Answering competency-based questions with "I" not "We"

When answering a competency-based question at the interview, use sentences that start with “I”, not “We”. Having selected your example of your previous work experience that demonstrates the competency, make sure that your answer is very clear about what you did. You may well have led a team or been part of a team, but now is not the time to use the word “we”.

Good interviewers won't let you away with using "we" and will prompt you to keep your answers to what you did and your unique contribution. However, time is being wasted when we have to do this with a candidate, time you could have been earning more marks. You need to be clear about what you did versus what others did to achieve the outcome in your answers. Ambiguity about this will impact your scores negatively.

Yes, I know for many it doesn't come naturally to say "I" and you want to show you are a team player (which I hear frequently from interview coaching clients), but it's only you at the interview and only you looking to get that role or be promoted. So if you find yourself saying "we" a lot, practice saying "I" (and then practice again)! ​