What are competencies?
Competencies are behaviors that include the measurable or observable knowledge, skills, abilities, and personal characteristics that are fundamental to the success in a particular job. These can refer to a candidate’s previous experience and education, technical and practical skills, and behavioral attributes.
Typically a company has a group of core competencies that apply to every position within the organization. Hiring managers can then add competencies that are unique to specific departments or jobs. Organizations use competencies for:
- Enhancing job descriptions (identifying essential functions and requirements)
- Improving the recruitment process (assessment and interview techniques)
- Performance management (developing performance expectations)
Examples of Core Competencies
Workforce.com has a comprehensive list of core competencies, their definitions, and observable behaviors (reprinted from The Value-Added Employee).
Using competencies in CareerPlug
Setting your competencies:
There are 3 default competencies listed for each job and to add a new one, simply click New Competency. Input the name of the competency and a prompt – the question you will ask yourself during the hiring process to assess whether an applicant possesses that competency.
As a reminder, the list of competencies will appear at the top of each Interview Scorecards in the system:
You also have the ability to rate the applicant from the Interview Scorecard or on the Applicants tab:
Including core competencies during the recruitment process is going to help you better assess job candidates and make quality hires. If you have any questions about adding the competencies feature to your CareerPlug account, feel free to reach out to your Dedicated Account Manager.
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