Competency-based Hiring

The professionalism and success of the substance use field depends on the quality of the workforce— the employees and volunteers—it engages.

Using competencies in the hiring process provides a structured way to help an employer identify and assess candidates who best align with the job and the organization’s needs. The interviewer seeks job-related information by assessing a person’s competencies.

The use of questions focused on behaviour has been shown to be one of the most effective structured interviewing strategies. These types of questions are based on the premise that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour. Guidance to interviewing using the Behavioural Competencies is found in the resources below.

Technical Competencies are more easily assessed through knowledge tests and can be used to screen applicants, as these competencies often relate to education and training. Since the technical competencies needed for each job are unique to the role and setting, an employer can use the education requirements or develop specific questions to assess technical knowledge.