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Student Employability Profiles: Glossary of Competency Terms

General Information

Competencies and Criteria Definitions

For many years organisations have used competencies (often called criteria) as a means of describing the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes required of job holders. This is a first endeavor at identifying similar criteria for employability skills within the different University subject areas participating in this project. The purpose of this approach is to enable some commonality of language between education and employers and to help students better articulate their transferable skills when applying for jobs outside their study discipline.

This is not an attempt to say that this set is 'right' and that all roles and jobs can be described using them but it is a start in making the whole area of competency based recruitment and assessment more transparent and accessible for academics, students and employers alike. Please try and work with them as far as possible, and update and develop them as new insights and learning occur.

Competency based assessments are used in a wide variety of ways in the world of work, some of these are:

Recruitment
Assessment
Appraisals
Career/personal development

Competencies like all tools, are intended to be used flexibly. The fixed element of the definitions are the titles and the short top level descriptions, the indicators serve to illustrate generic examples.

The indicators may be tailored to meet the specific needs of the university subject or employment role. For example Planning and Organising will be different in a Project Manager role and a Software Developer role, it would also be different for a full time student and a part time one. The significance of Planning and Organising is different between these roles and students, and the indicators need to reflect this difference when articulating examples of the skill of planning and organising.

Competencies can be grouped. This document has a standard set of groupings, but particular areas may be better served by combining the competencies into different groups.

Last Point: We will only improve this model by using it. Part of the measure of the success of this competency model will be based on the number of suggestions for improvements. We have already received a number of these and look forward to many more.

Glossary of Terms: Descriptive Criteria and Indicators for Employability Competencies

View by Classification | View Alphabetically

i. Cognitive Skills
The ability to identify, and solve problems, work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions.
- Analysis
  Relates and compares data from different sources, identifying issues, securing relevant information and identifying relationships.
- Judgement
  Determines the most appropriate course of action and draws conclusions that are based on logical assumptions that reflect factual information.
- Attention to Detail
  Accomplishes tasks through a concern for all areas involved, no matter how small.
ii. Generic Competencies
High-level and transferable skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, communicate, influence and have interpersonal sensitivity.
- Planning and Organising
  Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Plans proper assignments and appropriate allocation of resources.
- Influencing
  Influences others by expressing self effectively in a group and in one to one situations.
- Written Communication
  Expresses ideas effectively and conveys information appropriately and accurately.
- Questioning
  Uses an appropriate approach to questioning in order to gain information from which to draw conclusions and/or assist in the making of decisions.
- Listening
  Shows by a range of verbal and non-verbal signals that the information being received is understood.
- Teamwork / Working with Others
  Builds and develops appropriate relationships with academic staff, peers, colleagues, customers and suppliers at all levels within an organisation.
- Interpersonal Sensitivity
  Recognises and respects different perspectives and appreciates the benefits of being open to the ideas and views of others.
- Organisational Sensitivity
  Is sensitive to the effect of his or her actions on other parts of the organisation and adopts a mature, direct and up front style in dealing with conflict.
- Life Long Learning and Development
  Develops the skills and competencies of self, peers and colleagues through learning and development activities related to current and future roles.
iii. Personal Capabilities
The ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness, emotional intelligence and performance. To be a self-starter (creativity, decisiveness, initiative) and to finish the job (flexibility, adaptability, tolerance to stress).
- Personal Development Planning
  Maintains an up to date personal development plan and takes action to ensure personal development takes place.
- Creativity
  Generates and/or recognises how best practice and imaginative ideas can be applied to different situations.
- Decisiveness
  Makes decisions and takes action.
- Initiative
  Identifies opportunities and is pro-active in putting forward ideas and potential solutions.
- Adaptability / Flexibility
  Maintains effectiveness in a changing environment.
- Achievement Orientation
  Maintains and inspires a results-driven approach, focuses on results and critical performance indicators.
- Tolerance for Stress
  Maintains performance under pressure and / or opposition.
- Leadership
  Takes responsibility for the directions and actions of a team.
iv. Technical Ability
For example, having the knowledge and experience of working with relevant modern technology.
- Technical Knowledge
  develops and maintains a knowledge of key trends in technology.
- Technical Application
  has experience of using modern technology.
v. Business and / or Organisation Awareness
An appreciation of how businesses operate through having had (preferably relevant) work experience. Appreciation of organisational culture, policies and processes.
- Organisational Understanding
  Understands the organisation's work environment, internal politics, business objectives and strategy.
- Commercial Awareness
  Understands the econom`???????Y6???ics of the business. Understands the business benefits and commercial realities from both the organisation's and the customer's perspectives.
- Financial Awareness
  Understands basic financial terms used in organisations and is able to construct and maintain simple financial records.
vi. Practical and Professional Elements
Critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice, reflect and review own practice, participate in and review quality control processes and risk management.
- Professional Expertise
  Keeps up to date with developments in own areas of professional specialisation. Applies a breadth and/or depth of professional knowledge.
- Process Operation
  Begins, controls and concludes a complete process or procedure.
- Image
  Presents a strong, professional, positive image to others at all times, consistent with all people (colleagues, management and peers, customers etc.).

i. COGNITIVE SKILLS

The ability to identify, and solve problems, work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions.

Analysis

Relates and compares data from different sources, iden`???????Y6???ositive image to others at all times, consistent with all people (colleagues, management and peers, customers etc.).

Indicators:

Appears smart and tidy.
Is relaxed and confident in the company of others.
Is enthusiastic/positive.
Gives others the impression of professionalism, subject knowledge and assertiveness.
Gains attention and respect from others e.g. from initial impact.

This page was originally on the website of The Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies. It was transfered here following the closure of the Subject Centre at the end of 2011.