AQK Change Management offers a comprehensive range of services to enable companies to identify candidates to join their business. The aim of these services is to reduce the risks associated with recruitment. The downside costs of recruiting an inappropriate candidate hugely outweigh the costs of a well designed, competency based assessment process. A typical factor for a significant Managerial Role is 20 times the candidate's salary. An investment in capital plant of the same value is made with careful study prior to approval. Selection decisions are just as, and in many cases more frequent and more vital to your business.
The vast majority of recruiters use analysis of applications and interviewing as their only tools. The chart indicates the risks associated with this even if the interviewers are skilled and experienced. Typically you have only a 20% possibility of ensuring success i.e. that the objectives of the company and the candidate are met.
A 'competence' describes what the task is and the standard required to perform it.
A 'competency' describes how to perform the task to a high standard including the behaviour, knowledge and skill required.
These competencies offer essential criteria to assist with:
- Objective assessment during recruitment
- An independent guide for in-post training, and career development
- Appraisal, coaching and guidance, succession planning and promotion.
AQKCM can work with you to identify the behaviours, knowledge and skills, which distinguish the successful members of your team. The competency framework is the key to effectively recruiting and developing your staff.
Key Benefits
- Selection and development of your people is based upon proven success.
- Enables judgements to be made within a consistent framework and reduces the risk of bias and possible legal challenge to your decisions
- The Competency Framework captures key elements of your business culture i.e. “the way we do things around here
The successful use of Assessment Centres to recruit individuals who meet the organisation's stated requirements and match the identified competencies and criteria, typically, covers five stages:
- Identification and verification of the assessment criteria
- Design of the Assessment Centre simulations to test the design and ensure it reflects your business
- Choice of the appropriate psychometric tools for example a personality inventory the best know of which are 16PF and OPQ32
- Training assessors
- Running the Centre and facilitating the end of centre discussion to ensure that all the relevant information is gathered both for the future development of selected candidates but also to enable constructive feedback to be given to those candidates who were not selected, who ask for it
Elements of an Effective Assessment Centre
- A thorough process of competency based interviewing to short list candidates for an Assessment Centre
- Professionally administered appropriate Psychometric Tests with analysis and feedback from an Occupational Psychologist against the requirements of the company and the role.
- Exercises where the candidates can demonstrate how they work in a group or team
- Individual exercises designed specifically for the company, which reflect their current challenges and context
- An exercise and interview with the recruiting manager where their job specific knowledge and past experience can be explored and understood
- A thorough analysis and discussion of the evidence obtained on each candidate, prior to making an informed decision. This will include the capture of development needs and feedback notes.
- An Assessment or Development Centre will not enable you to identify perfect candidates, but it will give you a thorough understanding of balance of capabilities of your candidates
- An Assessment Centre may give you evidence that none of the candidates meets your requirements. Clearly this would be expensive and disappointing. It is often the case that candidates who have done well in screening interviews to select candidates for assessment are not finally selected. In view of the huge cost, potentially 20 times salary of making the wrong selection, a centre which produces no appointments while expensive is not as costly as a wrong decision
Key Benefits
- Assessment Centres ensure that your recruitment is objective, fair and consistent.
- A range of senior managers and not just the recruiting manager, has the opportunity to reach consensus on the candidates suitability for both the immediate role and for the future by objective and clearly defined means
- Psychometric tests and specific simulation exercises designed for your business enable a more reliable assessment which will help to identify candidate’s strengths and weaknesses
- Assessment Centres enable the clear unambiguous identification of candidates who are likely to be able to perform the role successfully together with an overview of their likely development needs, prior to conducting a final well informed interview before making a job offer
- The assessment evidence can be directly related to the Continuing Professional development needs of the selected candidates enabling them to contribute more effectively.
Last but no means least a decision which you and your new employee are likely to be happy with. In view of this, if this becomes your standard method of recruiting it should enable you to reduce the losses caused by labour turn over
Last but by no means least.........
Top quality candidates appreciate that the care and professionalism taken is in their interests as well as yours. It also gives them an opportunity to meet a number of your managers before making their decision. Since the process is based on your Competency Framework they get the opportunity to experience your culture. In competitive markets for the best people, this could help you secure the candidate you really want.
Several thousand candidates have been selected using these methods.
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