Ogilvy Behavioural Interview: 6 Competencies & Answers

What a behavioural interview at an agency is really testing

Behavioural interviews rest on a simple idea: past behaviour is the best available predictor of future behaviour. Instead of asking what you would do, the interviewer asks what you did, so questions usually begin "Tell me about a time when…" or "Give me an example of…".

Ogilvy is a global advertising, marketing and communications agency, and agencies of this type tend to hire for a mix of ideas, client service and teamwork under pressure. We don't have inside knowledge of Ogilvy's current questions, stages or scoring, and they vary by role, office and team. Treat what follows as well-established competency themes to prepare around, not a leaked question list. Always check your invitation and the job description for the actual format.

Six competencies agencies commonly assess

Read the job description closely and highlight the verbs. Those words usually map to the competencies below. Build one or two strong stories for each, because a good story can often be adapted to several questions.

• Creative thinking and curiosity: how you generate, test and refine ideas, and how you find inspiration outside the obvious. Interviewers want evidence of an idea turning into something real, not just taste.
• Collaboration: how you work with designers, strategists, account teams or colleagues from other disciplines, including when you disagree.
• Client and audience focus: how you work out what a client or customer actually needs, and how you handle feedback, changing briefs and difficult conversations.
• Resilience and adaptability: how you respond when work is rejected, deadlines move or priorities shift.
• Ownership and drive: when you took initiative without being asked, and how you followed through.
• Communication and persuasion: how you explain a recommendation clearly and bring people with you, in writing and in person.

Structure every answer with STAR

STAR keeps you specific and stops you rambling. Situation: set the scene in one or two sentences. Task: say what you were responsible for. Action: explain what you personally did, step by step. Result: share the outcome, what you learned, and what you would do differently.

Spend roughly 15% of your answer on Situation and Task combined, 60% on Action and 25% on Result. The most common mistake is the reverse: lots of background, then a vague "and it went well". Use "I" rather than "we" when describing your actions, while still giving credit to the team.

Worked example: a client-focus question

Question: "Tell me about a time you had to change your approach because of client or stakeholder feedback." The answer below is an illustrative sample, so replace the details with your own real experience.

Situation: "In my final-year placement at a small events company, I drafted a social campaign for a local charity's fundraising night." Task: "I was responsible for the content plan, and the charity's manager told me the tone felt too polished and wasn't reaching their younger supporters."

Action: "Rather than defend my draft, I asked for ten minutes to understand what 'too polished' meant to her. I looked at which of their past posts had performed best and saw they were informal, behind-the-scenes clips from volunteers. I rewrote the plan around short, unscripted volunteer videos, checked the new direction with her before producing anything, and set up a simple weekly review so feedback came early."

Result: "Engagement on the new posts was noticeably higher than on the charity's previous campaign, and they asked me to run the next one. I learned to ask clarifying questions about feedback before reworking anything, and I now share rough directions earlier." Note that the answer shows listening, evidence-led thinking and a lesson, all in about 90 seconds of speaking.

Handling creativity and resilience questions

For creative questions, show your process as well as the outcome. Describe how you started, what you discarded, and how you tested the idea (with colleagues, users or data). Avoid answers that only say you are "a creative person"; give a moment where you proved it.

For resilience questions, choose a genuine setback, not a disguised strength such as "I work too hard". Explain what went wrong, what you controlled, and what changed afterwards. Honest reflection is more persuasive than a flawless story, and interviewers can tell the difference.

Do and don't

A few contrasts that make a noticeable difference in how answers land:

• Do pick recent, relevant examples from work, study, volunteering or personal projects. Don't use a story from years ago unless it is exceptional.
• Do quantify results where you honestly can, such as time saved, engagement, grades or feedback received. Don't invent numbers; "positive feedback from the client" is better than a made-up percentage.
• Do show what you learned. Don't blame colleagues or clients when describing conflict.
• Do research the agency's recent work and be ready to say what you admire and why. Don't recite generic praise.
• Do keep answers to roughly two minutes. Don't memorise scripts word for word; memorise the story beats instead.

How to practise before the day

Start by writing six to eight STAR stories on cards, each with a one-line headline and the competencies it could answer. Then say them out loud. Many people discover that a story that reads well on paper rambles when spoken.

If any stage of your process involves recording answers on video, practise on camera with a timer. ScreenReady simulates timed one-way video interviews and gives AI feedback on your answers, which is a practical way to check structure, pacing and clarity before the real thing. A phone camera and a friend asking you questions also works well.

On the day, test your camera and audio, sit with the light in front of you, and take a breath before each answer. A short pause to choose the right story is a strength, not a weakness.