Competencies Sought By Knowledge Management Employers: Content Analysis Of Online Job Advertisements

Content analysis of job advertisements is considered a reliable method for determining the demands of job market. The aim of this study was to identify competencies required by knowledge management (KM) employers through analyzing job advertisements appeared in selected job portals. The study used 110 English language job advertisements from China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. It was found that a majority of the advertisements did not ask for knowledge management qualifications rather a general degree or a qualification in computing, business or library and information studies was preferred. It was also noted that almost all job advertisements put more emphasis on personality traits than other competencies, namely KM core processes, KM technologies, and human capital management. The highly sought after personality-related competencies were communication skills, analytical thinking skills, and leadership skills. The top three competencies related to KM core processes were knowledge transfer and sharing, knowledge discovery and acquisition, and knowledge organization. The top three IT and infrastructure related competencies were familiarity with content management systems, knowledge portals, and development and maintenance of knowledge repositories. This paper suggests that KM academic programs should regularly review their curricula to incorporate new trends and competencies required by the KM job market.