I was invited to collaborate on a bid for an organizational learning consulting project, filling in for a staff leave of absence. In reviewing the job description I was interested in the competencies they required:
* External Awareness
* Professional Confidence
* Working Across Boundaries
* Organizational Awareness
* Achievement Orientation
* Focus on c/Customer
It would be easy to make fun of those phrases, but they pretty well summarize the attitude of a modern team-oriented quality-focused collaborator. The company is well-known as an excellent place to work, with good products, consistent growth, regional and national awards, and a generous employee profit-sharing plan.
The JD mentioned Microsoft Office skills, oral and written communication excellence, and a few other specifics, but only in passing. In other words, “we expect you to be smart and use the typical tools of the trade, but what we really want is the right outlook.” Kudos to them for recognizing and rewarding orientation as well as knowledge and skills.
March 24, 2006