Competencies must be both generally defined and specifically described in behavioral terms. A behavioral indicator is an observable behavior that indicates the presence of the particular competency. It is this type of indicator for which a selecting manager will probe in conducting a behavioral interview of a candidate. The more behavioral indicators that surface during the interview, the greater the likelihood that the candidate is strong in a particular competency. For example, the competency communication can be defined as listening effectively and transmitting information accurately and understandably. Behavioral indicators for communication might include writing clearly, logically, and to the point; using simple examples, illustrations, or analogies to explain complex concepts; and so on. Table 5 illustrates other examples of generic competencies with behavioral indicators.
Accountability: accepting responsibility for personal actions, results, and costs
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Drive to Win: hustling to find and leverage opportunities to close a sale
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Technical Expertise: demonstrating up-to-date knowledge of pertinent technical fields
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Further, sample behavioral inquiries must be designed to help interviewers probe for detailed evidence of the competencies required for a job. The presence of a particular competency in an individual— and the degree to which that competency is characteristic of the person—is evidenced by an interrelated set of behavioral indicators: what the person has said and has done. Not what he or she might say and do, could say and do, would say and do, or ought to say and do. Validity comes only from considering what he or she has in fact said, and has in fact done—that is, empirical behavioral data. Sample questions are targeted at uncovering empirical data on the degree to which a candidate has demonstrated the behaviors critical to achieving the principal accountabilities of a specific job. Table 6 provides examples of sample behavioral interview lead inquiries and probing follow-up questions; refer back to Table 5 for specific behavioral indicators.
For Accountability:
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For Drive to Win:
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For Technical Expertise:
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Selecting leaders must also develop their own targeted leads that focus on specific situations and special circumstances someone in the position must face. The same set of targeted questions can then be used in all candidate interviews for a position.
The central challenge in building a competency model, or menu, is to create the right mix of both core organizational competencies and job-specific competencies, while keeping the list short—no more than twelve to fifteen. Remember, a competency model is not intended to list each and every competency that might ever apply to a specific job, but rather to identify the fewest number of competencies that make the biggest difference in performance when comparing the track records of outstanding performers with the results of average performers. Purpose drives the core competencies, the characteristics that are most vital in shaping organization culture going forward, and against which everyone in the organization must be assessed. Business processes drive job-specific competencies. Often, organizations will build supplemental technical competency menus for critical functions or roles—for example, a nuclear engineering competency model for a nuclear power plant or a deal originator competency model for a financial services firm. Organizations rarely build competency menus for all levels or functions.
In preparing a job profile that documents the relevant competencies for a specific position, it is critical that selecting leaders focus only on the principal accountabilities of a position going forward, rather than on any person who might currently hold the position. The selecting leader describes each competency in the context of the position, weights each relative to the others, and gets management approval. The job profile then becomes the standard for selecting the best-qualified candidate.