Finding employment in this competitive world is difficult, and keeping one’s job is also tricky.  Ineffective performance from previous work experiences can be evident especially if the prospective employer is keen on using structured interviews; who would want to hire an ineffective person? Moreover, if you do not perform well, you stand the chance of being laid off because there will always be other more competent and deserving individuals willing to take your place.

To go up in the echelons of success, a person needs to be competent. Now the question is, how can one become competent?

Develop a Competency

To become competent, of course, an individual needs to develop a competency; either to learn a new one or to increase the current competency level. There are many kinds of competencies required today, all of which are classified into knowledge, skills, and attitudes, based on how a job can be performed through behavioral characteristics and demonstration of behavioral aspects.

Identify which competency or competencies are necessary to further one’s eligibility and capacity by getting a good understanding of the functions and roles of his current job position, or the position that one is aspiring to get.

As soon as these required competencies have been identified, the next step is to plan on how to go about developing the competency. If this is a personal endeavor, one can do this by using any or all of the three options:

1. Training – Many consulting and training firms provide training on competency development for a fee. One is required to spend hours in these trainings, workshops, or seminars in order to achieve desired outcomes.

2. Work Experience – There are various learning opportunities that can be gained from one’s work experience. Keeping an open mind and exerting extra effort to learn through application at work can allow a person to develop a new competency.
3. Self Study – Many resources can be found from books and websites. Self-help programs are also available. If a person is determined to develop a new competency, he can do so through self study but this requires a lot of effort and discipline on his part.

Getting Hired

Many organizations today put a lot of weight on their employees’ competencies because they understand that this is indispensable to their success. Poor performing employees equate to poor organizational performance, which is tantamount to profit loss and business failure. For such reason, the hiring process is focused on the competencies of the people they want to get to work for their organization. They need people who have the competencies that will help them effectively perform in the various roles of the job, in addition to having the capacity to fit in the organization’s values, principles, and culture.

To help increase a person’s chances of getting hired, he needs to possess the required competencies. A good thing about competencies is that they are transferable, which means that one can use this for many areas and fields, not only for a certain job. It follows that a person with a number of competencies up his sleeve has better chances of getting employed than the applicant next to him.

Employment Stability and Career Advancement

When an employee possesses all the necessary competencies that will allow him to perform his tasks well, this can get the employer’s attention easily. This is because he is able to provide excellent outcomes in every task given to him.

A performing individual need not worry about losing his job because hiring people like him is like finding a needle in the haystack- he is considered a gem in the organization and no organization in their right mind would want to lose people like him. Instead, career rewards and opportunities are bestowed on deserving employees. A highly competent individual has the world in his hands. He can achieve success in anything he does because he has what it takes to be on top of his game.

It is never too late to learn new competencies. People can learn new things if they are willing to. Self awareness and acceptance are keys to developing competencies; it is a long process that requires hard-work and discipline but the result is definitely well worth it.