Recruitment, Selection, Development Assessment

Many organisations use Assessment Centres as part of their main recruitment process, seeing the benefits of placing candidates in a situation away from a standard interview environment. Assessment’s may last one or two days, are usually held as the first round of interviews – and before the final selection. Attendees will be asked to take part in a number of exercises during which multiple assessors will observe and rate individual performance.

Assessment Centres can be used as part of a recruitment process, during change programs, during re-organisation of current teams and also as development centres to assess current levels of competency.

Assessment Centres typically include a number of elements:

Social/informal events: Individuals will be invited to meet a variety of people, including other candidates, assessors, and the wider staff and management team.

Psychometrics: Testing is completed by the individual prior to attending the Assessment Centre to look at areas such as Emotional Intelligence, Communication or Leadership Evaluation

Information Sessions: Providing more detail about the business and the roles on offer.

Tests and Exercises: Designed to reveal the individual’s ability and potential. Assessors measure against a set of competencies. Each exercise is designed to assess one or more of these areas. This could be in the form of a case study, in-tray exercises, group exercises and presentations.

9 am Start and welcome everyone with coffee and time to socialise
10 am In-tray exercises
11am Break
11.15am Role-play coaching sessions
12.30pm Lunch
1.30pm Group communication exercise
2.30pm 121 Competency based interviews
3.30pm Self evaluation
4pm Close

Following an Assessment, Assessors would debrief – sharing  thoughts and views on the candidate to deliver a final recommendation. A feedback report would also be written to share with the individual.

Criteria

The following are examples of the skills and traits that businesses are likely to focus on as part of an assessment:

  • Team working
  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Time management
  • Listening
  • Motivation / Enthusiasm
  • Data analysis
  • Decision making
  • Influencing
  • Creativity
  • Integrity
  • Initiative