Interviews
Competency-based interview questions and how to answer them
The competency questions UK employers ask most, the STAR method for answering, and example answers you can adapt — for construction, healthcare and office roles.
5 Nov 2026 · 7 min read
A competency-based interview asks you to prove a skill with a real example: 'Tell me about a time when…'. Answer with the STAR method — the Situation, the Task you faced, the Action you took and the Result — and spend most of your answer on the action. Prepare six to eight examples in advance and you can adapt them to almost any question.
The STAR method
| Step | What to say | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | Where you were and what was going on | One or two sentences |
| Task | What you had to achieve or fix | One sentence |
| Action | What you did — 'I', not 'we' | Most of the answer |
| Result | What changed, with a number if you have one | One or two sentences |
The questions asked most
- Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer, patient or colleague.
- Describe a time you had to meet a tight deadline.
- Give an example of when you spotted a problem before it became serious.
- Tell me about a time you made a mistake and what you did about it.
- Describe a time you worked as part of a team to achieve something.
- Give an example of when you had to follow a procedure you disagreed with.
- Tell me about a time you raised a safety or quality concern.
- Describe a change at work you had to adapt to.
An example answer
Question: 'Tell me about a time you raised a safety concern.'
Answer: 'On a housing site last spring (situation), I noticed the scaffold tag on the block I was working from was nine days old, so it was out of inspection (task). I stopped work on it, told my supervisor and moved my gang to another block while the scaffolder re-inspected it. He found two missing ties on the top lift (action). It was fixed the same afternoon, and the site manager added a tag check to the morning briefing after that (result).'
It is specific, it is your action, and the result shows the concern mattered.
How to prepare
- Read the job description and pick out the skills they mention — those are the competencies they will test.
- Write one STAR example for each, from the last two or three years.
- Have one example of a mistake or failure ready, with what you learned.
- Practise out loud. Two minutes per answer is about right.
- Prepare two questions to ask them about the team or the work.
When they ask about salary
Give a range based on the advertised pay and what the job pays elsewhere, and know what it means in your pocket before you agree.