PROFILE or SKILLS??

Today I was having a discussion with one of my colleagues on the necessity of profile or functional skills while working in an organization. After reading an article on Economic Times, we had a hot debate. It’s very true that at the top level, the person’s profile that counts, not his functional skills. While recruiting senior managers, the organization always looks his work experience in various domains. Working in different domains gives an insight on the business and working of an organization as a whole in a better way. The functional skills can be developed later but profile is very important especially at the initial point of the career. The employees are always expected to be loyal to their team and company. And, if you perform well, you are expected to continue doing well for your team. The aspirations of an employee are ignored by most of the companies. Organizations talks of job rotation but the question is whether the rotation occurs at the right time. If my manager comes to me and say that to work for a certain department, I need to have 4years of experience and till then I have no choice, then I have lost my 4 years of knowledge and compromised with my career. Do the organization thinks that skills are inborn and it will come with experience. If that is the case, why the companies have training department for? If I have the right education with me, then it is the responsibility of my organization to train me to acquire necessary skills and contribute to the organization. Today, Training Department itself is a critical factor. The people in the training department and the sessions that are conducted are nothing less than passing time. The sessions have become monotonous. If there is a training on Risk Management. I have to attend a 4 hours training which means listening to some person for continuously four hours. Is that sufficient? The answer is No. It is always recommended to carry workshops and give the trainees hand-on-experience while training them. It should come with proper handbook, 2-3 hours of hands-on working session and obviously a test to complete the formalities.

If the profile of a person is strong, he is confident to measure himself in the market and decide on his abilities well in the later stage of his careers. But, if a person is expected to build on his profile and in the journey, he loses 10 years of his career just building his profile. Knowledge Management is essential for an organization to improve. An organization driven by knowledge survives or else dies soon. KM workshops can also help employees to build profile. A certificate could be given by the organization at the end of each knowledge workshop sessions and if they are given an opportunity to work on small projects during the workshop, it can add value to their profile.

Profile helps you to acquire functional skills.