Home / Masterclasses / HR and labour law / Interviewing Skills: Competency-Based Interviews That Reduce Bias (3-hour online masterclass)
Quick Look Course Summary:Interviewing Skills: Competency-Based Interviews That Reduce Bias (3-hour online masterclass)
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Next Public Course Date:
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Length: 1 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 8,159 EX VAT 3 Person R 5,295 EX VAT 10 Person R 3,794 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Live online on Zoom or Microsoft Teams - for one person or a whole organisation, anywhere in South Africa.
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Interviewing Skills: Competency-Based Interviews That Reduce Bias (3-hour online masterclass)
A wrong hire costs months of salary, management time and team morale – this session gives every interviewer one structured, fair method that picks the right person and can explain why.
Ask three managers to interview the same candidate and you will often get three different verdicts, each formed in the first two minutes and defended for the next forty. This interviewing skills masterclass replaces gut feel with a method: competency-based questions planned from the job, the same evidence sought from every candidate, and a scoring sheet that shows why the chosen person was chosen. It is a focused three-hour cut of BOTI's full-day recruitment and selection courses, built for the managers and panel members who actually sit in the room.
Delegates start by turning a job profile into four or five competencies and the behaviours that prove them. They then build questions that draw out real examples – what the candidate did, not what they would do – and practise probing with the STAR structure until the evidence is complete. A module on bias looks at first impressions, similarity, halo and contrast effects, and at the questions South African employment law and good practice say an interviewer should not ask. The final module is a live practice round: delegates interview and score a case candidate on screen and compare their scores with the rest of the group.
Everyone leaves with a PDF workbook, a competency question bank and a scoring sheet ready for their next interview, plus a short personal action list.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Consistent selection decisions across managers, departments and panels
- A written record of why each candidate was or was not appointed, which supports employment equity reporting
- Fewer expensive mis-hires and early resignations
- Fewer complaints about unfair or inappropriate interview questions
- A whole panel trained in one morning, so everyone uses the same method from the next vacancy on
For your delegates
- A competency-based question set and scoring sheet for your next vacancy
- A reliable way to probe vague answers until you have real evidence
- Awareness of your own biases and simple habits that reduce them
- Clarity on which questions are off limits
- Practice and feedback in the session, not just theory
What delegates will be able to do
- Turn a job profile into a short list of competencies and the behaviours that prove them
- Write competency-based questions that ask for past examples rather than opinions
- Run a structured interview with a consistent opening, question order and close
- Probe with the STAR structure – situation, task, action, result – until the evidence is complete
- Score answers against agreed criteria and record the evidence behind each score
- Recognise first-impression, similarity, halo and contrast bias and take practical steps to reduce them
- Avoid questions that are unfair, irrelevant to the job or risky under South African employment law
- Reach a panel decision based on scores and evidence, and give useful feedback to unsuccessful candidates
Who should attend
Line managers, supervisors and team leaders who interview for their own vacancies, HR officers and recruiters who run or sit on panels, and anyone newly asked to join an interview panel. No HR training is needed; experienced interviewers use the session to tighten a method they have built by habit.
Course outline
Live session – Structured, competency-based interviews that pick the right person fairly
Opening: what an interview can and cannot tell you
- Welcome, the three hours ahead and a quick poll: how do you decide today?
- Why unstructured interviews predict performance poorly and structured ones do better
- From job profile to competencies: picking the four or five that matter for this role
- Exercise: list the competencies for a vacancy you are filling now
Competency-based questions and probing
- Behavioural questions: asking for a real example, not a good intention
- The STAR structure for listening and probing: situation, task, action, result
- Follow-up questions that get past rehearsed answers
- Building a question set that every candidate is asked in the same order
- Exercise: write and test two questions for one competency
Scoring fairly and reducing bias
- A rating scale with behavioural anchors, and why 'good fit' is not a score
- Recording evidence next to every score
- Bias in the room: first impressions, similarity, halo, contrast and stereotyping
- Questions you should not ask: age, family plans, health, religion and other matters unrelated to the inherent requirements of the job
- Case discussion: two interviewers, one candidate, two very different verdicts
- Panel roles and reaching a decision the panel can explain
Practice round and your action list
- Live practice: interview a case candidate on screen and score the answers
- Comparing scores across the group and talking through the differences
- Telephone and video interviews: adapting the method
- Giving feedback to unsuccessful candidates
- Personal action list: what to change at your next interview
How it is delivered
Live online on Zoom (or Microsoft Teams), 2.5 to 3 hours – usually 09:00-12:00, or a time that suits your team. From 1 to 500 delegates. Electronic handouts: a PDF workbook, a competency question bank and scoring sheet, and a one-page summary, sent before the session. Join a public session, or run it privately for your organisation on a date of your choice using your own job profiles, interview forms and recent vacancies.
What our clients say
“Throughout both interventions, BOTI demonstrated a high level of professionalism, subject matter expertise, and commitment to quality training delivery. Their ability to effectively manage virtual learning environments and engage participants contributed significantly to the success of the programmes.”
“The facilitator was excellent and took time to ensure that the employee understood the content and was able to apply the learning in order to develop the portfolio of evidence.”
“We were particularly impressed by the quality of facilitation and the practical relevance of the content presented. The programme was delivered with professionalism, clarity, and a strong emphasis on real-world application”
Frequently asked questions
How many people can join?
From 1 to 500 delegates on Zoom. The practice round runs in the main room for large groups and in breakout rooms for smaller ones, so everyone scores at least one interview.
Do we get handouts?
Yes, electronic copies. Each delegate receives a PDF workbook, the competency question bank and scoring sheet, and a one-page summary before the session starts.
Can we run it privately for our team?
Yes. Pick a date and send us a job profile or two and your current interview forms; the facilitator builds the exercises and the practice candidate around your own vacancies.
Does it cover the whole recruitment process?
No. It concentrates on the interview itself: questions, probing, scoring and bias. Advertising, screening, reference checks and offers are covered in the full-day Hiring Strategies Course and the recruitment and selection courses.
Is it accredited?
No. It is a non-accredited masterclass and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance by email. For a credit-bearing route ask us about BOTI's QCTO skills programmes.