As you receive job applications and screen candidates, how can you ensure prospective employees have the right skills for their new role? This can be done in two ways: following your gut feeling and selecting candidates based on their potential match for the role. Or a data-driven decision can be made where all choices can be explained by clear, objective reasoning. This is how competency-based recruitment can help identify the right talent for any job application. Competency-based recruitment is a strategy that evaluates candidates based on the specific competencies required for certain positions. Therefore, competency-based recruitment attracts good candidates who contribute to organizational success, by providing a clear set of criteria for the evaluation and selection process.
Competency-based recruitment concept
In employment, competencies are those attributes and characteristics an employee needs to manage their role. Specific skills, knowledge, education, experience, qualifications, and personality traits determine whether a candidate is suitable for the role and vice versa. So too, is the candidate who can demonstrate that their business efforts have made a significant difference in serving the best interests of their previous employers. Thus, competency-based recruitment approaches generally rely on a series of assessments designed to help business leaders. And recruiters identify candidates who possess the training, valuable skills, experience, and response mechanisms. That can help them handle the day-to-day tasks of the specific job. Competency-based recruitment focuses on the required skills and competencies to help the candidate succeed in the next role.
Methods of attracting suitable candidates through competency-based recruitment
1. Understanding the goals of the organization and identifying the competencies necessary for the success of the candidates
One of the most critical stages in the recruitment process is understanding the organization’s goals. And identifying the specific competencies needed for the success of candidates based on existing gaps. It is, therefore, essential to ensure that those competencies are achievable and realistic. And that the organization has a clear onboarding strategy to make it easier for the candidate to know what to expect when starting the role. Therefore, the skills and knowledge required by employees to perform day-to-day tasks must also be examined, considering team dynamics and workflow.
2. Develop advertisements that describe the talents required for the job
Developing a set of job advertisements that describe the talents required for the job is crucial. It must also be specific and clear, directly related to the required skills and competencies. In addition to including examples and scenarios that show how these competencies can be applied in the job context.
3. Use consistent and objective measurement and evaluation tools
To avoid bias and subjectivity, it is essential to use a consistent and objective set of measurement tools to evaluate candidates for proposed jobs. Therefore, tests, simulations, and branching scenarios can be conducted using the organization’s learning management system to measure the capabilities and competencies of candidates. In addition, the evaluation process must also be monitored to ensure its effectiveness and reliability. With clear guidelines for measuring and evaluating everyone based on the same set of criteria.
4. Provide candidates with constructive and detailed feedback at the end of the interviews
When the interviews are over, it is essential to provide the candidates with constructive and detailed feedback about their performance during the interview. Note that these notes should highlight their strengths and areas for improvement. This way, candidates know what to focus on if they are selected for the job. On the other hand, these observations may reveal that some candidates are better suited for another position within the organization.
In today’s business world, competency-based recruitment attracts good candidates. And is vital to improving employee retention, removing bias from hiring. And hiring high-quality candidates who contribute to organizational success. Therefore, it is advised to use the intelligent recruitment approach, which is based on intelligent technology such as artificial intelligence, to help in the initial stages of recruitment. This way, you can focus on improving the candidate experience and have more time to connect with potential talent.