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.