We have talked, and will keep talking, about professional competencies as tools for measuring our personal abilities as they apply to the workplace. They are becoming the main system for selecting candidates, with job profiles built around competencies.
Because so many candidates apply for each job offer, and because they are often equal or very similar, recruiters look for differences in whose competencies are the closest match for the role. Those competencies, together with previous experience, are what single out the best candidate among several similar ones.
The most sought-after competencies are:
1. Innovation. The ability to bring creativity and originality. Being different: doing the same thing in a different way that can be improved on in the future.
2. Rigour. The ability to work with quality and meticulousness. The focus is on learning in order to gain more depth in one’s specialities and to develop specific knowledge and skills in particular areas.
3. Analytical ability. The ability to understand and analyse information in depth. It helps you assess problems, argue a point of view based on concrete facts and decide on the most appropriate course of action.
4. Leadership. The ability to inspire others and bring them together so they can grow in their jobs. It means being able to influence others and build authority, an essential factor for leading.
5. Communication. The ability to convey information effectively and to put opinions across with assurance, confidence and conviction. This makes it more likely that your opinions are taken into account and helps you persuade others.
6. Ability to interact. The ability to build relationships with others, interact and be more visible than other people. This is an advantage for professional development, since it brings more opportunities and contacts.
7. Teamwork. The ability to empathise and offer collaboration. A strong attitude of attention and support towards colleagues, which also means putting other people’s needs ahead of one’s own.
8. Working under pressure. The ability to work under a high level of pressure and responsibility. There is a tendency to withstand the challenges and demands the job brings, and it has a calming effect on others.
9. Adapting to change. The ability to accept change positively. It lets you see the benefits of change and welcome variety and novelty at work. There is a tendency to seek out new activities and to accept new ways of doing things.
10. Work organisation. The ability to coordinate and structure activities and to keep things well organised. It involves paying attention to how work is structured, which means people with this competency make an important contribution to the development of different projects.
11. Results orientation. The ability to contribute to achieving results and meeting goals. People with this competency are likely to work harder than many others to carry out activities and make things happen. They have great long-term potential in their careers.
12. Capacity for specialisation. The ability to acquire specialist knowledge, focusing on details and procedures. It makes a special contribution to ensuring that things are done properly and to the highest standard.
Featured image: Jonas Bergsten, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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