People Standards Interviews
As part of our assessment of candidates for vacancies, RBS use structured behavioural interviews which assess
against our behavioural framework called the People Standards. Questions within the interview are designed to
explore situations and events in the past that demonstrate your skills, experience and typical behaviour. This is
based on the principle that past behaviour is a reliable predictor of future behaviour. For example if your role
involved working with others then you could be asked questions from the area within the People Standards called
‘Enable Others to Succeed’. A typical question might be “Can you give me an example of a time when you supported
another team member who was struggling to meet a customer deadline?’ This type of question allows you to
reflect on past experience, and give evidence in terms of your skill, ability, knowledge and experience within this
area of the People Standards.
Our Interviews:
Our interviews are structured and behaviourally based. This means we search for a number of skills or
characteristics that we have identified as being important for success in the role in question. They are conducted
by employees trained in this type of interview in order to give you the best possible chance to demonstrate that
you have these characteristics.
Why use structured behavioural interviewing?
This standard approach is designed to help ensure that the selection procedure is consistent, transparent, objective
and fair and measures the behaviours that we need people to demonstrate.
How might a behavioural interview differ from those I’m used to?
Rather than using your CV or application form as the basis for your interview, it will be structured around a number
of People Standards, each with its own set of questions. As you move through the interview you will be asked
questions relating to a specific People Standard. Once that Standard has been explored the interviewer(s) will move
on to cover further People Standards in turn. This information will require you to refer to your past experiences and
will centre around your own actions and learning points.
How should I approach this interview?
In order to make the most of your interview, you should spend some time reflecting on previous experience,
whether it be employment, academic or from another source. Think about examples of instances where you feel
you have performed well or that have provided you with important learning opportunities. You should try to use
different examples as this shows your breadth of experience. If you use the same example for different People
Standards, this can restrict the broad range of experiences that you may be able to demonstrate.
The interview is about you, so use the first person ‘I’. When describing an example, ensure you explain your specific
role and involvement. Make a note of each example with the key points that you want to make. Ideally, work
examples should be from your last 18 months of experience. If you have no work examples, you may have
examples of your personal experience to offer.
When talking about these experiences it is also helpful to both yourself and your interviewer if you adopt the STAR
format. This is a simple, but very effective way of organising your thoughts:
S = Situation
T = Task
A = Action you took
R = Result
This style should help you to put your experiences into a meaningful context, helping you decide what qualities
your examples can show and to express them effectively. Also please focus on your own role and specifically what
you have done and try to resist the temptation to talk in terms of ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘the team’.
These interviews are designed to let you show how you can fulfil the job in question. Our prime concern is to find
out as much as possible about your qualities. You can bring notes with you to the interview and will be encouraged
to take time to consider your answers before giving them. You may also jump back to previous questions if you
remember a point you feel is relevant.
RBS Values
Our future is about our customers, and serving them well is the key to being successful ourselves. Our vision is to
be a bank that is trusted, respected and valued by our customers, shareholders and communities. There are four
values that will help us achieve this:
Serving customers We exist to serve customers. We earn their trust by focusing on their needs and delivering
excellent service.
Working together We care for each other and work best as one team. We bring the best of ourselves to work and
support one another to realise our potential.
Doing the right thing We do the right thing. We take risk seriously and manage it prudently. We prize fairness and
diversity and exercise judgement with thought and integrity.
Thinking long term We know we succeed only when our customers and communities succeed. We do business in
an open, direct and sustainable way.
Our People Standards
Our People Standards are the behavioural best-practices that will help us deliver our objectives in a lasting way and
live our values. They are the way that we select and assess for roles - internally and externally. There are eight
People Standards which are set around our values.
Serving customers
 Build Trust - I communicate openly and positively. I use my skills and knowledge to earn trust and build
relationships with my colleagues and customers.
 Focus on Customers - I understand the impact of my role and I take responsibility for making sure that
everything I do will support or benefit our customers.
Working together
 Enable others to succeed - I work with my colleagues to set clear direction and deliver individual and
organisation-wide success.
 Collaborate with others - I look for opportunities to work with colleagues and across teams to deliver the
best solutions for our customers and the Bank.
Doing the right thing
 Make sound decisions - I fully understand all the options available before I make decisions. I make sure
that these decisions keep RBS and customers safe and they comply with risk guidelines.
 Act with integrity - I act honestly, ethically and reliably, and I use our values to guide the way I do things.
Thinking long term
 Deliver lasting results - I consistently deliver high quality work that supports our long term goals. I always
look for and try out ways to improve things.
 Learn and adapt - I believe learning and development can help me. I am confident and positive about
dealing with change and challenge.
Your People Standards Interview
Your interview will cover the People Standards that are seen as critical to success in the role. You will be
interviewed on at least one People Standard in each value.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Resourcing Consultant dealing with your
application.
RBS Values and People Standards