Custom Courses Human Resources and Training

Competency-Based Interviewing Training

SAQA US AATICD-0063 | NQF 5 | Credits 10 | Duration 5 Days
From $913 per delegate

Description

This course equips participants with the skills to conduct competency-based interviews that accurately assess candidates against predefined job competencies. Participants will learn to design behavioural questions, evaluate responses objectively, and reduce bias in the selection process. The course aims to enhance the quality of hiring decisions and ensure alignment with organisational competency frameworks.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply a structured competency-based interview framework to assess candidates against job requirements.
  • Analyse job descriptions to identify key competencies and develop behavioural questions aligned with each competency.
  • Evaluate candidate responses using a systematic scoring method to ensure objective decision-making.
  • Implement strategies to mitigate personal bias and legal risks during the interview process.
  • Demonstrate effective questioning and listening techniques to elicit detailed behavioural examples from candidates.
  • Design a comprehensive interview guide that includes competency definitions, probing questions, and evaluation criteria.

Target Audience

This course is designed for hiring managers, HR professionals, recruitment specialists, and anyone involved in the interview and selection process within an organisation.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Competency-Based Interviewing

Objectives:
• Understand the principles and benefits of competency-based interviewing (CBI).
• Differentiate between CBI and traditional interviewing methods.
• Identify core competencies relevant to various job roles.
• Analyse job descriptions to extract key competencies.

Topics:
• Introduction to competency-based interviewing and its importance.
• Comparison of CBI with behavioural, situational, and unstructured interviews.
• The competency framework: knowledge, skills, attitudes, and attributes.
• How to identify competencies from job descriptions and role profiles.
• Legal and ethical considerations in interviewing.
• Overview of the SAQA unit standard requirements.

Day 2: Designing Competency-Based Questions

Objectives:
• Develop effective competency-based questions using the STAR method.
• Create probing questions to elicit detailed behavioural examples.
• Design interview guides aligned to specific competencies.
• Practice writing questions for different competency levels.

Topics:
• The STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result.
• Types of competency questions: opening, probing, and closing.
• How to avoid leading, hypothetical, or closed questions.
• Building an interview guide: structure, timing, and question sequencing.
• Mapping questions to competency levels (basic, intermediate, advanced).
• Review and critique sample questions.

Day 3: Conducting Competency-Based Interviews

Objectives:
• Demonstrate effective interview techniques: rapport building, active listening, and note-taking.
• Manage interview dynamics, including difficult candidates.
• Use probing and follow-up questions to gather evidence.
• Apply consistent questioning across multiple candidates.

Topics:
• Setting up the interview environment and managing time.
• Opening the interview: setting expectations and building rapport.
• Active listening and non-verbal communication skills.
• Techniques for probing: clarifying, expanding, and redirecting.
• Handling challenging situations: nervous candidates, vague answers, or evasiveness.
• Taking accurate, objective notes during the interview.
• Ensuring consistency and fairness across all interviews.

Day 4: Evaluating and Scoring Competency-Based Interviews

Objectives:
• Develop and use scoring rubrics to evaluate candidate responses.
• Assess evidence against defined competency levels.
• Minimise bias and subjectivity in scoring.
• Make informed selection decisions based on competency evidence.

Topics:
• Creating scoring rubrics: defining levels (e.g., 1-5) and behavioural indicators.
• Evaluating STAR responses: identifying complete and relevant examples.
• Common rating errors: halo effect, leniency, central tendency, and contrast effect.
• Techniques to reduce bias: anchoring, calibration, and panel scoring.
• Consolidating scores and making hiring recommendations.
• Documentation and feedback for unsuccessful candidates.

Day 5: Practical Integration and Assessment

Objectives:
• Conduct a full competency-based interview from start to finish.
• Critically reflect on personal interviewing strengths and areas for improvement.
• Apply all learning in a simulated interview scenario.
• Prepare for formal assessment of the unit standard.

Topics:
• Review of key concepts and best practices.
• Mock interviews: participants take turns as interviewer, candidate, and observer.
• Feedback sessions: peer and facilitator evaluation.
• Self-assessment and development planning.
• Final assessment preparation: knowledge test and practical demonstration.
• Course wrap-up and certification information.

Practicals

16 hours of practicals To be conducted online or on-campus or in-house
Overview

Practicals are essential to develop and demonstrate competence in conducting competency-based interviews. Learners will engage in simulated interview sessions, scoring exercises, and feedback activities to apply theoretical knowledge in realistic scenarios.

Practical Activities
  • Question Design Workshop — Learners design competency-based interview questions for a given job role, then peer-review and refine them. (4h)
  • Mock Interview Sessions — Learners conduct and participate in mock interviews, rotating roles as interviewer, candidate, and observer, with structured feedback. (8h)
  • Scoring and Evaluation Exercise — Learners watch recorded interviews and independently score responses using a rubric, then calibrate scores in groups. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored) 100% 30%
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 50%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Practicals 30% + Daily Average 20% + Final Test 50%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 40% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 05 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $913 Register
Mon 07 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $913 Register
Mon 04 Jan 2027 Fri 08 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $913 Register
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Mon 20 Dec 2027 Fri 24 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $913 Register
Mon 03 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $913 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 398 sessions across 26 venues
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Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Mombasa, Kenya Spring 2026 $3,343 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Shenzhen, China Spring 2026 $6,907 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Spring 2026 $2,587 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 London, UK Spring 2026 $5,827 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Blantyre, Malawi Spring 2026 $2,803 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
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Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,188 Register
Mon 12 Oct 2026 Fri 16 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,188 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Fri 18 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,188 Register
Mon 11 Jan 2027 Fri 15 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,188 Register
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Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,188 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,188 Register
Mon 28 Jun 2027 Fri 02 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,188 Register
Mon 12 Jul 2027 Fri 16 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,188 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Fri 17 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,188 Register
Mon 27 Sep 2027 Fri 01 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,188 Register
Mon 11 Oct 2027 Fri 15 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,188 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Fri 17 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,188 Register
Mon 27 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,188 Register
Mon 10 Jan 2028 Fri 14 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,188 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 40% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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