Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Competency‐based interviewing – has it gone too far?

Competency‐based interviewing – has it gone too far? Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a critique of the inflexible use of competency models in organisations and, in particular, to explore the limitations of competency based interviews and stress the need for alternative approaches, e.g. wider use of job sampling, biographically based interviews and ability tests at the recruitment stage. The paper suggests that there is nothing fundamentally new in the competency‐based approach but suggests that its ubiquity may be counterproductive in an exponential world where constant reappraisals of skills, attributes and behaviours are required. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a critique of the inflexible use of competency models in organisations. Findings – Many competency models are not sufficiently clear or dynamic for effective use in constantly changing organisations. Competency‐based interviewing per se is an overly restrictive and increasingly blunt selection instrument. Practical Implications – The paper reveals the need to constantly review competency models and argues for complementary selection techniques to be used in addition to competency‐based interviews. Originality/value – Adds to the growing literature critical of rigid application of competency models, particularly in the selection arena. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Industrial and Commercial Training Emerald Publishing

Competency‐based interviewing – has it gone too far?

Paul Derek Martin; John Pope
Industrial and Commercial Training , Volume 40 (2): 6 – Mar 14, 2008
Download PDF
6 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/competency-based-interviewing-has-it-gone-too-far-E0GuvO0aLJ
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
0019-7858
DOI
10.1108/00197850810858910
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a critique of the inflexible use of competency models in organisations and, in particular, to explore the limitations of competency based interviews and stress the need for alternative approaches, e.g. wider use of job sampling, biographically based interviews and ability tests at the recruitment stage. The paper suggests that there is nothing fundamentally new in the competency‐based approach but suggests that its ubiquity may be counterproductive in an exponential world where constant reappraisals of skills, attributes and behaviours are required. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a critique of the inflexible use of competency models in organisations. Findings – Many competency models are not sufficiently clear or dynamic for effective use in constantly changing organisations. Competency‐based interviewing per se is an overly restrictive and increasingly blunt selection instrument. Practical Implications – The paper reveals the need to constantly review competency models and argues for complementary selection techniques to be used in addition to competency‐based interviews. Originality/value – Adds to the growing literature critical of rigid application of competency models, particularly in the selection arena.

Journal

Industrial and Commercial Training – Emerald Publishing

Published: Mar 14, 2008

Keywords: Competences; Interviews; Selection

There are no references for this article.