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Evidencia 1: Taller “Competencies Workshop”

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An introduction to competencies
British Council

What are competencies, why are they so important nowadays? How are competencies used in
Human Resources and how can individuals use them to their advantage?

What are competencies and why are they important?

1. Some years ago when executives and managers talked about the type of employees they
wanted to contract for their businesses they spoke of skills and qualifications. These words are still
used but have been overshadowed by the term competencies. Competencies are a concept taken
on board by Human Resource departments to measure a person’s appropriateness for a particular
job.

2. In simple terms a competency is a tool that an individual can use in order to demonstrate a high
standard of performance. Competencies are characteristics that we use to achieve success. These
characteristics or traits can include things like knowledge, aspects of leadership, self-esteem, skills
or relationship building. There are a lot of competencies but they are usually divided into groups.
Most organizations recognize two main groups and then have numerous sub groups which
competencies can be further divided into.

There has been a lot written about competencies. It is easy to see how people can become easily
confused by what a competency actually is. It is also essential that people in the world of business
have a clear understanding of what different competencies are and, in particular, which
competencies are of interest to them – either as an individual interested in self-development – or
as an employer looking for the best candidate for a job.

3. Competencies can be divided into two distinct types; technical competencies (sometimes
referred to as functional) and personal competencies. As the name suggests, technical
competencies are those which are related to the skills and knowledge that are essential in order
for a person to do a particular job appropriately. An example of a technical competency for a
secretary might be: “Word processing: able to word process a text at the rate of 80 words per
minute with no mistakes.” Personal competencies are not linked to any particular function. They
include characteristics that we use together with our technical competencies in order to do our
work well. An example of a personal competency is: “Interpersonal Sensitivity: Demonstrates
respect for the opinions of others, even when not in agreement.”

4. As you can see from the examples above there is a particular way of expressing a competency.
First the competency is given a title; for example “word processing”. Then a brief indicator or
explanation is given as an example of the person’s aptitude in that competency; for example “able
to word process a text at the rate of 80 words per minute with no mistakes.”

5. Competencies are probably here to stay so it is worth thinking about your own competencies
and trying to categorize them; first into the two sub-categories mentioned above and then into a
more detailed list.

British Council . (2018). An introduction to competencies. 03 septiembre de 2018, de British Council Sitio web:
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/business-magazine/introduction-competencies#sthash.opHl1Bug.dpu

Image courtesy of PinkBlueatFreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. Competencies are used to:

Achieve success.

2. The words skills and qualifications are no longer used.

a. False
b. True

3. A competency is a tool that an individual can use in order to:

Demonstrate a high standard of performance.

4. Competencies can be divided into two distinct types:

Technical and personal

5. Competencies are characteristics or traits like:

Knowledge, aspects of leadership, self-esteem, skills or relationship building.

6. It is easy to see how people can become easily confused by what a competency actually is.
a. True
b. False

7. Which are the competencies related to the skills and knowledge that are essential in order for
a person to do a particular job appropriately.

Personal competencies
8. “Word processing: able to word process a text at the rate of 80 words per minute with no
mistakes.” is an example of a:

Technical competency

9. “Interpersonal Sensitivity: Demonstrates respect for the opinions of others, even when not in
agreement.” is an example of a:

Personal competency

10. There is a particular way of expressing a competency:

a. First the competency is given a title, then a brief indicator or explanation is given as an
example.
b. First a brief indicator or explanation is given as an example, and then the competency is
given a title.
c. First the competency is given an explanation, and then a title is given as an example.
d. First the competency is given a title as an explanation, and then a title is given as an
example.
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Nota: esta evidencia es de carácter grupal. Recuerde revisar la guía de aprendizaje con el fin de
verificar que ha realizado todas las evidencias propuestas, saber cómo desarrollarlas y
entregarlas correctamente.

Criterios de evaluación

 Elabora resúmenes cortos sobre textos sencillos y con contenido técnico.