Competency profile of information professionals in companies

Abstract

Objectives — Information Professionals are responsible for the professional and strategic handling of information in enterprises. As there is no generally agreed definition for this professional group this paper tries to give one.
Methods — Using three methods – an analysis of relevant academic literature, an examination of relevant job advertisements and the conducting of expert interviews – a set of skills for information professionals is established.
Results — The 16 most important competencies in the fields of technical, methodological, social and personal skills are IT skills, language skills, knowledge of relevant sources, research skills, project management, presentation skills, problem-solving skills, independent working, communication skills, teamwork, service mentality, cross-cultural competence, analytical skills, self- marketing, willingness to change and stress resistance.
Conclusions — The competencies offer guidance to human resource managers, supervisors and information professionals themselves about the existing expertise. A so-called Wheel of Competencies can be used for visualization.

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