Core Competencies

Definition

The specific skills and knowledge that make someone valuable in their role. Not the things you're pretending to be good at on LinkedIn.

Example Usage

The job description lists critical thinking and data analysis as core competencies.

Origin

Management theory from C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel (1990)

Fun Fact

Companies often use competency frameworks to prevent hiring the wrong person in an expensive way

Source: Strategic HR Management

Related Terms

Advanced

dual career ladder

A career development structure offering advancement paths for both management and technical roles, allowing specialists to grow without becoming managers. It's HR's admission that not everyone wants to lead people.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

job rotation

A development practice where employees temporarily move between different roles or departments to build broader skills and understanding. Cross-training disguised as career development.

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protected class

Groups of people protected from discrimination under federal and state laws based on characteristics like race, gender, age, disability, and religion. Being in a protected class doesn't guarantee a job, but it does guarantee you can't be rejected because of that characteristic.

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Talent Marketplace

An internal system where employees can browse and bid on projects, which is essentially a gig economy inside your own company but with even less job security.

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Beginner

staffing

The perpetual HR challenge of finding, hiring, and occasionally yeeting employees to keep a business running smoothly. It encompasses everything from recruitment strategies to headcount planning, basically ensuring you have enough humans doing the right jobs at the right time. When companies say they have "staffing issues," it means they're either drowning in applications or desperately clinging to whoever shows up.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

just cause termination

Firing someone for a legitimate, documented reason rather than at-will whimsy. Typically requires progressive discipline, warnings, and enough paperwork to deforest a small country.

👥 Human Resources

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