• What specific kinds of machines will the employee use?
• What specific kinds of computer hardware/software will they use?
• Is there a certain specific and prescribed way they must manipulate tools?

What do you really need? You’ll have to decide if previous experience in these technical skills is important, or if you will train the successful candidate. Though technical skills are often more easily learned than performance skills, many jobs demand that a person arrive with their technical skills already in place.

Performance skills are the Will factors. These are the tasks and responsibilities assigned to the position. They are closely tied to work habits that reflect the way a person gets a job done. They may relate to working with or managing other people, making decisions, following guidelines, dealing with the public etc.

A Customer Service Supervisor, for example, might need to supervise three customer service representatives, apply established guidelines to specific customer inquiries, and solve work unit problems. These are all performance skills.

At the same time, you may expect this employee to be skilled in using Word, have some knowledge of database management, including designing and maintaining a database, and know how to set up spreadsheets. These are considered technical skills.

If you have a long list of competencies or skills listed for this position, categorize them into Must Have and Nice to Have. You can usually explore a candidate’s abilities in no more than six or seven areas in one interview. Your time is best spent on primary skills.

Design your interview so you cover the technical “can do” skills first, and then go on to “performance skills”. There is just no point in finding out if the candidate has the performance skills if s/he can’t do the job. However, once you know the person can do the job, spend the remaining 60% of your time and questions on will they do the job, including whether they will “fit” your workplace.


Sample Competence Factors

• Achievement motivation
• Attention to detail
• Career interest
• Creativity
• Decision making ability
• Human relations skills
• Independent work/initiative
• Leadership
• Learning ability
• Organization commitment
• Planning and organizing skills
• Problem analysis
• Stress tolerance
• Technical ability
• Turnover risk
• Adaptability
• Calculating skill/mathematical ability
• Written communication
• Oral/verbal communication