The figure of Santa Claus is based on various cultural traditions and historical figures. His memorial day is December 6th and is associated with numerous customs. Nicholas served as Bishop of Myra in the first half of the 4th century. He was known for his generosity and helpfulness, especially towards children and the poor. He secretly gave gifts and put gold coins in the shoes or stockings of the needy.
In the Middle Ages, the veneration of Saint Nicholas spread throughout Europe. However, with the Reformation in the 16th century, the importance of saint veneration declined in many Protestant regions and the Christkind took on the role of gift-bringer. The Dutch colonists brought the tradition of "Sinterklaas" to America. "Sinterklaas" is a variation of "Saint Nicholas" and became "Santa Claus" in the USA.
American writer Washington Irving helped popularize the legend of Santa Claus in the United States in the early 19th century. Clement Clarke Moore wrote the famous poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (now known as "The Night Before Christmas") in 1822. In this poem, Santa Claus was described as a cheerful, fat man with a sleigh and reindeer. Cartoonist Thomas Nast coined the iconic look of Santa Claus in the late 19th century. He drew him as a plump, bearded man in a red and white suit who brings presents at Christmas time. This depiction quickly became popular. In the 1930s, Coca-Cola made Santa Claus famous worldwide and he is still used in the brand's campaigns today.
Santa Claus plays an important role during the Christmas season. He is a master of his craft when it comes to organization, empathy and teamwork. These personality traits have the unpleasant trait of unclear meaning and are hardly objectively measurable. So if we want to recruit a new gift-bringer, it is clearly more effective to focus on specifically measurable and practice-oriented soft skills rather than evaluating uncertain personality traits.
But which specific soft skills does the role of "Santa Claus" require exactly? To answer this question, the first step is to take into account the tasks and objectives set, but also the environment, such as the management, team or company culture. Based on this information about the position of gift giver, the second step is to define the soft skills required. With our assumptions about the tasks, objectives and environment, we see a high level of the following soft skills in the requirements profile (please click on the terms for the exact definition). The exaggerations are particularly exciting. The values and skills listed seem positive at first glance. But the exaggerations indicate that a high level of certain soft skills can have undesirable effects. It is important to take these surprising circumstances into account, especially when recruiting.
The example of our little Christmas story and the fictional character of Santa Claus for adults shows how competency-based recruiting works. Instead of defining requirements for personality traits whose meaning is unclear and objectively difficult to measure, companies use specifically measurable and practice-oriented soft skills to carry out competency-based matching, based on a scientifically sound model.
We hope that Santa Claus will bring competency-based matching as a gift to every company and recruiter to help us achieve our mission of a better working world. Happy Christmas!
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