The screening and recruitment of potential employees, which constitute the hiring process in every company is a necessary aspect of the organizational system because this is the initial stage of employment and this is the part where strong candidates for the job are identified. It is a crucial stage since part of the company’s success relies greatly on the kind of people it employs.
Every company seeks for a set of key competencies or essential skills from its candidates during the screening process. In the interview alone, the job candidate will already go through a competency interview. The employer will gauge the individual’s answers to the competency based questions to measure his capabilities.
This article will elaborate on the competency list, which serves as a benchmark of every company for its employees. Every individual in a company is an asset because the skills of each employee contribute to the growth and success of the organization.
Leadership Competency
Leadership is an attribute that is cultivated over solid experience of facilitating and managing a team and making wise and sound decisions on varying situations. Every working individual is expected to posses the essential components of competency which are skills, knowledge and attitude. But leaders, just like those in the higher management, are expected to demonstrate an even higher level of leadership competency. Having this kind of competency, leaders demonstrate the following:
a. Ability to lead people
Every leader in a company must be trained to effectively facilitate a team in carrying the company’s goals.
b. Ability to bring about change
A competent leader is capable of introducing a strategic change, both internally and externally, to accomplish company goals.
c. Results Driven
A Leader must aim to produce outputs and meet company expectations along with the contributing efforts of team members.
Behavioral and Personal Competencies
Behavioral competency pertains to an individual’s attributes and attitude toward work and their individual work responsibilities. This refers to how work is performed as opposed to the description of the job and the particulars of one’s function. As early as the recruitment process, employers must be able to identify the behavioral competencies of a potential candidate in order to choose the right person to do the job.
Personal competency dwells on three important aspects of an individual’s emotional quotient or emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, and motivation.
a. Self-awareness includes three components and these are:
• Emotional awareness – the ability to determine emotions and its impact
• Accurate Self-assessment – the ability to recognize individual strengths and limitations
• Self-confidence – believing in one’s capabilities to do things
b. Self-regulation is manifested in any of the following traits:
• Self-control – being able to manage disturbing emotions and impulses
• Trustworthiness – keeping the value of honesty and integrity or value
• Conscientiousness – being responsible for individual performance and output
• Adaptability – the ability to adjust and show flexibility to change
• Innovation – showing creativity in new ideas and approaches
c. Motivation is shown through:
• Achievement drive – the ability to continue striving for excellence and continuous improvement
• Commitment – personal dedication in accordance with the goals of the company
• Initiative – being able to seize opportunities at any time
• Optimism – having a positive perception even with challenges and setbacks
Other Competencies
• Technical Competency
Technical competency refers to an employee’s ability to perform the nature of the job or the work description, which is essential for creating output that is in favor of company goals. Technical competency depends on specific area of work or expertise such as human resource, training and development, operations, finance and administration, and other organization areas. Competency in a particular field must be identified from that of another functional area of work.
• Problem Solving Competency
Having this kind of competency requires being able to recognize a problem and the ability to take the necessary steps to confront the problem and create a solution. It also employs the skill to make rational and logical decisions in various situations.
• Teamwork Competency
Teamwork competency is a necessary organizational competency that prompts team members and organizational members to work collaboratively with each other to attain company goals. Individuals in a team are expected to share ideas and opinions with the rest of the colleagues, support any team or company decision, willing to learn from members, and accept any responsibility for the benefit of the organization.
