Developing Technical Skills: How Can I Build Job-Specific Competencies in My Company?

I have core or generic competencies well established in my company. I want to also have technical or job competencies. Any ideas on how to develop these?

Hi Monica,

Technical or job-related competencies are crucial. You need to have clearly defined job descriptions and role definitions. The job description (JD) will clearly indicate the qualifications and the kind of knowledge/experience the personnel will bring to the table. Using the Behavioral Event Interview (BEI), questionnaires, as well as descriptions and directions from top management, will enable you to find the competencies required to perform the role. Some of these competencies may overlap with the generic or core competencies of the organization.

Domain expertise and specific skills (e.g., US GAAP or auditing skills for a finance professional, HR systems and programs knowledge coupled with interpersonal skills for HR professionals, etc.) are to be identified. The crux lies in your job/role specification and definition - why does this role exist? What is the relevance of this role? What is expected of this role, etc. I have tried to convey my ideas.

Regards,
Rajesh B
Valuelanes
Bangalore
9845841000

Dear Rajesh,

Thank you very much for your ideas. The problem is that our job descriptions (JDs) are incomplete or outdated! Any other ideas, anyone?

Hi Monica,

I am a new member and I just came across your posting. It may be too late but I thought I would share my thoughts anyway.

I agree that job descriptions can be a good place to start. The problem is they are often outdated, as you indicated they are at your company. So the best way to identify competencies that are specific to a job is by meeting with subject matter experts. These are people who perform the job on a daily basis. There are many different ways you can collect information from them. You can:

- conduct one-on-one interviews,
- conduct group interviews,
- conduct focus groups,
- have them complete surveys,
- shadow them while they are performing their job.

It's best to gather information through two different methods to make sure it's comprehensive and accurate. It is also good to meet with the managers of the subject matter experts to gather more information about the jobs.

This can be a time-consuming process but your results will be valid and reliable.

I hope this helped you.

Lauren

Hi Lauren,

Never too late! Thanks very much for your suggestions. Looks like I have my work cut out for me!

Monica

Hey Monica,

Try reaching Ajmal Mirza. He has a good database on him and could provide some help.

Regards,
Scare_crow

Hi Monica,

Please mention the type of industry (be as specific as possible); otherwise, the answer would be generic, which will not help you much. I will definitely try to assist if I get that detail.

Thank you, Scarecrow, for the suggestion.

Dear Ajmal,

I am in the automobile industry. The key areas are in sales and after-sales (servicing of cars), although we would also be looking into all the related support functions like marketing/branding, logistics and distribution, IT, HR, etc.

Any help would be of great help... thank you!

Hi Monica,

I am a little busy right now, so I have only been able to find some information for a Salesperson/Manager of a Car Dealership. I will try to include some more over the weekend. In case I forget, please remind me.

Auto Sales & Leasing Executive

- Qualify and consult effectively with your leads and clients.
- Select and present vehicles that meet the customers' needs.
- Build excitement and make closing simple with an effective demonstration drive.
- Overcome objections, close the sale, and provide effective follow-up service.

You can quantify the following for the specific job (may be with scaling method):

- Meet and greet customers professionally.
- Qualify and consult effectively.
- Select and present a car that meets the customers' needs.
- Fully demonstrate the car.
- Deal effectively with objections.
- Negotiate and close successfully.
- Deliver the car on a positive note.
- Provide effective follow-up.

Automotive Business Manager

- Explain and demonstrate financial and leasing advantages to customers.
- Understand the legal obligations of the dealership and consumer protection legislation.
- Use industry software to present financing options to customers.
- Keep the deal alive if financing is less than straightforward.
- Sell extended warranties, credit protection, and other profit-generating products.
- Interact with lending and financial institutions.

You can quantify the following for the specific job (may be with scaling method):

- Legalities
- Disclosure
- Cash conversions
- Bank conversions
- Selling techniques for extended service contracts, Pro-packs, and insurance
- Advanced computer techniques
- Financing versus leasing
- Keeping the deal alive
- Paper transactions
- Lender rapport

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need further information.

Dear Ajmal,

That was fast! I really appreciate your help despite being busy. I will digest what you've given and look forward to more.

Thanks and have a good weekend!