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Why Are Competencies Important? How Can I Develop Them?
- Elifilknur tüzün
- Mar 3
- 5 min read
During our training, our clients have the chance to review many competencies in depth, see their definitions, content, behavioral indicators and practical examples of how they can demonstrate these competencies in their business lives & assessment center exercises. After the training, we often come across how much their awareness has increased and how they wish they had known the ways to develop these competencies before taking the assessment. Why are competencies so important? How can we develop our competencies?
The key to success in business life is to develop certain competencies and to be able to demonstrate them effectively. Especially in assessment center exercises, how candidates demonstrate these competencies is of great importance. In this article, we will examine the competencies that stand out in the corporate world, based on the competency sets widely used internationally and in Türkiye, and we will examine the methods by which we can develop them and touch on how we can demonstrate these competencies in assessment center processes.
Competence is the combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes that an individual must possess in order to successfully fulfill certain duties and responsibilities in business life. Especially large corporate companies adopt systematic approaches to evaluate and develop the competencies of their employees. Assessment center applications are one of these processes and provide competency-based evaluation of candidates. The key to success in corporate life and progress on the career path is to develop certain competencies.
Prominent Competencies in Assessment Center and Corporate Life
1. Strategic Thinking and Decision Making : In today’s business world, it is not enough to just run daily operations; being able to see the big picture and make strategic decisions is a critical skill. In assessment center exercises, candidates are expected to demonstrate this competency, especially in case analysis and presentation exercises.
🟢 Tip: Determining the situation with SWOT analysis, identifying the problems, development areas and opportunities related to the situation can help you on the way to your solution suggestions. When making decisions, analyzing the short-term and long-term effects and presenting solution suggestions with logical arguments will show how strong you are in this competence.
2. Effective Communication and Persuasion Ability: Strong communication skills make a difference whether you are communicating with a customer, a superior or a subordinate. This competence is specifically tested in all assessment center exercises or one-on-one interviews.
🟢 Tip: Adopt a clear, concise and trustworthy speaking style. Make sure you give the right and constructive message by asking open-ended questions and listening well to identify the other person's problem.
3. Teamwork and Cooperation : Especially during group work, candidates' ability to work cooperatively and demonstrate team spirit is evaluated.
🟢 Tip: It is as important to value the ideas of others as it is to take the lead within the group. Focus on contributing by considering the team dynamics, and even if you notice those who are quiet in the group, including them in the discussion will prove that you are someone who values ideas and has participatory leader characteristics.
4. Problem Solving and Analytical Thinking : In the assessment center exercises, candidates' abilities to analyze complex problems, derive meaningful inferences from various data, and develop effective solutions to problems are evaluated.
🟢 Tip: Break the problem into pieces and evaluate them one by one, make data-based decisions, and try to think of alternative solutions.
5. Leadership: It is the richest competency in terms of behavioral indicators in terms of competencies. A leader is expected to exhibit many behaviors such as directing to the target, providing justice, establishing open communication, motivating the team, persuading, empathizing, and providing effective feedback.
🟢 Tip: Especially if you are in a managerial role in a role play exercise, you may encounter an exercise where you are expected to display many behaviors from leadership competencies. Here, you are expected to display many behaviors such as motivating your subordinate, empathizing with him, listening to him effectively, giving him feedback and directing him to the goal. You can develop these by working on their techniques.
We have touched upon a few core competencies in our article. Especially corporate companies create their own competency models and use these models in recruitment and monitoring the development of their human resources.
These competency models determine the key points of success in the business world in Türkiye and are frequently referenced in assessment center processes.
What Does McKinsey's Türkiye Report Say About Future Competencies?
McKinsey & Company's report titled "The Future of Our Work: Türkiye's Talent Transformation in the Digital Age" analyzes which competencies the workforce in Türkiye will need in the digital transformation process. According to the report, with the adoption of automation and digital technologies by 2030, 30% of current business activities will be automated. This will affect physical and routine tasks as well as more complex and cognitive tasks.
The report also examines future competencies under five categories: physical competencies, basic competencies, advanced cognitive competencies, social competencies and technological competencies. In most sectors in Türkiye, the need for technological competencies and social competencies is expected to increase. Competencies such as technology use, technology design and programming, and innovation also appear as competencies that need to be developed.
So What Can You Do to Improve Your Competencies?
Books and Trainings: Harvard Business Review, World Economic Forum, McKinsey reports, trainings offered by PERYÖN in Turkey and books of leading consultants in the field of human resources can be read and their guidance can be followed.
Mentoring, Feedback and Learning by Experiencing on the Job: Getting feedback from your manager, consultants and those around you accelerates your development. Learning by experiencing on the job is also one of the most effective development tools. The additional tasks and responsibilities that you will determine with your manager are one of the most valuable tools for the competence you want to develop.
Simulation Exercises: While preparing for the Assessment Center, you can benefit from training that includes case studies, in-tray exercise, fact-finding and role-playing.
Online Resources and Certificates : You can attend competency-based trainings on platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning.
Competencies are the cornerstones of making a difference and being successful in business life. In selection and evaluation processes such as Assessment Center, candidates are expected to demonstrate these competencies. You can stand out in the corporate world by developing competencies such as strategic thinking, effective communication, teamwork, and leadership. Remember, developing your competencies is a living process and managing this process consciously provides a great advantage for your career.
As you prepare for the assessment center processes, which of your competencies do you identify as needing development? Share your views with us…
Author: Elif İlknur Tuzun
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