Thread by @hannytalker

How to develop your career by upskilling your skills and competencies

A thread

Skills are the specific learned abilities that you need to perform a given job well. Examples, depending on the specific role, range from handling accounts and coding to welding or writing tenders. There is a distinction, however, to be made between hard skills and soft skills.

Whereas a hard skill is a technical and quantifiable skill that a professional may demonstrate through their specific qualifications and professional experiences, a soft skill is a non-technical skill that is less rooted in specific vocations.

Competencies, on the other hand, are the person’s knowledge and behaviours that lead them to be successful in a job. Examples of competencies, then, include the improvement of business processes, strategic planning and data-based decisions. Competencies effectively explain how

an individual’s behaviours bring about the desired results in their role.

Most job descriptions can be broadly considered to be either skills-based or competency-based. They differ in that skills-based job descriptions typically consist of the job title, responsibilities and skills required, whereas competency-based job descriptions tend to take a

more holistic approach by also considering the behaviours that will lead to success in the job.

To go into more detail, a skills-based job description is the more ‘traditional’ approach and therefore the one you may be most familiar with. It’s the kind of job description that outlines the responsibilities of a position by listing the tasks to be completed and the skills

required to do so. It specifically focuses on the candidate’s qualifications and experience, without considering their merits as a whole person.

A skills-based job description, then, might state a preference for you to have a BA in accounting or finance,

at least three years of accounting experience and strong proficiency in Xero or Excel.

As for competency-based job descriptions, their aforementioned ‘holistic’ approach is based on the premise that past behaviour predicts future performance. Such job descriptions make a connection between the skills, knowledge and behaviour of the candidate – in other words,

how they apply their skills and knowledge, instead of merely what skills and knowledge they possess. This type of job description therefore provides more context than a skills-based one, which helps to explain why it is more common in today’s world of work. It is a more

inclusive way of communicating what the candidate requires to do the job well.

Next, you’ll need to update your CV in a way that lets both your skills and competencies shine through.

Bear in mind, though, that when you’re applying for any role, you must first carefully review the job description.

This will enable you to pick out the relevant opportunities to truthfully mirror the skills and competencies in the job description with those on your CV. So first of all, determine whether the job description is skills or competency-based, or a mixture of the two,

so that you can tailor your CV to what the reader is looking for.

Identify the skills and competencies you possess that are required to perform the specific job you are applying for.

ou should also incorporate your relevant skills and competencies throughout the work experience section of your CV – for example, in the case of a previous finance role, competencies such as conflict management, change management and strategic agility

may be relevant in addition to your technical and soft skills.

When it comes time for a job interview, you need to reiterate both your relevant skills and competencies to the interviewer.

Along with asking specific questions to determine your technical and soft skills, expect to be asked competency-based interview questions.

It is also important to understand that at each stage of your career, different skills and competencies will be important for ensuring your success.

At the start of your career, for instance, it is technical skills and expertise that you should focus on building.

As your career progresses, you are likely to move away from certain day-to-day tasks, and instead towards projects in other areas of the business.

These later stages of your career are where such competencies as the ability to influence, negotiate and

strategise will need to be developed. But at the same time, you will also need to ensure you do not neglect the harder technical skills that you require to continue thriving in your profession.