Competencies are underlying characteristics that can predict a person’s behavior and performance in a variety of situations and job tasks, over time.

Are there different types of competencies?

There are two types of competencies:

• Threshold: basic-level competencies that individuals need to perform their jobs.
• Differentiating: competencies that separate average from above average performance.

Why are competencies so important?

Organizations use competencies to identify gaps between their human resource needs and their employees’ strengths and weaknesses. Success associated with competencies involves an individual’s knowledge, skills, traits, motivations, values, and beliefs. There is an underlying relationship between job performance and an individual’s behavior and characteristics.

Competencies tend to fall into categories such as:

• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership
• Managing Others
• Managing Processes
• Professional Growth
• Sales
• Self Management
• Work Mechanics