Interview Competencies Glossary
Clear definitions for the terminology and concepts used in interview preparation. Understand what interviewers mean, how competencies are evaluated, and what frameworks to use.
A
- Active Listening
- Active listening in interviews means fully concentrating on the interviewer's question before responding. It involves paraphrasing the question to confirm understanding, asking clarifying questions when needed, and addressing all parts of multi-part questions.
B
- Behavioral Interview
- A behavioral interview is an interview technique where candidates are asked to describe past experiences to predict future performance. Questions typically begin with "Tell me about a time when..." and assess competencies like leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork.
- Learn more about Behavioral Interview →
C
- Case Interview
- A case interview is a problem-solving interview format common in consulting and strategy roles. Candidates are presented with a business scenario and must analyze data, structure their thinking, and present recommendations. Frameworks like profitability analysis and market sizing are commonly used.
- Learn more about Case Interview →
- Competency-Based Interview
- A competency-based interview evaluates candidates against specific skills and behaviors required for a role. Each question targets a defined competency such as "decision-making" or "stakeholder management," and answers are scored against a rubric.
- Culture Fit
- Culture fit refers to how well a candidate's values, work style, and behaviors align with a company's organizational culture. Interviewers assess this through questions about preferred work environments, collaboration styles, and how candidates handle company-specific scenarios.
D
- Deliberate Practice
- Deliberate practice is a structured approach to skill improvement that involves focused repetition, immediate feedback, and progressive difficulty. Applied to interview preparation, it means practicing specific question types, receiving expert feedback, and iterating until responses meet a high standard.
E
- Elevator Pitch
- An elevator pitch is a concise, persuasive summary of who you are, what you do, and what value you bring — delivered in 30-60 seconds. In interviews, it's typically used to answer "Tell me about yourself" and sets the tone for the conversation.
- Learn more about Elevator Pitch →
- Enhanced Response
- An enhanced response is an improved version of a candidate's original interview answer, rewritten to meet hiring manager standards while preserving the candidate's authentic experiences. Revarta generates enhanced responses to show candidates exactly how to improve their answers.
F
- Follow-Up Question
- A follow-up question is a probe asked by the interviewer to dig deeper into a candidate's initial response. Follow-ups test the depth of experience, verify claims, and assess critical thinking. Examples include "What would you do differently?" and "How did you measure success?"
I
- Interview Readiness
- Interview readiness is a measure of how prepared a candidate is to perform well in an interview. It encompasses familiarity with common questions, ability to articulate experiences clearly, confidence in delivery, and understanding of the target role and company.
- Learn more about Interview Readiness →
L
- Leadership Principles
- Leadership principles are a set of core values that guide decision-making and behavior within an organization. Amazon popularized this concept with 16 principles (e.g., "Customer Obsession," "Bias for Action") that form the basis of their behavioral interview process.
- Learn more about Leadership Principles →
M
- Mock Interview
- A mock interview is a simulated interview session designed to help candidates practice their responses, refine their delivery, and build confidence before a real interview. Mock interviews can be conducted with peers, coaches, or AI-powered platforms like Revarta.
- Learn more about Mock Interview →
P
- Panel Interview
- A panel interview involves multiple interviewers questioning a single candidate simultaneously. Each panelist typically evaluates different competencies, and the format tests how candidates handle pressure and engage multiple stakeholders.
- Learn more about Panel Interview →
S
- Screening Interview
- A screening interview is the first round of the interview process, typically conducted by a recruiter or HR representative. It assesses basic qualifications, salary expectations, and cultural alignment. 60-70% of candidates are eliminated at this stage.
- Situational Interview
- A situational interview presents hypothetical scenarios and asks candidates how they would respond. Unlike behavioral interviews (which ask about past events), situational questions test judgment and problem-solving for future situations.
- STAR Method
- The STAR method is a structured framework for answering behavioral interview questions by describing the Situation, Task, Action, and Result of a past experience. It helps candidates give concise, compelling answers that demonstrate their skills with concrete evidence.
- Learn more about STAR Method →
- Sycophantic Feedback
- Sycophantic feedback is overly positive, non-critical feedback that validates mediocre answers instead of identifying genuine areas for improvement. General-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT tend to give sycophantic feedback because they are designed to be agreeable, making them poor interview coaches.
- Learn more about Sycophantic Feedback →
V
- Verbal Delivery
- Verbal delivery refers to how a candidate communicates during an interview — including pace, clarity, filler word usage, confidence, and the ability to structure thoughts coherently under pressure. Strong verbal delivery is often the difference between candidates with similar qualifications.
