Behavioural Question Bank by Competency
This chapter is a reference. It groups the behavioural and situational questions you are most likely to meet by the competency each one is trying to measure. For every group you get the questions, what a good answer shows, what a weak answer looks like, and a one-line outline you can fill with your own story. Use it as a checklist when you build your story bank: if a competency has no story behind it, you have a gap to fill before the interview.
How to use it:
- Read the competency and its questions.
- Pick the story from your bank that fits best. Different competencies can reuse the same story with a different emphasis.
- Draft a STAR outline for each, in bullet points, not sentences.
- Practise aloud. Aim for 90 seconds, and have a deeper layer ready for follow-ups.
1. Communication
Questions
- Tell me about a time you had to explain something complex to someone with no technical background.
- Describe a situation in which a misunderstanding caused a problem. How did you fix it?
- Tell me about a presentation you gave and how it went.
- Describe a time you had to communicate bad news.
Looks for: clarity, audience awareness, listening, checking for understanding, honesty about problems. Outline: the audience and what they needed, how you simplified (an analogy, a diagram, a short summary), how you checked understanding, the result. Weak answer: "I speak clearly and people understand me." No example, no checking.
2. Teamwork and collaboration
Questions
- Tell me about a time you worked well in a team.
- Describe a time you helped a colleague who was struggling.
- How do you contribute when you disagree with a team decision?
- Tell me about a time you worked with someone very different from you.
Looks for: contribution, support for others, flexibility, shared credit. Outline: the team goal, your specific role, one thing you did to help the group (not only your own task), the result and credit given. Weak answer: "We all worked together." Your role is invisible.
3. Conflict resolution
Questions
- Tell me about a disagreement with a coworker or teammate.
- Describe a time you disagreed with your manager or teacher.
- Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult person.
- Describe a conflict between two people on your team and what you did.
Looks for: listening, composure, a fair process, solving the problem rather than winning. Outline: the disagreement and the stakes, how you listened, the option or evidence you used, the outcome and the relationship afterwards. Weak answer: "I was right, and eventually they agreed." Or "I avoided the person."
4. Leadership and influence
Questions
- Tell me about a time you led a group or project.
- Describe a time you influenced someone without authority.
- Tell me about a time you motivated others.
- How have you developed or mentored someone?
Looks for: direction, delegation, enabling others, impact, humility. Outline: the goal and the team, how you organised and delegated, one difficulty and how you handled it, the result and what you learned about leading. Weak answer: a title with no actions, or "I did everything myself".
5. Ownership and initiative
Questions
- Tell me about a time you went beyond your assigned responsibilities.
- Describe something you improved without being asked.
- Tell me about a time you saw a problem and acted on it.
- What is a project you started yourself?
Looks for: proactivity, follow-through, caring about outcomes. Outline: what you noticed, why it mattered, what you did (and how you respected others' ownership), the impact. Weak answer: doing extra work with no reason or result, or taking over work that belonged to others.
6. Problem solving and analytical thinking
Questions
- Describe a complex problem you solved.
- Tell me about a time you had to analyse data to make a decision.
- Describe a time you found the root cause of a problem.
- Tell me about a creative solution you came up with.
Looks for: structured thinking, evidence, creativity, learning from trial and error. Outline: the problem, how you broke it down, the options you considered, why you chose one, the result. Weak answer: only the final fix, with no reasoning shown.
7. Decision making and judgement
Questions
- Tell me about a difficult decision you made.
- Describe a time you had to decide with incomplete information.
- Tell me about a time you made an unpopular decision.
- Describe a decision you would change in hindsight.
Looks for: weighing trade-offs, risk awareness, consultation, accountability. Outline: the choice and constraints, the options, who you consulted, the decision and reason, the outcome and what you would change. Weak answer: a decision with no alternatives, or one made by "asking my manager".
8. Adaptability and learning agility
Questions
- Tell me about a time you had to learn something quickly.
- Describe a time when plans changed suddenly.
- Tell me about a time you worked outside your comfort zone.
- How do you handle ambiguity?
Looks for: learning method, flexibility, calm under change. Outline: what changed or what was new, how you built understanding (a plan, resources, asking), how you applied it, the result. Weak answer: "I am a quick learner" with no example.
9. Pressure, deadlines and prioritisation
Questions
- Tell me about a time you worked under a tight deadline.
- How do you prioritise competing tasks?
- Describe a time you were overloaded. What did you do?
- Tell me about a time you missed a deadline.
Looks for: prioritisation method, early communication, calm, realistic expectations. Outline: the load and deadline, how you prioritised, what you communicated or negotiated, the outcome, what you do now. Weak answer: "I work long hours until it is done." No method and no communication.
10. Failure, mistakes and resilience
Questions
- Tell me about a time you failed.
- Describe a mistake you made and what you did.
- Tell me about a time you received harsh feedback.
- How do you bounce back from a setback?
Looks for: honesty, accountability, learning, recovery. Outline: what went wrong and your part, immediate response, the lasting change, a later example where it helped. Weak answer: a disguised success or a story that blames others.
11. Customer or stakeholder focus
Questions
- Tell me about a time you went out of your way for a customer or user.
- Describe a time you dealt with an unhappy customer.
- How do you gather and use feedback from users?
- Tell me about a time you had to say no to a request.
Looks for: empathy, problem resolution, clear boundaries, focus on the end user. Outline: the need or complaint, how you listened and clarified, what you did, the result for the customer. Weak answer: following a script, or giving in to every demand.
12. Integrity and ethics
Questions
- Tell me about a time you faced an ethical dilemma.
- What would you do if your manager asked you to do something you believed was wrong?
- Describe a time you admitted a mistake that others might not have noticed.
- Tell me about a time you had to keep something confidential.
Looks for: honesty, courage, respect for rules, sound escalation. Outline: the dilemma and the pressure, what you considered, what you did (raise it with the right person, propose an alternative, decline if necessary), the outcome. Weak answer: pretending you have never had a dilemma, or describing a clever way around the rules.
13. Motivation and fit
Questions
- What motivates you at work?
- What kind of environment do you work best in?
- What do you want to learn in the next two years?
- Why this role and company?
Looks for: genuine interest, realistic expectations, alignment with the role and culture. Outline: specific things that energise you (with an example), what you look for in a team, a learning goal, a link to the role. Weak answer: "A good salary and growth."
14. Situational ("what would you do if...") questions
These do not need a past story; they test your approach. Use: clarify, options, decision, safeguards, and add a brief real example if you have one.
| Situation | Outline of a strong answer |
|---|---|
| A teammate keeps missing deadlines | Talk privately to understand the cause; offer help or adjust the load; set short checkpoints; involve the lead only if it persists, with facts and the impact |
| You discover a mistake in your own submitted work | Tell the right person at once; assess the impact; fix or limit it; explain the cause; put in a safeguard |
| Your manager gives an unclear task | Ask clarifying questions about the goal, user and deadline; state assumptions; deliver a small first version for feedback |
| Two stakeholders want contradictory things | Understand each need; show the trade-offs; ask them or your manager to align on priority; document the decision |
| A customer is angry about something outside your control | Listen, acknowledge, apologise for the experience, explain what you can do, escalate with a clear summary if needed, follow up |
| You are asked to cut a corner on quality to meet a deadline | Assess the risk; propose options (reduce scope, extend time, add safeguards); flag the risk clearly; escalate if it affects safety or integrity |
| You disagree with a decision already made | State your concern once, with evidence, then commit and support the decision, unless it is unethical or unsafe |
| You see a colleague doing something unethical | Consider the facts; if appropriate speak to them; report through the proper channel if it persists or is serious |
| You are given more work than you can finish | Prioritise, tell your manager what can be done by when, and ask what to defer |
| A new joiner needs help but you are busy | Give a short orientation now, schedule a fuller time, and point to resources |
15. A grid to map your stories
Make a table: your top eight stories as rows, the competencies above as columns, and tick every competency a story can show. For example:
| Story | Teamwork | Conflict | Leadership | Ownership | Problem solving | Failure | Pressure | Learning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tech fest website | x | x | x | x | x | |||
| Robotics competition | x | x | x | x | ||||
| Internship deployment checklist | x | x | x | |||||
| Failed first-semester exam | x | x |
Check the columns for blanks. A blank column means: find a story, or prepare an honest answer that says you have limited experience and describes what you would do.
16. A final self-check for every answer
- Did I answer the question that was asked?
- Is it specific: a place, a time, a number, a name?
- Is my own role clear?
- Is there a result and a lesson?
- Is it true, and could I handle five follow-ups?
- Is it under two minutes?
- Would a stranger understand it without extra context?
- Does it show something the role needs?
17. Practice plan
- Week 1: list stories, map them to the grid, fill gaps.
- Week 2: write STAR outlines for the eight best; practise each aloud in 90 seconds.
- Week 3: mock interviews with mixed questions; record and review.
- Week 4: polish the "about you" answers, the questions to ask, and the tricky ones; do one final full mock.
A last reminder: the goal is not to deliver a perfect performance. It is to let the interviewer see, through true and specific stories, the person who would turn up on day one and the person who would still be reliable on day three hundred.