is asked: it separates knowing a topic from being able to transmit it. Read the full explanation: behavioral interview questions: the complete guide.
Tell me about a time you persuaded someone who disagreed with you.
Describe the disagreement fairly, including the other person's best argument. Explain what you learned about their concern, what evidence or example you offered and how you handled the point where they pushed back. A strong answer ends with either agreement or a clear compromise, and says what you would do differently. Persuasion by pressure or repetition reads poorly.
Why it is asked: it tests influence without authority. Read the full explanation: common interview questions and how to answer them.
Writing questions
Tell me about a document you wrote that other people had to act on.
Name the reader and the action you wanted. Explain how you organized it, perhaps with the request first and the detail after, and how you checked it worked, such as asking a colleague to read it cold or watching whether people did the right thing. Give the result, for example fewer follow-up questions or a faster approval. Keep the story about the reader, not the format.
Why it is asked: written clarity matters in most roles, and few questions test it directly. Read the full explanation: behavioral interview questions: the complete guide.
Problem solving and critical thinking questions
Tell me about the hardest problem you solved with incomplete information.
State the problem and what was missing. Then show your reasoning: which assumptions you made explicit, what small test or question reduced the uncertainty, and who you consulted. Explain the decision, the outcome and what you learned when the missing facts arrived. NACE describes critical thinking as responding to needs based on situational context and logical analysis of relevant information (NACE, March 2024).
Why it is asked: it shows how you reason when no answer key exists. Read the full explanation: behavioral interview questions: the complete guide.
Describe a decision where the data pointed one way and your instinct another.
Say what the data showed and what your instinct said, and why you doubted either. Describe how you resolved it: a quick test, a second source or asking someone who knew the area. Then give the decision and its result. Both outcomes can work as stories; what matters is that you did not choose by habit and that you checked the result afterward.
Why it is asked: it probes judgment and intellectual honesty. Read the full explanation: behavioral interview questions: the complete guide.
Tell me about a mistake you caught before it caused harm.
Describe the mistake plainly, including your part in it if it was yours. Explain how you noticed, perhaps through a check you built, and what you did first: stopped the work, told the people affected and fixed the cause. Close with the habit or safeguard you added. A mistake with no lesson, or with the blame placed elsewhere, weakens the answer.
Why it is asked: it shows attention to detail and ownership. Read the full explanation: behavioral interview questions: the complete guide.
Teamwork questions
Tell me about a disagreement with a teammate and how you resolved it.
Describe the disagreement about the work, not the person. Explain how you tried to understand their view, what you proposed and how you reached a decision, whether a compromise, a test or a manager's call. Give the result and what happened to the relationship afterward. NACE's sample behaviors for teamwork include managing conflict and respecting diverse personalities.
Why it is asked: it shows whether conflict makes you better or worse to work with. Read the full explanation: answering a teamwork question with STAR.
Describe a time you helped a teammate who was struggling.
Name what was going wrong and how you noticed. Describe the help you gave and its limits: you offered time, shared a method, or took a piece of work, while the teammate kept ownership. State the result for the person and for the team, and what you took from it. Avoid stories where you only did their work or only reported them.
Why it is asked: it separates individual output from effect on the team. Read the full explanation: answering a teamwork question with STAR.
Leadership questions
Tell me about a time you led without formal authority.
Name the goal and why nobody was formally in charge. Explain how you got others to follow: you made the goal clear, split the work, asked for commitments and followed up. Include one moment of resistance and how you handled it. End with the result and credit for others. NACE's definition of leadership is recognizing and capitalizing on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals. Company frameworks, such as the Amazon Leadership Principles, use their own wording.
Why it is asked: it tests initiative and influence at any level. Read the full explanation: Amazon Leadership Principles.
Describe a time you gave someone difficult feedback.
Say who the person was to you and what the issue was, with a specific example, not a general complaint. Explain how you prepared, chose a private setting, described the behavior and its effect, and asked for their view. Give what changed afterward and how you followed up. Weak answers either soften the message until it is lost or describe an argument.
Why it is asked: it shows courage and care at once. Read the full explanation: what interpersonal communication is.
Professionalism questions
Tell me about a deadline you missed.
Choose a real miss, not a near miss. Say what caused it, including your part, when you told the people relying on you and what you offered, such as a reduced scope or a new date. Then explain what you changed in how you estimate or flag risk. Interviewers listen for early warning, ownership and a lasting fix, not a perfect record.
Why it is asked: it tests accountability and communication under failure. Read the full explanation: the greatest weakness question.
Tell me about a time you pushed back on a request you thought was wrong.
Explain the request, who made it and why you disagreed, with facts. Describe how you raised it: privately, with an alternative and with the consequence you feared. Say what was decided, and, if you lost the argument, how you carried on professionally. The strongest stories show respect for the person and firmness about the issue.
Why it is asked: it probes integrity and how you handle authority. Read the full explanation: behavioral interview questions: the complete guide.
Career and self-development questions
Tell me about feedback that changed how you work.
Quote or paraphrase the feedback and say who gave it. Admit your first reaction honestly if it was defensive, then describe the specific change you made and how you checked it helped. Give evidence, such as a later piece of praise or a better result. Avoid feedback that is secretly a compliment, because it shows no growth.
Why it is asked: it shows whether you improve when told something unwelcome. Read the full explanation: behavioral interview questions: the complete guide.
Tell me about a time you had to adapt when plans changed.
Describe the change and what it broke. Explain how you re-planned: you sorted what still mattered, told the people affected, and started with the smallest useful step. Give the outcome and what you would do earlier next time. NACE's sample behaviors for teamwork mention meeting ambiguity with resilience, which is the quality this question looks for.
Why it is asked: it tests flexibility and calm under change. Read the full explanation: how to answer interview questions.
Follow-up questions
What are competency-based interview questions?
Competency-based interview questions, the usual UK and human resources (HR) term, are the same idea as the behavioral questions above: each prompt is written to test one defined competency by asking for evidence from your past. Prepare by competency and reuse stories across them.
What are the competencies in a behavioral interview?
There is no universal list. OPM's sample form uses four general competencies, NACE lists eight career-readiness competencies, and employers publish their own, so match the list to the job description and the company's stated values.
How many behavioral questions should I prepare?
Prepare stories, not questions. OPM says a structured interview typically assesses between four and six competencies, so five or six flexible stories, each told with situation, action and outcome, can cover the questions above. Reuse a story across competencies by changing what you stress.
What is the difference between a behavioral and a situational question?
A behavioral question asks what you did in a real past situation; a situational question asks what you would do in a hypothetical one. Answer the first with a story and the second with your reasoning, naming the trade-offs.
Is a structured behavioral interview really more predictive?
Research says structure helps, but the size of the effect is contested. Schmidt and Hunter (1998, Table 1) reported figures of .51 for structured and .38 for unstructured interviews, and Sackett and colleagues (2022, Table 3) revised them to .42 and .19. On the revised figures the correlation for structured interviews is about 2.2 times that for unstructured ones (about 1.3 times on the older figures).1 Sackett et al. still rank structured interviews among the strongest predictors. These are correlations with job performance, not percentages of correct predictions, and results vary a lot between studies.
- Behavioral questions ask about real past behavior; situational questions ask about hypothetical behavior.
- Competency lists differ by source: OPM names four general ones and NACE names eight.
- A structured interview typically assesses four to six competencies, so prepare a few flexible stories.
- A strong answer covers the situation, the action and the outcome, with concrete detail.
- Interviewers score against a common scale, and rating errors such as the halo effect are known risks.
Sources
- Structured Interviews: A Practical Guide — U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1 Sep 2008
- Career Readiness Competencies (revised March 2024) — National Association of Colleges and Employers, 1 Mar 2024
- Revisiting Meta-Analytic Estimates of Validity in Personnel Selection (Sackett, Zhang, Berry and Lievens) — Journal of Applied Psychology 107(11), 1 Nov 2022
- The Validity and Utility of Selection Methods in Personnel Psychology (Schmidt and Hunter) — Psychological Bulletin 124(2), 1 Sep 1998
