Basic Approach to Identifying Job Competencies

© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
Adapted from the Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision.

The reader would benefit first from reviewing Specifying Job and Role Competencies.

Competencies are the abilities needed to conduct a role in an organization. Identifying competencies for a role is a very useful exercise to really get one thinking about what's needed to carry out the role. Competencies descriptions are usually worded in measurable terms, therefore they're useful for reference when identifying training.

Below are some basic suggestions for developing a list of competencies needed for a role.

1. When developing the list, try to think in terms of areas of knowledge and skills. Review some examples of lists of competencies to get an idea of how competencies are worded.

2. Conduct a job analysis to understand the various tasks in the job and in what sequence. (See Job Analysis.) The analysis can include some or all of the following suggestions, as well.

3. Observe the employee or employees as they as the perform the task or conduct the role. What areas of knowledge do you see the employees using? What skills do you see the employees performing?

4. Consider administering a questionnaire to the employee or employees. On the questionnaire, ask them to describe certain practices and procedures to carry out the task or perform the role in the best way possible, e.g., for a managerial role, ask about the best way to conduct performance appraisals, conduct hiring procedures, etc. Explain that the questionnaire is to help the trainer help the employees to perform a task or conduct a role better.

5. Consider interviewing a highly skilled employee or a group of employees. Ask them to describe the necessary areas of knowledge and skills for superior performance.

6. Ideally, get advice from customers about what knowledge and skills are useful in delivering the best quality products or services to them.

7. Review the job description for all of the general responsibilities and duties of the role. Note that job descriptions may not describe the position in terms of needed areas of knowledge or skills. (See Job Descriptions.)

8. A generic list of competencies may already exist for a role. For example, professional associations sometimes provide generic lists. Some of these are listed in Specifying Job and Role Competencies

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