Notes on completing the competency section of the application
form
Competency profile
You will need to complete this to provide evidence of your
skills, knowledge and abilities against each of the competencies
listed in the competency profile, taking account of the job
description. You can give examples from your past or current
employment, interests, voluntary work or life experiences Your
evidence will be discussed in more detail if you are invited to an
interview. What is a 'competency' and how can you provide evidence
of your competencies? A 'competency' is a term that describes the
range of knowledge, skills, behaviour, attitude and abilities an
individual brings to a specific area of a job, such as team
working. You should provide evidence of the skills, knowledge and
ability you have that appears to meet the requirements of this
post. We have provided some examples below to illustrate the
process:
Competency:
Communication
I have produced my company's year-end report for the last two
years, with very few final amendments. I also identified a need
for, and have produced, a portfolio for our team, introducing our
staff and explaining their roles. I have some limited experience in
representing my Union at meetings.
Competency:
Finance and contracts
I am the Treasurer for our local running club (£1500 annually).
I designed a spreadsheet to monitor the budget.
Competency:
Personal effectiveness
In the last 18 months I have been taking a distance-learning
qualification, requiring a total reorganisation of my personal
life. As my expertise has developed, I requested and was given
further duties and higher level responsibilities in my job. I
suggested some changes to our recruitment procedures, which were
implemented, and I now oversee the whole process for our 345
staff.
Competency:
Promoting quality
In my current administrative support role, it is important that
I answer any queries within our advertised service standards. I
also have to ensure my manager's diary is kept up to date, and deal
with some of her simpler correspondence. To help with this I
attended a time management course.