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ASSESSMENT CENTRES
Assessment Centres are useful when a number of candidates need to be compared to one another.
They can be used for external recruitment or internally, either to fill a vacancy or identify people with potential.
"I especially appreciated your flexibility when running our Assessment Centre and how the tests could be adapted to suit our time-table. Without it the whole programme would have been a lot more difficult to run."
Vic Smith, HR consultant, Shire Pharmaceuticals
When used for external recruitment, an Assessment Centre has the following benefits:
Ensures efficient use of time: all the applicants are brought together allowing the last stage of the selection process to be completed in a day or so.
Allows the skills and attributes of each candidate to be compared against all the others.
Allows the active involvement of Line Managers in crucial selection decisions.
Provides the opportunity for Managers acting as assessors to develop their skills of assessing behaviour through observation.
(If required, Davis Associates also runs programmes specifically designed to train in-house observers in the necessary techniques.)
When used internally, an Assessment Centre offers the following additional benefits:
It is a demonstrable example of how the organisation is investing in its employees and in their future.
It is an opportunity for the organisation to identify the potential of their employees far more successfully than through an interview alone.
It highlights key areas of strength and skill shortages within the organisation, and thus the opportunity to address any deficiencies.
It readily enables succession planning.
How we organise an Assessment Centre
We always organise an Assessment Centre according to your specific needs. However, there are general principles:
Before the Centre
Psychometric and critical reasoning questionnaires are used, chosen according to the role. (If necessary these can be completed on-line prior to the Assessment Centre thus reducing costs and time).
A variety of other assessment techniques are chosen, including individual and group exercises, role plays, presentations etc. These are always tailored according to your needs and often include real-life topics. The breadth of techniques employed ensures a comprehensive coverage of attributes and skills and also increases the reliability of measurement.
We draw up a timetable for both the assessors and the candidates. Several assessors are involved with the aim of decreasing subjectivity and partiality.
During the Centre
Several (usually 5-8) candidates are assessed together.
A list of 5-10 skills, performance factors or competencies will be assessed which will have been derived as a result of discussion with the organisation.
Explicit definitions are provided for each factor, often made available to candidates as well as assessors.
Assessors complete a matrix showing how the various elements of the programme (group exercises, aptitude tests, presentation etc.) cover the dimensions to be assessed.
We draw up a timetable for both the assessors and the candidates. Several assessors are involved with the aim of decreasing subjectivity and partiality.
After the Centre
At the end of the Centre the assessors make their decision based on their scoring of the candidates and the psychometric assessment provided by Davis Associates.
Davis Associates then provides a full developmental report for the successful candidate.