Competency frameworks and organisational values

Competencies are the skills, knowledge and behaviour that when combined result in good role performance – they describe the “how” of the role. Many organisations have a competency framework to communicate what contributes to successful delivery.

Sometimes these competencies can be presented in a separate document, for example a competency profile, within a job description or person specification, or in a separate section in a vacancy pack or statement.

Organisations may also describe their values, where a value is something that is important to them and guides the way they work and the decisions they make. Values also highlight the style and culture of the organisation.

If your organisation includes competencies or values in your recruitment materials, the following prompts might help you to make the materials more inclusive:

• Is it clear how the values relate to the selection process?
• Have you assumed that applicants understand what organisational values are and how they are used?
• Are your organisational values opaque and potentially without meaning to those outside the organisation?
• Do you need to provide more information or an explanation about your organisational values?
• Have you defined what a competency is and how it relates to the role and selection process?
• Have you made clear which competencies (or which level of competencies) are important to the role?
• Is your language clear and accessible?

Critically reviewing your organisation’s values and competencies as they relate to the recruitment and selection processes may help you adjust language that may exclude or discourage applicants and candidates from applying or progressing their application.