Think of a recent colleague who was unsuccessful in his or her job. What comes to mind? Lack of necessary skills to perform the duties; inability to get along with the boss or other colleagues, lack of motivation? How can you tell? More importantly how can you avoid making a costly hiring mistake?

Focus on the "Right Stuff" -- Competencies

When looking for the best performers, our focus has changed over the years. Recruitment and selection professionals spent most of the last 50 years focusing on the task ("what" gets done on the job). We've learned that this is not enough. To know who will be successful over the long haul, we also need to focus on the person ("how" they get the job done). Both of these areas can be measured using clearly defined competencies.

The definition of a competency might differ depending on whom you ask. Most professionals agree that they are the knowledge, skills, abilities, or other attributes (KSAOs) that distinguish a person who is successful in a job or organization from individuals who are average or unsuccessful performers. Task oriented competencies are typically specific to functional areas of an organization or an individual job. They tend to be technical in nature; for example, having accounting knowledge and expertise. We often refer to these as technical or functional competencies. Person oriented competencies (behavioral or trait-based) are quite broad; for example, having the ability to build relationships. Behavioral competencies transfer across jobs, functions and organizations. See the table below for examples of Technical and Behavioral Competencies.

Invest in a Competency Modeling Study

At its most basic level, competency modeling may be considered the systematic process of determining the competencies needed to be successful in a job or an organization. Survey research going back nearly a decade reported that between 75% and 80% of companies have used competency modeling for some sort of human resource initiative. Over the past decade, the practice of competency modeling has grown even more prevalent. Competency modeling can be used for a number of human resources initiatives, including training and development, selection, and performance appraisal. One would be hard-pressed to find a company, large or small, that has not at least tried to implement competency modeling into their organization in some manner.

A strong competency modeling process will follow professional procedures and legal guidelines resulting in a valid and legally defensible foundation for future HR decisions. To accomplish this, competency definitions should include content that representatively samples the KSAOs needed to be successful in the position or group of positions to which the competency model is linked. Likewise, the process should strongly emphasize the role of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in collecting the information that will define the competencies. Pre-established qualitative and quantitative and procedures, such as, SME interviewing methods, data collection questionnaires, rating scales and data analyses will typically be employed.

Leverage Your Competency Model for Sound Hiring Decisions

Now that you know which behavioral and technical competencies are most important to successful performance in a job, you can incorporate that information into your selection process. For example, using structured interview questions tied to these competencies can help you identify strengths and weaknesses in specific areas. When assessing team orientation, you might ask someone to describe a time when they worked on a team project that didn't meet all of its objectives. Then listen to how the person describes the problems he or she encountered, their personal attempts to solve them, willingness to take responsibility for lack of success, and so on. This can give you valuable clues about how this person will deal with similar situations in the future and fit into an organizational culture that values collaboration and working on teams.