Skills and professional competencies: the keys to success in the workplace

In today’s working world, employees can no longer rely on academic training and experience alone to face the challenges of the marketplace. If they want to be able to confront the constant change and competitiveness of the market, then they’ll need qualities such as leadership, assertiveness or creativity. These are the abilities that can make a real difference.

We are currently in the midst of a revolution in all aspects of business. Soft skills development is just one of a wide range of opportunities available to companies, through which they can ready their internal talent for the challenges of the future. But the question is, ‘how best to bring about this change?’

Companies have a responsibility to focus on developing social, emotional and interpersonal skills in combination with key technical and digital skills. The former are ‘human’ skills such as communication, empathy or the desire to learn, and these are skills that machines simply cannot imitate. The latter, on the other hand, are the technical skills that drive progress and digital advances. Companies need to take advantage of both in order to succeed. So, are you eager to discover how to develop those skills and abilities? Read on for more.

What are professional skills and competencies?

The word skill is defined as a person’s ability to do something correctly. In the business world, it can be defined as an individual’s capacity to play a specific role or perform a set task with sufficient ease. Skills can be technical, such as in the use of digital tools, or more general. These general skills are often ‘soft’ such as assertive communication or effective time management.

Competencies, on the other hand, are traits or knowledge that allow a professional to perform their job well. They are more than merely the ability to do something, but rather the “how” of doing it. So, if the definition of skill is the ability to do something, then the definition of competence would be the ability to do something with excellence.

The difference between skills, abilities and competencies (with examples)

The three concepts of skills, competencies and abilities can appear fairly confusing as they are often used together (and sometimes interchangeably). However, they do have different meanings:

Capacities vs. Competencies and Abilities

Capacities refer to the circumstances, conditions and innate or acquired abilities that allow a person to perform a specific task. Unlike skills and competencies, which can be developed with practice, capacities can be more difficult to acquire if they are not already possessed naturally.

Skills vs. Competencies

There is also a fundamental difference between these two terms – while skills allow people to be able to carry out a task, competencies not only allow them to perform it, but more importantly to do it effectively. For example, an employee may have the ability to sell a product, but if he does this with an active awareness of the significance of the task, attempting to hone each step of the process to get the best results, then he has a competence.

Practical examples to differentiate between skills, competencies and capabilities

To better understand the differences between skills, competencies and capabilities, let’s take a look at an example that covers all three concepts:

• Skill: An employee in the L&D department has the ability to design an e-learning course using a specific tool such as isEazy Author. She knows how to create interactive modules, add exercises and design the structure of the courses.
• Competency: The same L&D employee not only knows how to use isEazy Author, but can also design highly effective e-learning courses that significantly improve knowledge retention and engagement rates within the workforce. This employee consistently performs training needs analysis, integrates strategies to improve engagement, and uses feedback in the form of data to continually improve courses. Additionally, she engages with and utilizes advanced pedagogical approaches to ensure that content remains relevant and engaging.
• Capacity: An L&D employee demonstrates an innate ability to understand and adopt new technologies and learning methodologies. Although initially, she has no experience with using emerging tools such as augmented reality or artificial intelligence in training, she has a high potential to learn. As a result, she quickly works out how to apply these technologies in the design of innovative learning programs. This employee understands how to integrate new trends and technologies into the company’s existing training programs, helping to position it at the forefront of corporate training.

Can you see the difference? The skill is the specific ability to use instructional design tools and techniques; competence involves not only the technical skill, but also its effective application and continuous improvement; and capacity is the innate potential to quickly understand and adopt a skill, enabling constant innovation in training programs.

Why is it important to know how to distinguish between capacities and competencies in HR?

Although at first glance it may not seem particularly important, knowing the difference between capacities and professional competencies is in fact crucial when it comes to carrying out various processes within both the HR and L&D departments. These processes include:

• Setting growth plans and promoting internal mobility

Differentiating between capacities and competencies is key if you want to develop training strategies that encourage internal mobility. Identifying the most valuable competencies within your organization will allow you to design training programs that help employees to improve in their current roles – as well as prepare for future challenges.

• Establishing realistic goals and refining the recruiting process

Additionally, knowing the capacities and competencies of employees (both current and future) will allow you to set realistic, achievable objectives. It will also allow you to design a more effective recruitment process, ensuring that selected candidates not only have the correct skills, but also the corresponding competencies to perform them with excellence.

• Identifying the employability of candidates

Evaluating both the skills and competencies of candidates is essential to determine their employability. Doing so will help you to ensure that new employees can contribute significantly to the organization’s success from the very first day.

How to identify your team’s skills and competencies

Now that you know the difference between skills and competencies, as well as the value of defining them, you may be wondering exactly how to identify them. Below, we share our tips for success:

Perform regular evaluations

Through periodic evaluations, it becomes possible to maintain an up-to-date record of your whole team’s skills and competencies. As part of your strategy, you can integrate:

• Performance evaluations: These types of evaluation are ideal for observing and recording each employee’s skills and competencies. They must be detailed, and specific in their observations, if you want to form a clear vision of your team’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Feedback: Additionally, implementing a consistent feedback system will help here. You can seek detailed written or spoken feedback from supervisors and peers, as well as instant feedback through the exercises and games included in your training. All of this information will give you insights into an employee’s daily performance.

Integrate evaluation tools and methods

Today,there are various assessment tools and methods available that can help you to identify your team’s skills and professional competencies effectively:

• Interviews and focus meetings: Regularly conduct one-on-one interviews, as well as focus meetings with supervisors, managers, and employees to discuss current and future skills. This will also help you to identify any discrepancies between existing and desired competencies.
• Skills maps: Create skills maps that will allow you to visualize the skills and competencies present within your team. With a skills mapping strategy, it becomes easy to quickly identify any areas where skills gaps exist.
• Competency assessments: Use standardized competency assessments across your team to measure each employee’s level of competence in key areas. These evaluations can be both qualitative and quantitative. Using both parameters will help you to build a clearer picture.

Make use of technology

Technology can be a powerful ally in identifying skills and competencies:

• Training platforms: Implement online training platforms that not only allow you to manage and distribute learning content, but also to analyze and evaluate the training activities your employees carry out. These platforms can feature games, exercises and other interactive elements that provide immediate feedback, as well as offer final assessments. These will help you to identify any gaps in learning, and undertake more effective development planning.

Provide open communication channels

Fostering an environment of open communication is essential, as it will help employees to feel comfortable sharing their strengths and weaknesses more openly. Aim to implement:

• Surveys and continuous feedback: Set up regular surveys and continuous feedback sessions, to give employees a chance to share their opinions and experiences.
• Coaching and mentoring sessions: Put in place coaching and mentoring programs where employees can openly discuss their career aspirations, as well as receive guidance on how to improve their skills.

Strategies to level up your team’s skills and professional competencies

Skills and competencies empower professionals to go further, and are essential for the growth of organizations. This is why training strategies should focus on having employees learn the key skills and competencies they need in order to properly develop their talent. In this way, you can transform workers into professionals, ready to confront change and meet the needs of the current labor market.

Are you ready to elevate your team with meaningful professional development? At isEazy Skills, we help companies to train their professionals in all the skills and competencies they need, thanks to our comprehensive catalog of courses that cover any workplace need. Our soft skills courses can meet the demands of any type of profile or company and, what’s more, thanks to our 100% practical methodology, you can train your team in specific behaviors and situations taken from their daily lives. So what are you waiting for? Power up the development of your team, and request a demo today!