Competency-based behavioural interviewing training teaches hiring managers and panel members to run structured interviews that predict job performance. Participants practise probing for evidence, turning behavioural indicators into questions, taking notes, rating answers and calibrating with other panel members. Bodhih runs it as a 1-day workshop or three 2.5-hour virtual sessions, with calibration sessions at 30 and 90 days.
- Delivered in person at your location or as live virtual sessions
- Designed with the ADDIE model and evaluated for behaviour change
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Where and how: competency-based behavioral interviewing training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Competency-Based Behavioral Interviewing Training: Unlocking the Power of Effective Hiring
In today’s competitive job market, organizations strive to find the best talent to drive their success. The traditional methods of hiring based solely on qualifications and experience are gradually being replaced by a more comprehensive approach. One such approach gaining popularity is Competency-Based Behavioral Interviewing Training. This innovative method focuses on evaluating candidates’ behavioral competencies and their potential to excel in specific roles. By delving into a candidate’s past behaviors and experiences, organizations can make more informed and effective hiring decisions.
Competency-based behavioral interviewing training is a systematic approach that enables hiring managers and interviewers to assess a candidate’s suitability for a job by analyzing their past behaviors. It goes beyond asking generic questions about skills and qualifications, and instead, delves into specific situations a candidate has encountered and how they have handled them. By exploring a candidate’s behavioral patterns and competencies, employers can gain valuable insights into their problem-solving abilities, interpersonal skills, adaptability, and other critical attributes that contribute to job performance.
The training equips interviewers with the necessary skills to structure and conduct competency-based interviews effectively. It involves understanding the organization’s competency framework, identifying the key competencies required for a specific role, and developing questions that elicit meaningful responses related to those competencies. The training also emphasizes active listening and observation skills to accurately assess a candidate’s responses and behavioral indicators.
One of the key advantages of competency-based behavioral interviewing training is its ability to predict future job performance more accurately. By focusing on a candidate’s demonstrated behaviors and experiences, rather than relying solely on their self-reported skills, employers can gauge how they are likely to perform in real-world scenarios. This approach helps minimize the risk of hiring candidates who may possess impressive resumes but lack the necessary behavioral competencies to excel in the role.
Another significant benefit of this training is its potential to reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process. Competency-based behavioral interviewing encourages interviewers to base their assessments on objective criteria rather than subjective opinions or gut feelings. The structured nature of this approach ensures that all candidates are evaluated against the same set of criteria, leading to a fair and consistent assessment process. By focusing on tangible behavioral examples, interviewers can reduce the impact of biases and make more objective hiring decisions.
Moreover, competency-based behavioral interviewing training enhances the overall candidate experience. When candidates are engaged in meaningful conversations about their past experiences and how they align with the job requirements, they feel valued and respected. It allows them to showcase their abilities and potential, providing a more holistic view of their capabilities beyond what is written on their resume. This positive candidate experience can strengthen the employer brand and improve the organization’s reputation in the job market.
Implementing competency-based behavioral interviewing training requires a collaborative effort between HR professionals, hiring managers, and interviewers. It is essential to develop a clear and well-defined competency framework tailored to each role within the organization. This framework serves as a guide for interviewers to identify the critical competencies required for success and design relevant interview questions accordingly. Ongoing training and calibration sessions are also necessary to ensure consistency and accuracy across interviews.
In conclusion, competency-based behavioral interviewing training offers a valuable approach to identifying and selecting top talent for organizations. By focusing on candidates’ behavioral competencies and past experiences, employers can make more informed hiring decisions, reduce unconscious bias, and enhance the overall candidate experience. Investing in this training equips interviewers with the skills needed to assess candidates effectively and align their selection process with the organization’s strategic goals. As the competition for talent intensifies, mastering competency-based behavioral interviewing becomes a crucial factor in building high-performing teams and driving organizational success.
How to competency-based behavioral interviewing training?
Implementing competency-based behavioral interviewing training requires a structured approach to ensure consistency and effectiveness. Here are some steps to guide you in conducting competency-based behavioral interviewing training:
1. Understand your organization’s competency framework:
Familiarize yourself with the competencies that are essential for success in various roles within your organization. Work closely with your HR department or hiring managers to identify the core competencies that align with the organization’s strategic objectives.
2. Define the behavioral indicators:
Once you have identified the key competencies, break them down into specific behavioral indicators. These indicators are the observable behaviors or actions that demonstrate the presence of a particular competency. For example, if the competency is “problem-solving,” a behavioral indicator could be “demonstrates analytical thinking and creative problem-solving in challenging situations.”
3. Develop competency-based interview questions:
Design interview questions that are specifically tailored to elicit behavioral examples from candidates. The questions should focus on past experiences where candidates have demonstrated the desired competencies. For example, you could ask, “Can you share a time when you faced a complex problem at work and how you went about solving it?”
4. Train interviewers:
Provide comprehensive training to interviewers on the principles and techniques of competency-based behavioral interviewing. Train them on how to ask open-ended questions, actively listen to candidates’ responses, and probe for specific details about their behaviors and actions. Conduct mock interviews and provide feedback to help interviewers refine their skills.
5. Conduct calibration sessions:
Regular calibration sessions are crucial to ensure consistency in evaluating candidates’ responses. Bring together a group of interviewers to review and discuss sample responses to the interview questions. This exercise helps align the interviewers’ understanding of the behavioral indicators and the evaluation criteria. It also minimizes potential bias and ensures a fair and consistent assessment process.
6. Implement structured evaluation criteria:
Establish a standardized evaluation system to assess candidates’ responses consistently. Develop a rating scale or rubric that aligns with the behavioral indicators and the desired competency levels. This approach enables interviewers to make objective and evidence-based assessments of candidates’ behaviors.
7. Continuously refine and improve:
Regularly review the effectiveness of your competency-based behavioral interviewing training program. Seek feedback from interviewers and candidates to identify areas of improvement. Adjust and refine your competency framework, interview questions, and evaluation criteria based on the insights gained from the training and interview experiences.
8. Provide ongoing support and resources:
Offer ongoing support to interviewers by providing resources such as sample questions, guides, and access to additional training materials. Encourage a learning culture where interviewers can share best practices and learn from each other’s experiences.
By following these steps, you can successfully implement competency-based behavioral interviewing training within your organization. This training approach will equip your interviewers with the skills and tools needed to identify candidates who possess the desired behavioral competencies, leading to more effective hiring decisions and the building of high-performing teams.
Here’s a suggested two-day training plan for competency-based behavioral interviewing:
01Day 1Day 1+
Morning Session:
1. Introduction to Competency-Based Behavioral Interviewing
– Overview of the training objectives and agenda
– Importance of behavioral competencies in the hiring process
– Benefits of competency-based behavioral interviewing
- Understanding Competency Framework and Behavioral Indicators
– Explanation of the organization’s competency framework
– Definition and examples of behavioral indicators for each competency
– Discussion on how behavioral indicators align with job performance - Developing Competency-Based Interview Questions
– Techniques for crafting effective competency-based interview questions
– Identifying the key competencies for specific roles
– Practice session: Group activity to create interview questions for selected competencies
Afternoon Session:
4. Conducting Competency-Based Behavioral Interviews
– Steps and best practices for conducting effective interviews
– Active listening skills and probing techniques
– Role-play exercises: Mock interviews to practice asking competency-based questions and evaluating responses
5. Evaluating and Rating Candidate Responses
– Establishing a standardized evaluation system
– Developing a rating scale or rubric for assessing candidate behaviors
– Calibration session: Reviewing and discussing sample responses, aligning evaluation criteria
02Day 2Day 2+
Morning Session:
1. Fine-tuning Interviewing Skills
– Advanced techniques for probing and clarifying candidate responses
– Handling challenging situations during interviews
– Role-play exercises: Difficult interview scenarios and practicing effective interviewing techniques
- Mitigating Bias in Competency-Based Behavioral Interviewing
– Understanding unconscious bias in the hiring process
– Strategies to minimize bias during interviews
– Group discussion and case studies on bias mitigation - Enhancing the Candidate Experience
– Importance of a positive candidate experience in the hiring process
– Tips for engaging candidates and creating a welcoming interview environment
– Practice session: Role-play exercises to demonstrate effective candidate engagement techniques
Afternoon Session:
4. Applying Competency-Based Behavioral Interviewing in Hiring Decisions
– Integrating competency-based behavioral interviewing outcomes into the selection process
– Evaluating candidate fit based on behavioral indicators
– Group activity: Reviewing and discussing real-life case studies to make hiring decisions using competency-based approach
5. Continuous Improvement and Wrap-up
– Review of key takeaways from the training program
– Gathering feedback from participants on the training experience
– Action planning: Developing individual and team goals for implementing competency-based behavioral interviewing
It’s important to note that the training plan can be customized based on the specific needs and requirements of your organization. The schedule and duration of each session can be adjusted to accommodate your training resources and participant availability. Additionally, incorporating interactive activities, group discussions, and real-life case studies throughout the training program will enhance participant engagement and knowledge retention.
Sample training plan: 1-day hands-on design
This one-day, practice-heavy workshop prepares hiring managers and panel members to run behavioural interviews that predict performance. It assumes the organisation already has, or is building, a competency framework, and focuses on the interviewer's craft. Participants spot invented stories through probing, turn indicators into questions, listen and take evidence notes, rate answers against behavioural indicators and calibrate as a panel. The day ends with an interviewer certification round: each person runs a 15-minute interview with a facilitator-played candidate and is scored on an interviewer rubric.
Participants can question, probe, note, rate and calibrate well enough to pass an observed interviewer certification round.
- 09:30–10:00Two true stories and one inventedEnergiser
- 10:00–10:30Indicators are what you listen forConcept burst
- 10:30–11:15Questions from indicatorsSkill drill
- 11:30–12:15Listening and evidence notesDemo & practice
- 12:15–13:00The candidates you will meetRole-play
- 13:45–14:30Rate it, then defend itSkill drill
- 14:30–15:15Panel wash-upSimulation
- 15:30–16:45Interviewer certification roundSimulation
- 16:45–17:30My 90-day interviewer planAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 1 day in person (09:30–17:30) for hiring managers and panel members, or 3 × 2.5-hour live virtual sessions, plus 30- and 90-day calibration sessions. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is competency-based behavioral interviewing training?
The recommended design is one day in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, for hiring managers and panel members, followed by calibration sessions at 30 and 90 days. It also runs as three live virtual sessions of two and a half hours. A two-day version adds building competency profiles and question banks.
What activities are included in competency-based behavioral interviewing training?
Participants probe to find invented achievement stories, write questions from behavioural indicators, take three-column evidence notes, practise with four types of difficult candidates, rate recorded answers and defend their evidence, handle a biased panel wash-up and complete an observed interviewer certification round.
Frequently asked questions
What is competency-based behavioral interviewing training?
Who is the Competency-based Behavioral Interviewing Training program for?
HR, L&D and people managers. Bodhih tailors the examples, case studies and depth to your industry, culture and team level.
How long is the Competency-based Behavioral Interviewing Training program?
Bodhih recommends 1 day in person (09:30–17:30) for hiring managers and panel members, or 3 × 2.5-hour live virtual sessions, plus 30- and 90-day calibration sessions. The length can be shortened or extended after a needs analysis.
Can Competency-based Behavioral Interviewing Training be delivered online?
Yes. Competency-based Behavioral Interviewing Training can run in person at your location, as live virtual sessions for distributed or hybrid teams, or as a blended journey that adds self-paced learning on Bodhih.org between sessions.
How is the impact of Competency-based Behavioral Interviewing Training measured?
Success measures for Competency-based Behavioral Interviewing Training are agreed with you before design, as part of the ADDIE model. Bodhih can add pre- and post-program assessments on AssessAll and manager check-ins to track behaviour change.