Competencies are vital indicators of what you can bring as an employee. Hence, identifying some popular competencies examples can help you determine what to include in your resume.
Most organizations use ATS systems to screen applicants’ resumes in the recruitment process, and these competencies are keywords they look out for.
So, even if you have a well-crafted resume that doesn’t highlight these competencies, it is unlikely that you’ll make it to the interview stage.
Core competencies are skills, knowledge, and abilities about a job. Interestingly, this article highlights examples of competencies you should know. Follow me.
Examples of competencies
1. People management and communication
People management depicts your ability to manage others; employees, colleagues, senior staff, employer, junior staff, etc. It is a crucial skill for every employee, particularly managers.
Employers understand that people management skills are essential for business success, so they look out for employees who can demonstrate an actual possession of the skill in their resume. Examples of people management competencies are:
Conflict resolution
Conflicts are unavoidable in the organization, but handling them effectively is a prized skill. Your resume can highlight previous experiences in resolving employees’ differences amicably or your input in maintaining work relationships between everyone in the workplace.
Training and mentoring
Employers are keen on knowing your roles in employee development in previous jobs. They believe that individuals who have the competence to train others and mentor them can help employees become better and, in turn, improve their performance.
Moreover, the organization can leverage your skills and save on outsourcing coaches to train staff.
Teamwork
Teamwork is a crucial skill for everyone across the organization. Also, most employers are always looking for employees who can collaborate with others to achieve set goals.
Additionally, managers who possess this competence can bring everyone together and foster synergy and employee engagement.
Hence, you should clearly articulate your achievements and impacts on teams you worked with in the past.
Performance management
This is the process of monitoring and evaluating employees’ activity toward optimally meeting the organization’s goals. You should highlight how you have contributed towards goal achievement in places you’ve worked.
Also, you can highlight how you helped others improve on performance or solutions you provided to improve the work process. For instance, you can state how you introduced an innovative idea that helped your organization reduce time spent completing a task.
Active listening
Active listening is a priced organizational skill. Managers who demonstrate exceptional listening skills make employees feel valued, which motivates them to work better. More so, active listening depicts empathy towards employees, increasing their trust in the leader.
Customer relationship
Every day businesses interact with their clients and customers, whether through emails, attending to those who have a complaint, or during buying and selling.
Communication skills are essential to deal rightly with business stakeholders, handle their requests, and help them with their problems satisfactorily.
More so, organizations that have to talk to many customers every day need employees who are effective communicators.
Writing
Organizations may need to send out emails to customers; the precision of their written content speaks a lot about their quality. Hence, employers look out for great writers to help them with tasks like this.
Additionally, they need those who can write winning proposals. Hence, highlighting your competence as a competent writer in your resume is worthwhile.
2. Personal development
Personal development improves your knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs).
The process of personal development involves evaluating yourself, reviewing your strengths and weaknesses, and working to improve in both ways. Some examples of emotional development competencies include:
Commitment to excellence
Commitment to excellence means that you are invested in delivering your best work. In other words, you always strive for a better work process and output no matter the situation.
It shows that you do not mind going the extra mile even if it costs you time and money. These sets of employees are pacesetters in the organization. Employers value employees who display this type of quality.
Therefore, you should go beyond merely highlighting it in your resume. Show your achievements in previous jobs, internships, or achievements in positions that are not work-related.
Mind mapping and structured thinking
If you’re applying for a project-based or technical role, this is one competence you want to highlight to potential employers. Mind Mapping is a diagram that displays the connection between ideas or concepts.
Structured thinking is the ability to put your ideas and thoughts in a logical sequence. If you possess these competencies, you should include them in your resume explaining how you have applied them.
Career progression
Highlighting career progression as competence in your resume means you are committed to upgrading yourself. In other words, it means you do not settle for less but always push to improve.
During interviews, employers often ask applicants where they see themselves in the next five years or so. This is the opportunity to show your commitment to career development and how much you put into improving at every level.
3. Leadership
Organizations are keen on leadership competencies, particularly when hiring for high-level roles.
Employees with excellent leadership competencies are self-driven, result-oriented, and able to inspire others toward achieving organizational goals.
Moreover, they can rise faster from their level to prominent leadership positions. Some examples of leadership competencies include:
Strategic management
Strategic management is a highly specialized skill needed to drive organizational success. It is the ability to coordinate business operations and help organizations become more competitive and profitable.
Additionally, employees with this competence can help the organization navigate acquisitions, mergers, etc. This skill sets you apart as a manager, so you should demonstrate this competence in your resume.
Future planning
Future planning is the ability to make strategic decisions and action plans toward project success in the organization.
Those with this competence can get insight and foresight into possible roadblocks while embarking on projects and develop strategies to navigate these roadblocks successfully.
Persuasive communication and influencing
Persuasive communication and influencing are vital competencies for every manager. This is because you’ll need to impact work culture, motivate employees to give their best towards work, and strike deals with investors and clients.
Hence, your ability to convince others and influence them to do your bidding would be handy.
Change management
Change is a constant thing in life. Also, the proliferation of technology and internal and external factors make the workplace dynamic.
As a manager, your ability to adapt quickly to changes in these situations is essential. Not only that, but you must also be able to help other employees adjust quickly to these changes.
In addition, you should also have the capacity to project strategies that will help the organization stay afloat while change is ongoing.
4. Thinking styles
The ability to think of solutions quickly and make critical decisions is an important competence employer seek in employees. Some examples of these competencies include:
Decision making
Decision-making is a constant in the organization. Hence, employers would need employees skilled in making the right decisions that lead to success. Hence, you should demonstrate your impact on the organization with this competence.
Problem-solving
This is an essential skill for every employee in an organization. Employees with this competence can find a way out of work-related problems when they arise.
Employers want to avoid hiring those who cannot seek solutions for themselves. Instead, they want solution-driven individuals; therefore, demonstrating this competence in your resume will surely give you an edge during the hiring process.
Creative thinking
This is the ability to create opportunities from problems or develop new ways of handling tasks or work processes. It is a well-sought-after skill, and demonstrating your possession of it will give you an advantage when applying for jobs.
Analytical thinking
Analytical thinking is the ability to understand trends and their impact on business. Not only that, it involves being able to proffer logical solutions to counter problems.
For instance, a salesman or marketer can analyze business trends and create opportunities or help with solutions to mitigate any negative occurrence.
FAQs
How do you write a good competency example?
Don’t just list your competence; demonstrate your achievements with your competence.
What do competencies include?
Competencies include both hard and soft skills that you possess.
How do you identify your competencies?
You can identify your competence by assessing yourself and asking others for feedback about your strength.
Conclusion
Competencies are valuable skills that make you employable. Hence, you should learn to highlight them in your resume when applying for jobs.
Also, if you are unsure what competencies you possess, you can do a competence test where you provide answers to questions about your strength.
In addition, it is crucial to continue improving yourself, no matter your level of expertise.
Finally, I suggest you also read this related article highlighting the qualities of a good employee.
I hope you got value. Thanks for reading.
