People-Jobs matching is a hot topic, as new types of jobs require new skills and combinations of expertise and experiences, and that technological changes, along with other socio-economic transformations, push workers to reorient their career.
In a recruitment process, matching a profile to job attributes is primarily about evaluating the ability of the candidate to deliver the expected outcomes at the expected level of performance. The assessment is usually based on education and a proven track record of experience. Some gaps in competencies and/or experience are welcomed, as they are part of the candidate’s opportunities for growth, provided that the person has the potential to perform successfully in the role.
The assessment becomes more complicated when a profession changes completely or when a job requires a very unusual mix of backgrounds and competencies. Both recruiters and applicants are faced with predicting performance as compatibility is no longer aligned with job similarity.
The problem is twofold:
- on one hand, workers often don’t realize the skills they have, struggle to articulate them and do not know how to transfer them into different jobs or sectors.
- on the other hand, recruiters need different benchmarks than degrees and a proven track record to assess job fit, so as clarity about the priority requirements.
Speaking the language of competencies
In order to have meaningful conversations about fit and gaps, candidates and recruiters should be able to speak the same language.
For the candidates, to define skills and expertise based on criteria is the first step. The second step is to make a comprehensive inventory of their competencies developed through professional and personal experiences in order to broaden the spectrum. The third step is to put these competencies and experiences in context and clarify their transferability.
For recruiters, it is about becoming more intentional in assessing candidates’ profiles, by focusing more on understanding their strengths, drivers and versatility, rather than work history and formal qualifications.
Being able to spell out competencies, assess the level of proficiency and understand skills transferability, becomes a competitive advantage for job seekers. Without understanding how a level of proficiency is determined and the ability to put competencies in perspective, having a list of skills is like having the vocabulary without knowing the grammar.
On top of facilitating the evaluation of their profile, this knowledge helps workers identify favorable options for transitions they could otherwise miss.
As skills become the currency of work, speaking the language of competencies serves recruiters, hiring managers, employees, job seekers, contractors and freelancers.