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 individual's future performance is his past performance.

It's 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 candidate's ability to "fake"

Each candidate is asked the same set of broad questions which are designed to obtain information about the match between the candidate's 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 candidate's past experience. This indicates to the interviewer a candidate's 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 candidate's 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 candidate's 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

 Interviewee's opportunity to ask questions

 Close out/next steps in the process

For an interview to be effective it should:

 Be based on a recently updated description of the position resulting from a job description

 Follow a pre-determined rating guide with which the interview panel members are familiar

 Include sufficient factual documentation regarding the candidate's responses

This provides a more accurate basis for selection, as well as a logical, objective, and legally defensible selection procedure.

Development of a Competency based Interview

We now discuss the process used to create competency based interview questions. A group of people who are highly familiar with the position should get together to perform the task giving due importance to objectivity and balanced thinking. The steps to be followed are:

Step 1

Identify what you are looking for by completing the job analysis or by reviewing a recently updated position description. Competency based interview questions should be based on a current position description resulting from a job analysis. The information about the job performed should include the work performed as well as the competencies required to successfully complete the most important work.

Step 2

From the competencies listed as crucial. Identify those which are required upon entry to the position. The interview questions should only assess those competencies which will not be learned on the job during a training period.

Step 3

Write competency based questions to