Selection | How to effectively set challenges as part of the interview process

Competency based interviewing isn’t new, but it has been used more frequently in recent years. The high level redundancies which followed the recession meant more highly qualified candidates were available, making it very difficult for employers to reduce the number of applicants.

A result of the fall-out was employers shifting towards risk mitigation. They looked for reasons not to hire people and needed evidence to demonstrate they had carried out their due diligence before making an offer. Since then, a competency based interview has become standard; yet there is almost no evidence which demonstrates this method leads to more successful hires. There is also a danger of it being so overused that skilled interviewees can rehearse ‘good answers’, concealing specific behaviours or character traits.