The internet forever changed how companies conduct business. A company must invest in an online presence that separates itself from the competition.
A sharp and defining online presence is not the only way to stand out from the crowd, however.
Businesses always try to get the most out of any investment (ROI). A business’s investment might be in advertising or materials. It can even be in their employees. More executives are investing resources in behavioral strengths – competencies.
Successful organizations have core competencies that reflect their corporate values. For one company those might be innovation and analytical thinking. For another, the most important competencies might be reliability and strategic thinking.
A workplace competency that’s important in the corporate world is empathy. A leader who understands empathy brings value to their team. He or she can uplift a company’s culture. Any company with employees who feel valued is well on its way to maximizing success.
What are Competencies?
An employee’s ‘competencies’ are his or her collection of behavioral strengths. These strengths enable effective work performance. In the past, most companies depended on job descriptions to find the best available candidate. Today, those companies are relying more on coaching to an employee’s level of competence for a particular duty.
Coaching for competence not only serves the employee but also the company. Any company that can apply its core values will always be successful. It will better be able to separate itself from its competition. It will also be able to address its bigger-picture, more general strategic objectives.
Employees can also learn from the use of competencies. Working with team leaders or supervisors to develop levels of competence fosters relationships and growth. It also helps with goal-setting. Employees learn the following:
- New ways to assess themselves
- How to incorporate feedback
- Compare their competence to what’s required for other work
- Improve their readiness for more advanced positions
How to Weave Empathy into the Fabric of Your Work Environment
Empathy is defined as having the ability to objectively sense others’ feelings and perspectives, allowing for more relevant interactions to achieve goals, and practicing and showing care and willingness to help others. One person’s previous life experiences allow him or her to identify with another’s struggles. In business, it forms the basis of social awareness and relationship management.
Successful athletic teams often point to their ‘chemistry’. Their cohesiveness and their ability to play together define them as a team. In the corporate world, it’s workplace culture and morale that are important.
Empathetic team leaders who share the same work experiences as those they supervise can make a lasting impact on the collective morale of a company’s staff. The more that they’re made to feel that their voice matters, the greater support they can provide to a healthy corporate culture and the capabilities of the entire company.
Using Your Competency-Based Assessments Positively Impacts Your Hiring Process and Ultimately Your Culture
Competencies are part of a person’s makeup. They are personal characteristics that are more enduring than the tasks listed in a job description. Finding a way to assess a potential candidate’s strengths and limitations is in the best interest of the company and the applicant.
The use of job descriptions and references is no longer the only model for hiring practices. More companies around the world are now using competency-based assessments (CBA’s). Traditionally this is a company’s standard battery of interview questions that probes beyond a candidate’s credentials and references listed on a resume. Today, a CBA assesses an applicant’s behavioral competency strengths and abilities to get a particular job done using standard assessments.
For example, the competency of empathy is a ‘soft skill’ character trait necessary in fields such as home care and mental health. A candidate who scores high in empathy would be a good fit for a job in either field. Hiring such an applicant(s) would help to build a culture of empathy.
Using CBA’s as a standard practice benefits a company in many ways, including the following:
- The quality of the hire
- Reduction of staff turnover rate
- New hire remaining past onboarding (ROI)
- Enhanced and stable company culture and relationships
Create a Culture Your Employees Will Love with Reveal
Since 1966, Hiring Indicators’ parent company, Carr Assessments has continued to believe in the power of workplace assessments. For over 50 years they’ve continued to revolutionize the way that companies assess their applicants and employees.
A corporate management team using competencies at work is more likely to establish the desired core competencies that support organizational capabilities. A focus on empathy will help to develop a more communicative team and will lead to better outcomes and fulfillment for the individuals and the company.
Reveal is an easy-to-learn software application offering job-specific assessments. 50 years in the making, it provides an employer valuable insight about what a successful candidate’s competencies would be for a particular job position. It connects well-defined elements of human success for job fit to behavioral competency strengths of a potential candidate.
Contact Hiring Indicators today to see how Reveal can change the dynamics of your staff’s performance. If you’re strapped for time in your workday, you can even schedule a 15-minute call to set up a demonstration.
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Sources:
“Competencies Hold the Key to Better Hiring.” SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0315-competencies-hiring.aspx. August 16, 2019. June 24, 2021.
“Competency Framework”. Talent.oecd. https://www.oecd.org/careers/competency_framework_en.pdf. November 28, 2014. June 24, 2021.
“Why Organizations Use Competencies”. Main. https://www.td.org/newsletters/atd-links/why-organizations-use-competencies. June 29, 2018. June 24, 2021.