Competency-based Recruitment

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When the quality of decisions is crucial

Recruiting managers and specialists is one of the most important decisions an organisation makes. The right hire boosts execution, culture and results. Conversely, a wrong hire may have consequences that extend far beyond the individual role.

In a world characterised by increasing complexity, change, and competition for the best candidates, it is therefore no longer sufficient to base decisions on experience, CVs, and interviews alone.

At GML, we use competency-based recruitment to improve the quality of the information on which decisions are based. By combining structured interviews with validated assessment tools such as Hogan Assessments and Deeper Signals, alongside decades of research into the link between personality, behaviour, and job performance, we create a more nuanced picture of the candidate’s likelihood of success in the role.

From history to future performance

Traditional recruitment processes often focus on what the candidate has achieved.

Competency-based recruitment focuses more on how results have been achieved – and how likely it is that the candidate will be able to achieve similar results in a new organisational context.

This provides insight into:

  • How the candidate makes decisions and sets priorities
  • How the candidate collaborates and exercises leadership
  • How the candidate reacts under pressure, in complex situations and in the face of change
  • How driving forces and values support the company’s culture and strategic direction
  • What strengths and potential risks the organisation should be aware of
 

The aim is to improve the accuracy of recruitment for key positions.

A stronger basis for decision-making

Competency-based recruitment adds a predictive dimension to the selection process.

While interviews and CVs mainly provide insight into a candidate’s experience and past achievements, validated assessments offer a more objective perspective on the candidate’s likely behaviour, motivations and potential in the role.

At GML, we use Hogan Assessments and Deeper Signals – two well-established assessment tools based on decades of research into personality psychology, behaviour, and job performance. The data is directly linked to the skills and success factors that are crucial to the specific role, providing a more nuanced basis for assessing the candidate’s likelihood of success.
 
Data is no substitute for good judgement – data qualifies it.
 
The result is a more transparent and well-documented basis for decision-making, providing the organisation with deeper insight into the candidate’s leadership capabilities, collaborative patterns, decision-making behaviour, and ability to deliver results over time.
 

This approach reduces blind spots in the recruitment process, improves the quality of the decision and increases the likelihood of a long-term match between the candidate, the role and the organisation.

Adding value to the organisation

For management teams, competency-based recruitment is about increasing the likelihood of hiring managers and key staff who can translate strategy into results.

For HR, this approach leads to greater consistency, higher quality and more objective decision-making processes across the organisation.

For boards of directors, it strengthens governance in relation to appointments to critical leadership roles and contributes to better succession planning, stronger leadership capacity and reduced organisational risk.

The common factor is the same: Better insight leads to better decisions. And better decisions increase the likelihood of sustained performance.

Open to a dialogue on competency-based recruitment

Lars 2025
Lars Gaarde
Managing Partner
Mads 2025
Mads Nielsen
Senior Consultant

From role requirements to measurable success criteria

The key to competency-based recruitment is a precise definition of what is required to succeed in the specific role.

Working with the company, we identify the skills, behavioural patterns and performance drivers that are most important for achieving results in the role in question.

Our competency model is structured around four job families:

Executives – CEOs and general managers

Managers – leaders with responsibility for staff and performance

Sales – commercial profiles and sales managers

Specialists – technical specialists and key staff

Each job family comprises eight well-documented competencies, which have been developed on the basis of research into personality, behaviour and job performance.

In collaboration with the company, we identify the skills that are most critical to succeed in the specific role. These form the basis for the interview, the assessment and the overall evaluation of the candidate.

Resultatet er en mere objektiv, transparent og sammenlignelig vurdering af kandidaternes sandsynlighed for succes i rollen.