Customized Employment Competency Model

Knowledge• Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnelrecruitment, selection, and training• Knowledge of standard business practices (for example,business etiquette, resumes, job applications)• Knowledge of work flow and work processesSkills• Skill in determining how a system, business, or jobshould work to identify operational improvements aspotential negotiating points for a customized position• Skill in monitoring or assessing performance of oneself,other individuals, or organizations to makeimprovements or take corrective actionKnowledge• Knowledge of local community and communityemployers near job seeker’s home• Knowledge of the range of strategies that can be used tomake connections with potential employers• Knowledge of self-employment and resource acquisitionstrategies and micro-enterprise centers• Knowledge of economic trends locally and nationallySkills• Skill in systematic inquiry (that is, asking questions to getto key issues)• Skill in updating and integrating new information andknowledgeAbilities• Ability to observe, identify, and interpret relevantinformation• Ability to generate a number of ideas about a topic (forexample, potential places of employment that match jobseeker’s areas of interest)Skills• Skill in communicating orally• Skill in communicating with people with disabilities invarious ways (for example, non-verbal methods, such assign language)• Skill in active listening (that is, giving full attention towhat other people are saying, taking time to understandthe points being made, asking questions as appropriateand not interrupting at inappropriate times)Skills• Skill in maintaining and keeping recordsAbilities• Ability to manage a variety of job demands• Ability to organize steps into a logical sequence• Ability to set priorities and manage competing demandsBusiness and Employment PracticesBusiness NetworkingCollecting, Interpreting, and Using InformationCommunicating with OthersPlanning and Organizing6• Skill in using common computer word-processing andpresentation softwareAbilities• Ability to facilitate meetings or discussions• Ability to identify unmet workplace needs• Ability to imagine how a job or business process will lookafter it is changed or its parts are moved or rearranged(that is, visualization)Other Characteristics• Is professional or displays professional characterSkills• Skill in persuading others to change their minds orbehavior• Skill in negotiating a win-win solutionAbilities• Ability to build networks of social contacts with others (forexample, disability providers, peers, employers) in orderto develop social capital• Ability to coordinate actions in relation to others’ actions• Ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about agiven topic or situation or develop creative ways to solvea problem (that is, creativity)• Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengthsand weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, orapproaches to problems (that is, critical thinking)• Ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to gowrong; may not involve solving the problem, onlyrecognizing that there is a problem (that is, problemsensitivity)• Skill in written communicationAbilities• Ability to comprehend written material• Ability to present information logically and in an organizedmanner• Ability to speak in front of a group of people• Ability to look beyond the immediate details to see thebigger pictureOther Characteristics• Is detail-oriented and thorough*Note: Competencies are displayed in order of importance as calculated from expert ratings of KSAO importance.This brochure was produced under U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy Contract No. DOLQ08942777,Order No. DOLU089428184, by ICF International under subcontract to Economic Systems. The opinions expressed herein do notnecessarily reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Labor. Nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, ororganizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Labor.