7 Ways Competencies Can Help You Recruit Effectively

Successful employers recognise the need to recruit employees that are not only productive but also fit the company culture and can contribute to a cohesive team. There is a cost associated with making the wrong choice. Hiring an unsuitable candidate is a burden no employer wants, with the financial cost, time wasted, drop in morale, and the organisation’s reputation involved.

Using competence-based recruitment

Can competencies really help with recruitment? With 30 combined years’ experience with competencies, Lexonis have long advocated the need for a holistic approach to hiring. Many companies value technical skills, yet often neglect the behavioural competencies demonstrated by outstanding performers. Think about this, technical skills can be taught, whereas the tendencies, attitudes, and actions encapsulated in behavioural competencies are far harder to develop!

With the above in mind, here are 7 practical ways in which competencies can help you increase your chances of identifying the ideal employee and keeping them:

1. Do you really need to hire an external candidate? Or do you already have unidentified or misplaced talent within your organisation? Is it cheaper to develop someone opposed to hiring someone new? Competencies can help you determine the most cost-effective option by clearly identifying the talent that you already have or can develop within the organisation.
2. How do you know what a ‘good’ employee actually looks like? Competencies can help you to articulate what the ideal employee competencies are: by determining specific competencies that are relevant to their particular role; by using common competency definitions so that all in the hiring department are on the same page.
3. Will they fit into your company culture? As mentioned above, it’s pretty important for employers that those coming into the organisation fit the organisational culture. Using a competency framework makes it easier to identify which behavioural competencies are necessary to ensure a new employee is a good fit for your company.
4. How much should you be paying a new employee? By developing a common definition of competencies and generic levels that indicate degrees of responsibility, competencies provide an excellent platform for developing a fair and consistent job/salary grading structure.
5. Tired of ambiguous job descriptions? In a rapidly changing work place, it’s critical to have clear and precise job descriptions, with specific competencies and proficiency levels that relate to the job.
6. Stuck between two or more candidates? Use competency-based interviewing techniques to evidence which candidate demonstrates the behaviours that you are seeking to recruit.
7. What about retaining your great hire? The value of competencies doesn’t stop at recruitment and when the employment contract has been signed. Implementing a competency framework allows your organisation to establish a clear career progression for your new employee and to provide training with their next job role in mind.

What Next?

This list is not all-inclusive, but these are some key areas in which competencies can assist your recruitment process and improve retention.

Looking for more?

Why not contact us for a free demonstration of our competency frameworks, job profiles and interview guides, and see for yourself how a competency-based approach can help you find your next successful employee.

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