So far in this course, we have mostly emphasised Capability, and how Capability is assessed, because it is the primary driver of job performance. That said, one cannot underestimate the critical role that Competencies play in job performance hence we will focus this Module on Competencies.

We previously pointed out that it is useful to distinguish between two broad categories of competencies - technical/job specific and generic. Both types of competencies are utilised in any job.

Job Specific Competencies are the knowledge and skills that are specific to a particular job. A good example in an HR context would be knowledge of the Employment Equity Act. In a Finance context it would be how to draw up a Trial Balance. In a manufacturing context it could be planning a production schedule.

Generic or broad-based competencies are more general competencies that could be applied across different jobs in different functional areas, such as Planning and Organising, Commercial Awareness, Conflict Resolution or Conducting Meetings. These competencies may for instance be required in both HR and Finance roles and also in many other roles.

Competencies are developed and learned through education, life and work experience.

It is worth reminding you, that both the TYPES and LEVEL of competencies that individuals develop, is not only the product of the nature of the development experiences such as those listed above, but also of the individual’s capability.

So what tools are available for assessing competencies. The following are the most commonly used:

• CV’s

• Interviews

• Work Sample Tests

• 360 Assessments

• Assessment Centre Tools (ACT)
  

In this abridged version of the training program we will focus on Interviews. You can learn more about the other assessment tools in the comprehensive version of this training program.

Interviews

Everyone is familiar with job interviews. Generally, interviews tend to range from being unstructured and general, to being structured and behaviour based. Unstructured interviews are a good way for getting an overall feel for a candidate and obtaining important biographical information, but structured, behaviour-based interviews are needed to assess specific competencies.

There are different types of interviews, some better than others. Unstructured interviews have been shown to be the least reliable interview format.

Type of Interviews that can be used…

Unstructured

Unstructured interviews are interviews that are “made up as you go along”. It can be thought of as “a spontaneous conversation, not a specific set of questions asked in a predetermined order. Questions arise spontaneously in a free-flowing conversation, which means that different candidates are asked different questions. While often used, research has consistently identified them is the most ineffective method of assessing a candidate". (TalentLyft)

Structured

A structured interview is a type of interview in which the interviewer asks a particular set of predetermined questions. In structured interviews, questions are planned and created in advance, which means that all candidates are asked the same questions in the same order. (TalentLyft)

Competency Based Interviews

Competency based interviews are a highly structured way of interviewing a candidate in order to explore past behaviour as evidence of competency in a particular area. In order for them to be effective the competencies being assessed must be clearly defined and there should also be clear behavioural indicators that can be used to assess the candidate against.

Job Interview Limitations

Since job interviews are generally the most widely used and relied on selection tool, it is worth elaborating on their limitations so as to ensure that they can be offset. Here are some facts and views worth considering…

„81 percent of people lie during the interview!

(Ron Friedman an award-winning social psychologist and the author of The Best Place to Work)

„ “Interviews are a terrible predictor of performance. Many managers, recruiters, and HR staffers think they have a special ability to sniff out talent. They’re wrong… It’s a complete random mess… We found a zero relationship.”

(Laszlo Bock (former senior vice president of people operations at Google Inc))

„Hundreds of studies reveal the profound limitations of the traditional interview. Interviews favor candidates who are attractive, sociable, articulate, and tall. They also favor manipulative candidates, or ones who know how to make a positive impression even in a brief interview. But those aren’t always the best job performers.…. the research literature on interview effectiveness…(shows) that the job interview is a poor predictor of subsequent performance.

„ (Professor Don Moore, University of California Business School)

Interviews are subject to the following inherent flaws:

„Personal Bias – interviewers are biased, and their personal likes and dislikes affect their judgement. If an interviewer has a certain bias, he may also unconsciously devise questions so as to secure confirmation of his views

„Halo Effect – A single characteristic of a candidate – whether good or bad - affects the judgement of the interviewer

„Constant Error – The interview of the previous candidate effects how the current interviewee is judged

„Leniency – Interviewers tend to give candidates the benefit of the doubt and assign unrealistically high ratings to candidates

„Projection – this occurs when an interviewer projects his own ideas, knowledge and skills onto the candidate

„Stereotyping – Interviewers stereotype candidates, for example a tall candidate may be seen to be more influential than a short one

Clearly, while interviews have their place, they have important limitations and tend to be unreliable, It is therefore a good idea to use them in conjunction with some of the other competency tools we have mentioned, viz.,

• Work Sample Tests

• 360 Assessments

• Assessment Centre Tools.
  

To learn more about these other methodologies for assessing competencies please use the comprehensive version of the training program.