Competency Profiling
Competency Profiling
Competency- Definition
A competency is a characteristic of an employee that contributes to successful job performance and the achievement of organizational results.
Fig 1
These include knowledge, skills, and abilities plus other characteristics such as values, motivation, initiative, and self-control.
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Competency based Recruitment
Organizations need to attract and select the most competent and promising individuals.
With limited promotional opportunities, and planned attrition, getting the right people into the right jobs becomes critical to the success of an organization. The cost of an unsuccessful selection is an expense that organizations cannot afford.
Organizations which have developed competency frameworks to assess employee performance need to make the most of their use in recruitment. Otherwise, people may find that although their performance is being managed against one set of criteria, they are selected on the basis of something different.
Competencies can be developed. The emphasis of a competency based recruitment system is to assess the learning ability of the applicants and select those who have the maximum potential to do so.
In this term paper we focus on competency based interviewing techniques for recruitment.
Competency Based Interview
Competency based interviewing is based on the notion that the best indicator of an individuals future performance is his past performance.
Its a style of interviewing used so that a candidate can best show how he would demonstrate certain behaviours or skills in the work place; by answering questions about how he has reacted to and dealt with previous work place situations.
By using past experience a potential employer can predict future behaviour by:
Eliminating misunderstandings
Preventing personal impressions
Reducing the candidates ability to “fake”
Each candidate is asked the same set of broad questions which are designed to obtain information about the match between the candidates competencies and those required for the job. For example the competencies of a lawyer may be planning and organizing, innovation, personal drive, problem analysis and decision making. These questions concentrate on the most important parts of a candidates past experience. This indicates to the interviewer a candidates ability for to perform well in the job.
Interviewing techniques in the past have focused on accomplishments and future plans. Those with good interviewing skills but possessing little self awareness get through this process. However the emphasis of a competency based interview is on a candidates life learning. It assesses the candidate as a whole. It emphasizes excellent communication throughout the interview. Those with higher learning abilities relate their learning from experience to the position in question better.
If done well, a competency based interview increases the likelihood of receiving honest and revealing responses to job related questions. The information obtained may be used to gauge a candidates job related competencies and assist employers in determining which candidate is most qualified for a position. It reveals his level of experience and the potential to handle similar situations in the current position. The information may also be used for reference checks to verify whether the candidate actually did what he claims to.
The interview, generally, would proceed as follows:
Introductions
Brief discussion about the job
Competency based interviewing
Validation of technical/functional skills where necessary
Interviewees opportunity to ask questions
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