MAKING YOURSELF COMPETITIVE: THE ROLE OF VALUES WITH COMPETENCIES

How do you make yourself competitive? That is the question.

Recruitment agencies have repeatedly stressed the need for every employee to build himself in order to meet up with the high demand for expertise from employers. They even go all the way to accentuate the fact that your Curriculum Vitae is your true identity in the professional world where employers have to go through over a thousand job applications in most cases just to hire only one person who they believe is the best. Remember, in one of my posts titled ‘Get Competitive with AIESEC Nigeria SWAP’ I mentioned that the definition of ‘the best’ has been redefined in this cutthroat world of ours and truly it has.

The question I usually pose to my colleagues whenever we pore over this scenario is: What major ingredients do employers or HR experts look out for in a prospective employee? Unfortunately, the answer has constantly varied from one colleague to the other. Astonishingly, the predominant component every employer I had ever met with subscribes to is the fact that, what interests them about an employee is a blend of the employee’s competence with outstanding values and I agree with them.

True. More government leaders have failed due to poor values than poor policies and more business leaders have sabotaged their careers from lack of values than lack of cash flow.

Let’s tell ourselves the truth, how many of us who are competent have the right values to discharge our duties or how many of us are capable of maintaining momentum when there is little or even no supervision? Few I guess, and I know virtually everyone who can’t have reasons for this gross out.

Believe me, competence alone is not enough because values are the complements that makes up a fecund employee. This is why we place a lot of emphasis on values in AIESEC Nigeria. AIESEC has 6 values: Activating Leadership, Demonstrating Integrity, Living Diversity, Enjoying Participation, Striving for Excellence and Acting Sustainably: Values every member of AIESEC gets to imbibe.

When employers are privileged to meet employees who can drive vision as well as results while maintaining high professional code of ethics and uncompromising values, they give their heart out to such a person. They trust his moves and deeds. They respect his decisions and value his counsels. They build their business empire around him. They shield him from negative influences, use him as reference to other low performing staff’s and help him in building a better future.
These employers ask the employee questions like: What should we do to improve on the company’s standard? How much would you want us to start paying you henceforth? Where would you love to study so as to build more capacity? And the questions go on and on. Employers want to see character, competence, compassion, commitment, contribution, connection, conviction, confidence, consistency and courage in their employees.

If truth be told, it sucks to be a common employee because employers don’t regard them. You can think of how much respect you have earned from your employer and gauge your effectiveness. If you have earned much then, you are on top of your job and on the path to greater heights but if you haven’t earned any or you are shilly-shallying then check your level of competence and values.

Chances are that you are either lacking in one or both of them. Remember, no employer wants to keep a disaster so, regularly appraise yourself and know your stand else you will remain on the same payroll forever or even get replaced anon.