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Interview plan builder: five competencies, ninety minutes.
Choose the competencies that matter most for the role and get a timed plan: behavioural questions, follow-up probes, the indicators to rate against and space for your evidence.
Use the tool
Pick up to five competencies and build a timed 90-minute plan with questions, probes, indicators and a rating form, ready to print or save as PDF. Nothing is stored.
How to use the plan
Choose competencies from the role, not from the candidate’s CV: the three to five behaviours that most separate people who do this job well from people who struggle. Adapt the wording of the questions to your setting, and ask every candidate the same main questions. Use the probes to get from what the team did to what the candidate did. Rate each competency against the indicators as soon as the interview ends, and use “insufficient evidence” when the interview did not reach something – it is kept separate from the lowest rating because it describes a gap in the interview, not in the candidate. The full method is in How to run a structured, competency-based interview.
The twelve competencies, questions and indicators
Open any competency to see its definition, the three behavioural questions with probes, and the indicators that strong and weak answers tend to show.
Drive for results – Sets demanding standards for their own work, keeps going when progress is hard, and judges success by outcomes rather than effort.
- Tell me about the most demanding goal you have had to deliver in the last two years.Probes: What made it demanding? What did you personally do to keep it on track? What got in the way, and how did you deal with it? How did it turn out, and how do you know?
- Describe a time when you were not satisfied with the standard of something, even though others were.Probes: What standard were you aiming for, and why? What did you do about it? How did others respond? What was the result?
- Give me an example of a time you fell short of a target.Probes: When did you realise? What did you do then? What did you learn? What would you do differently?
Negative indicators
- Settles for the easier path when it is good enough
- Describes effort and busyness rather than outcomes
- Loses momentum when progress stalls
- Puts shortfalls down entirely to other people or circumstances
Positive indicators
- Sets clear, stretching standards and can say how they measure them
- Finds a way round obstacles rather than waiting for them to clear
- Keeps energy and focus over a long piece of work
- Talks about results and their impact, not just activity
Dependability and accountability – Does what they say they will, owns problems rather than passing them on, and gets the balance between speed and quality right.
- Tell me about a time you took responsibility for sorting out a problem that was not strictly yours.Probes: Why did you step in? What did you do? How did you make sure your own work was still delivered? What happened in the end?
- Describe a time when you could not deliver what you had promised.Probes: When did you realise? Who did you tell, and when? What did you do to limit the impact? What do you do differently since?
- Give me an example of having to choose between finishing on time and finishing to the standard you wanted.Probes: What were the options? How did you decide? Who did you involve? Looking back, was it the right call?
Negative indicators
- Over-promises, then lets dates slip quietly
- Hides behind process or blames others
- Takes on work without reprioritising anything else
- Cuts corners to hit a deadline without saying so
Positive indicators
- Delivers on commitments, and warns early when they cannot
- Owns mistakes without excuses
- Thinks through knock-on effects before taking work on
- Checks quality against clear measures
Resilience under pressure – Stays composed and effective when demands are high, recovers from setbacks, and helps others cope.
- Tell me about the most pressured period you have had at work in the last couple of years.Probes: What was causing the pressure? What did you do to manage it? How did it affect your work and the people around you? What did it teach you about how you handle pressure?
- Describe a significant setback you have had.Probes: How did you react at first? What did you do next? How long did it take to get back on track? What would have helped you recover faster?
- Tell me about a time you had to hold your position when others were pushing back hard.Probes: What was the issue? Why did you hold firm? How did you handle the conversation? What was the outcome?
Negative indicators
- Becomes visibly rattled or loses focus
- Dwells on setbacks
- Overlooks the effect of pressure on the team
- Gives way under challenge, or responds out of proportion
Positive indicators
- Stays calm and keeps priorities clear when demands rise
- Uses practical strategies: tackling the cause, re-planning, asking for help
- Notices pressure in others and does something about it
- Learns from setbacks and moves on
Learning and self-development – Seeks feedback, learns from mistakes and takes ownership of their own development.
- Tell me about a piece of feedback that changed the way you work.Probes: Who gave it, and how did you react at the time? What did you do with it? What changed? How do you know it changed?
- Describe a mistake you have made and what you took from it.Probes: What happened? What did you do straight away? What did you learn? When did you next use that learning?
- What have you done in the last year to develop yourself?Probes: Why that? How did you go about it? What difference has it made to your work?
Negative indicators
- Becomes defensive about feedback, or dismisses it
- Cannot name a mistake, or names one with no learning attached
- Sees development as something done to them
- Repeats an approach after it has failed
Positive indicators
- Asks for feedback, including from people who will challenge them
- Can show a specific change made as a result of feedback
- Talks about mistakes openly and specifically
- Owns their development rather than waiting to be sent on something
Working with others – Builds cooperation in a team, respects different styles, and puts the shared goal ahead of personal credit.
- Tell me about a team you were part of that worked well. What did you personally contribute?Probes: What did you do that others did not? How were disagreements handled, and what was your part? What would others in that team say about you?
- Describe a time when you had to work closely with someone whose style was very different from yours.Probes: What was different? How did it affect the work? What did you adjust? What was the result?
- Give me an example of a time you put the team's goal ahead of your own priorities.Probes: What did you give up? How did you feel about it? What happened as a result?
Negative indicators
- Says “we” throughout with no clear personal contribution, or “I” for collective work
- Expects others to adapt to them
- Avoids conflict or escalates it rather than resolving it
- Protects their own patch
Positive indicators
- Seeks out other people's views and builds on them
- Adapts their own style to work with different people
- Shares credit and information
- Deals with friction directly and constructively
Building relationships with stakeholders – Builds a wide network inside and outside the organisation and uses it to understand what others need and to get things done.
- Who are the key stakeholders in your current role, and how did you build those relationships?Probes: Which relationship took the most work? What did you do? How do you keep it going? What has it made possible?
- Tell me about a working relationship that was difficult and that you improved.Probes: What was difficult about it? What did you try? What worked? Where does it stand now?
- Describe a time you used your network to solve a problem or open up an opportunity.Probes: Who did you go to, and why them? What did you ask for? What was in it for them? What was the result?
Negative indicators
- Has a narrow network, mostly within their own team
- Gets in touch only when they need something
- Avoids difficult stakeholders
- Cannot say what others need from them
Positive indicators
- Invests in relationships before they are needed
- Understands stakeholders' priorities and pressures
- Repairs strained relationships
- Can disagree without damaging the relationship
Influencing and persuading – Wins support for ideas through evidence, an understanding of the audience and a well-chosen approach, rather than through position or pressure.
- Tell me about a time you persuaded people to support an idea they were initially against.Probes: Why were they against it? How did you prepare? What changed their minds? How do you know they were committed, not just going along?
- Describe an occasion when you did not manage to win someone round.Probes: What approach did you take? Why do you think it did not work? What would you do differently? What happened in the end?
- Give me an example of influencing someone more senior than you.Probes: What was at stake? How did you get their attention? What did you say or show them? What was the outcome?
Negative indicators
- Repeats the same argument more forcefully
- Reaches for authority or pressure first
- Does not anticipate objections
- Gives up after the first refusal
Positive indicators
- Tailors the case to the audience's priorities
- Uses evidence and examples
- Listens, adjusts and finds common ground
- Gains commitment rather than compliance
Customer focus – Understands what customers, internal or external, actually need, acts on it, and puts things right when service falls short.
- Tell me about a time you went out of your way to understand what a customer really needed.Probes: Who was the customer? How did you find out? What did you learn that you had not expected? What did you do with it?
- Describe a time you had to deal with an unhappy customer.Probes: What had gone wrong? What did you do first? How was it resolved? What changed afterwards?
- Give me an example of balancing a customer's request against what the organisation could deliver.Probes: What was asked for? What was the constraint? How did you handle it? How did the customer respond?
Negative indicators
- Defines good service by the process rather than the outcome
- Passes complaints on to someone else
- Promises what cannot be delivered
- Treats feedback as a nuisance
Positive indicators
- Finds out what people need rather than assuming
- Owns problems through to resolution
- Uses customer feedback to improve how things work
- Manages expectations honestly
Leading and developing people – Gives clear direction, delegates with the right support, gives regular honest feedback and grows the capability of the team.
- Tell me about someone you developed who went on to do more than anyone expected.Probes: What did you see in them? What did you do? How did you adapt your support over time? Where are they now?
- Describe the toughest performance conversation you have had.Probes: How did you spot the issue? How did you prepare? How did they respond? What happened afterwards?
- Give me an example of explaining a new direction to your team so that they got behind it.Probes: What was the message? How did you put it across? How did you check it had landed? What did people do differently?
Negative indicators
- Directs everything personally, or leaves people to it
- Saves feedback for formal reviews
- Avoids or delays difficult conversations
- Equates development with sending people on courses
Positive indicators
- Sets clear expectations and explains why the work matters
- Gives feedback regularly, not only at review time
- Deals with underperformance promptly and fairly
- Delegates real responsibility with the right level of support
Planning and organising – Turns goals into clear plans, prioritises, and delivers on time, on budget and to standard.
- Tell me about the most complex piece of work you have planned and delivered.Probes: How did you break it down? How did you set priorities? How did you track progress? What changed along the way, and how did you respond?
- Describe a time when you had more to do than time to do it.Probes: How did you decide what came first? What did you drop or delegate? Who did you tell? What was the outcome?
- Give me an example of a plan that went off course.Probes: When did you spot it? What did you do? How did you keep people informed? What do you do differently now?
Negative indicators
- Starts without a plan, or plans in excessive detail
- Treats everything as urgent
- Discovers problems late
- Keeps others in the dark when plans change
Positive indicators
- Breaks work into clear steps, owners and dates
- Prioritises by impact, and says what will not be done
- Monitors progress and spots risks early
- Re-plans calmly when circumstances change
Problem solving and judgement – Gets to the real issue quickly, weighs evidence and options, and makes sound decisions with incomplete information.
- Tell me about a difficult decision you made without all the information you wanted.Probes: What did you know, and what did you not? What options did you consider? How did you decide? How did it turn out?
- Describe a complex problem you had to get to the bottom of.Probes: Where did you start? What information did you use? How did you separate the cause from the symptoms? What was the solution?
- Give me an example of a decision of yours that turned out to be wrong.Probes: What did you decide, and why? When did you realise? What did you do? What have you changed in how you decide?
Negative indicators
- Jumps to the first solution
- Relies on opinion or habit over evidence
- Delays decisions waiting for certainty
- Cannot explain the reasoning behind a decision
Positive indicators
- Identifies the real issue rather than the presenting one
- Uses evidence and tests assumptions
- Weighs alternatives and risks before committing
- Decides in good time and plans for what could go wrong
Adapting to change – Stays effective through change and ambiguity, helps others through it, and looks for better ways of doing things.
- Tell me about a significant change at work that you did not choose.Probes: How did you feel about it at first? What did you do? How did it affect your own performance? How did you help others through it?
- Describe a time you introduced a new way of doing something.Probes: What prompted it? How did you get others on board? What resistance did you meet, and how did you handle it? What was the result?
- Give me an example of working on something with no clear guidelines or precedent.Probes: What was unclear? How did you decide where to start? Who did you involve? What did you learn?
Negative indicators
- Lets personal reservations show in their performance
- Waits to be told what to do
- Changes things without involving the people affected
- Loses grip on day-to-day work while change is happening
Positive indicators
- Keeps their own performance and outlook steady during change
- Explains the reasons for change to others
- Anticipates resistance and deals with it early
- Takes the initiative when there is no rulebook
Competencies, questions and indicators written by great{with}talent from our leadership and management interview guide and general competency workbook. For a printable blank plan and rating form, download the pack from the structured interview guide. For psychometric assessment alongside interviews, see FindingPotential.
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