The text deals with the topic of competences and competence models and the possibility of their use in human resource management. Although the concept of competence is not new, it is currently gaining importance. This is evidenced by the themes and documents of the World Economic Forum, which have been focusing intensively on competences in recent years (The Future of Jobs Report 2020). It is the conceptual work with competences that enables organisations to respond more flexibly to changing environments and employment conditions. Although this is a well-known tool, in corporate practice it is often used in isolation without further links to the organisation's vision and strategy. The aim of the text is to present selected aspects and methods of assessing employee competencies and to supplement the often insufficient overview of this area, which may subsequently be an obstacle to the effective use of the competency model tool in working with people in the modern environment.