How publicjobs Competency Interviews Work

You have been called to interview for a civil service competition. You know the format is competency-based, you have a vague idea that STAR is involved, and you have about three weeks to get ready. Most prep material out there is written for the UK market and does not quite fit what actually happens in an Irish public service interview room.

Here is a plain-spoken guide to what the publicjobs competency-based interview actually involves: the board format, the two assessment frameworks in use, how your answers are scored, and what happens after you leave the room.

What is the format of a publicjobs competency interview?

The interview is a structured, evidence-based conversation. You sit before a board of typically three assessors. Every candidate at your grade level is asked the same questions, in the same order. That standardisation is deliberate. It removes the luck of a chatty panel and means your score depends entirely on the quality of the evidence you give.

You will receive a call-up letter in advance. Read it carefully. It tells you which assessment framework applies to your competition, whether the interview is in-person or online, and who is on your board. The Public Appointments Service publishes this information as a matter of process.

Three interview formats are currently in use: automated video interview, live video interview, and in-person. The format depends on the competition and the stage of the process.

What is the difference between the Competency Model and the Capability Framework?

This is the question that trips people up most. Two frameworks are currently in use, and knowing which one applies to your competition changes how you prepare.

The Civil Service Competency Model is the older framework. At Executive Officer level it covers areas such as Delivery of Results, Analysis and Decision Making, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership and Change Management, Specialist Knowledge, and Commitment to Public Service Values. Many competitions still run on this model.

The Capability Framework was launched in February 2024 and rolled out across all large volume Civil Service campaigns from that point. It has four core capabilities:

Building Future Readiness
Evidence Informed Delivery
Leading and Empowering
Communicating and Collaborating

Each capability has two subdimensions, and the interview includes a competency-style question per subdimension. So at a Capability Framework interview you may face up to eight evidence-based questions, plus two broader areas covering Skills, Strengths and Knowledge, and Values, Motivation and Interests.

Your call-up letter will state which framework applies. Do not assume. I have seen people show up with a well-prepared competency wheel and find themselves sitting a Capability Framework interview instead.

How should I structure my answers?

The STAR method - Situation, Task, Action, Result - is the standard structure, and it works. The board is trained to look for evidence of each element. What candidates consistently get wrong is the balance. For a detailed breakdown of how to time each section and map answers to the Capability Framework, see the STAR method guide for Irish public service interviews.

Most people spend too long on Situation and Task, the context-setting part, and then rush through the Action section. That is the wrong way around. The Action section - what you specifically did, the decisions you made, the skills you applied - is where most of the marks sit. Aim to spend roughly 60% of your answer on Action. Keep context tight: two or three sentences is usually enough to set the scene.

A few other things that matter:

Say “I”, not “we”. The board needs to hear what you personally did, not what the team achieved. This is uncomfortable for a lot of Irish candidates who find it feels like boasting. It is not boasting. It is what the process requires.
Aim for two to three minutes per answer. Go longer than that and the panel will interrupt you. They work to a strict schedule and they will cut across you mid-sentence if they have to.
Use recent examples. Ideally from the past three to five years. Non-work examples are acceptable if they genuinely illustrate the competency. publicjobs advises candidates to prepare around ten examples from various areas of their life before interview day.
Do not over-script. A word-perfect answer delivered in a flat voice scores worse than a slightly imperfect answer that sounds like a real person.

The board will probe. They may ask follow-up questions to test depth: “what specifically did you do?”, “how did you measure that?”, “what would you do differently?” These are not attacks. They are part of the scoring process.

How is the interview scored?

Each question maps to a specific competency or capability subdimension. The assessors score your response, typically against a behavioural scale, and take notes throughout. You may notice them writing while you speak. That is normal and expected.

Because every candidate gets the same questions in the same order, your results are directly comparable. There is no variation between boards.

The exact scoring criteria and any pass mark are not publicly published by PAS, and these details can vary by competition. What is confirmed is that feedback is available on request for up to six months after the interview stage closes. Many candidates do not know this. If you are unsuccessful, request your feedback. It is the most useful preparation material you can get for the next attempt.

What happens after the interview?

Being placed on a panel is not a job offer. This is probably the most misunderstood part of the whole process.

After the interview stage closes, successful candidates are ranked in order of merit and placed on a panel. Panels are typically active for approximately 18 to 24 months. Candidates are called forward in batches as vacancies arise, based on their position in the order of merit and the demand from hiring departments.

You cannot choose which department you are assigned to. Declining an assignment means withdrawal from the competition.

The overall timeline for a large volume competition can range from around four months to over a year from application to panel assignment, with individual accounts varying widely. The wait is real and it is frustrating. It is worth going in with eyes open.

For a fuller look at everything that comes before the interview - the tests, the skills assessment, and how to build your evidence bank - the guide to public service interview preparation in Ireland covers the full picture.

FAQ

Can I reuse the same example for different competency questions?

Possibly, but carefully. In a Capability Framework interview, the same example can be used across subdimensions within the same capability. Using the exact same example for two entirely separate capabilities is riskier and may leave the board questioning the breadth of your experience. Have backups ready.

Will the board tell me which competency each question relates to?

No. The board asks the question and you provide the evidence. You will not be told in the room which capability or competency is being assessed. Your call-up letter should indicate the areas to be covered, which is why reading it thoroughly matters.

What if I go blank mid-answer?

It happens. The board expects it occasionally. Take a breath, go back to your STAR structure, and pick up from the Action section. You can say “let me come back to the specific outcome” if you lose the thread, but do not leave the Action section unfinished. That is where the marks are.

Can I reschedule my interview?

Only in exceptional circumstances such as bereavement or serious illness. Each candidate gets one reschedule opportunity. Missing the rescheduled interview results in automatic withdrawal from the competition.

Start practising before the interview is confirmed

The competency based interview publicjobs candidates sit is not a conversation. It is a scored assessment with a defined structure, a prepared board, and a fixed order of questions. The candidates who do well are the ones who have rehearsed their examples out loud, not just written them down. The most common publicjobs interview questions by competency gives you a concrete set of prompts to practise against.

If you are still working through the earlier stages of a competition, the free taster at PublicServicePathway lets you practise the Irish-format assessments - ranked-answer SJTs, euro-denominated numerical reasoning - at no cost and with no card required. When you are ready to build a full evidence bank and run mock interview questions, the full practice bank starts at €39/month.

No affiliation with publicjobs.ie or the Public Appointments Service. Always check your candidate information booklet and publicjobs.ie directly for the most current competition details.

How publicjobs Competency-Based Interviews Work