Decoding Competency-Based Interview Questions
“Influencing Others”, part of a short series exploring competency-based interview questions, the different angles you could consider in your answers, and what interviewers may be trying to understand from them.
The aim isn’t to tell you what to say, but rather to offer a few ideas to help you think about what a question is really trying to uncover and approach your answers with that in mind.
“Describe a time when you had to introduce a new idea or approach and gain support from others.”
This question may be less about the idea itself and more about whether you notice hesitation, resistance, or uncertainty, and how you navigate those dynamics when stakeholder buy-in isn’t automatic.
Angles you could consider:
• What made the idea “new”
(e.g., a change to existing ways of working, a shift in priorities, an untested approach, or something that carried risk or uncertainty)
• Who needed to be influenced, and why
(e.g., stakeholders with different incentives, authority, risk tolerance, or levels of impact)
• How you conveyed the idea and built support
(e.g., one-to-one conversations, group discussions, written proposals, demonstrations, data, storytelling, a gradual approach)
• What concerns or resistance surfaced
(e.g., fear of disruption, competing priorities, previous experiences, or uncertainty about outcomes)
• How you adjusted your approach
(e.g., changing the message, pacing the change, involving others earlier, or reframing the idea based on feedback)
• How you noticed support had been gained
(e.g., decisions made, behaviors changed, commitments given, feedback received, indicators that others were aligned)
What an interviewer may be listening for:
• Whether you notice and account for others’ viewpoints when shaping your approach.
• Whether you adapt how you communicate, not just what you communicate, based on the audience.
• Whether you consider risk, timing, and impact when introducing something new.
• Whether you build alignment through dialogue, trust, facts, rather than authority or persistence alone.
• Whether you reflect on what helped (or hindered) influence and how you might approach similar situations in the future.
“Influencing Others” questions can take many forms. Considering what they may be exploring, such as how you approach situations, make decisions, or work with others, can help guide how you share your experiences.
