Predicting Performance Through Accurate Assessment Abigail Clayton - - PDF document

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Predicting Performance Through Accurate Assessment

Abigail Clayton November 2011

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Getfeedback improve business performance through the accurate selection, development and engagement of people at work

Here at Getfeedback over the past 10 years we have been working with our clients to improve business performance through the selection, development and retention of people at work. In relation to recruitment our services range from ad hoc psychometric testing to recruitment process outsourcing. During this presentation I will briefly review impact of the current economic environment on the recruitment landscape and look in more detail at the processes and tools utilised by our clients to predict performance through their assessment processes. You will all be aware of the current economic environment with slow economic growth and increased unemployment but what does that mean for us as recruiters?

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Unemployment 2.57 million 17 year high

Office for National Statistics September 2011

With unemployment at a 17 year high Job seekers are becoming increasingly desperate to find work – and as a result are applying for more jobs – perhaps applying for sectors and roles they may not have applied for in the past. Most of our clients have seen an increase in the number of applicants per vacancy which is a direct impact of more individuals in the job market but also each individual are applying for more jobs. Just to review some specific figures - PWC had 1,200 new graduate starters in September after sifting them down from 22,000 applicants – which was more than double the volume they received last year and there is an average of 83 applicants per graduate vacancy.

To put it in perspective this has increased from 69 in 2010, 49 in 2009 and 31 in 2008 – Association of Graduate recruiters 2011,

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Average 18 applicants per vacancy

Total Jobs Barometer July 2011

Reviewing other roles the total jobs barometer is a good place to start. It revealed that online job seekers are facing highest level of competition for over 2 years with an average of 18 applicants per vacancy although huge variations dependent on sector, role and region. So there are lots of applicants out there, so how can you accurately assess them to predict performance in role and do so in a cost effective way? To ensure the accuracy of their selection techniques many organisations are taking a step back in the process to increase the accuracy of their hires.

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Define Select Attract Engage

Many of our clients use the model as illustrated here to review each key stage of their recruitment process.

• Define the role, person specification and performance measures.
• Attract the most suitable candidates setting clear expectations of role

requirements.

• Select the best candidate using accurate, cost effective sifting techniques
• Engage them, develop them and embed them in your organisation

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Define

Business need Job Establishment Role Profile Person Specification

To predict performance you have got to know what you’re looking for and therefore prior to any recruitment process you need to clearly define the skills and attributes that will lead to success in role. Once the business need is confirmed and job requirement established it is important to confirm the both the details of the role and the specification of the individual you wish to recruit. This information should be defined, agreed and clearly documented to feed into each of the following stages of the recruitment process. Once you have your role profile and person specification you can then begin to attract applicants.

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Attract

Adverts Job Boards Agencies Head-hunters Social Media Milk Rounds Networking/referral Real Job Previews Self Selection Questionnaires Killer Questions

+

• Define

Attraction techniques vary considerably based on type of role and organisation. They can be used in isolation or combined for greater effect and some such as adverts have been around for a while whilst others such as the use of social media are still being debated. However with increasing numbers of individuals looking for work, generating applicants for more general roles is not proving too much of a problem for the majority of our clients however, dealing with the vast numbers of applicants per role however is becoming a greater challenge. Because of this many organisations are turning to self selection techniques and tools to enable unsuitable candidates to self select themselves out of the process prior to entering the system at all. Many clients choose to be explicit in their marketing material –a number of legal firms are very clear about the commitment they are looking for example Freshfields state “The work is complicated. The hours can be long”. Self assessment questionnaires are frequently becoming more wide spread, good examples include Herbert Smith, BP, Aldi. But once you have defined your role, attracted the most suitable candidates the process then enters the selection phase.

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Select

CV/Application Form Screening Business Interviews Ability Testing Situational Judgement Tests Personality/Motivation Assessment Skills Based Assessments Behavioural Assessment Assessment Centres

There are lots of selection techniques available for sifting out candidates all which have varying costs and time requirements.

• CV/Application Form Screening
• Ability Testing
• Interviews
• Personality/Motivation Assessment
• Skills Based Assessments
• Behavioural Assessment
• Assessment Centres

So which tools and selection techniques should you use and when?

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Recruitment accuracy

% Accuracy

• f predicting

success in role Selection Methodology

• 1. CV & I nterview
• 2. CV & I nterview + I nitial

Sift (Ability Assessment, SJTs or Skill and Safety reports)

• 3. CV, I nterview

+ I nitial and Detailed Sift (Personality and Motivation Measures or Behavioural Competency Interview )

• 4. CV, I nterview + Full Assessment

Centre (psychometrics, Behavioural Competency Interview, Assessment Centre)

Select

Research has sown that increasing the selection methodology employed in your recruitment process increases the accuracy of predicting success in role. As shown here you can see the increasing accuracy with introducing additional selection methods Most companies have historically focused their recruitment activities around the traditional interview process and CV or application form review however research shows that if companies utilise more sophisticated, objective selection techniques alongside these measures this can drastically increase the accuracy of their process. Including an initial sift in your recruitment process has been shown to more than double its accuracy.

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I nitial Sifting Tools

Situational Judgement Tests Ability Assessments Skill and Safety Instruments

Select

These initial sifting tools are increasingly used by clients due to their ability to cost effectively and accurately sift large volumes of applicants for a wide variety

• f roles. They include:
• Situational Judgement Tests
• Ability Assessments
• Skill and Safety Instruments

Primarily these assessments are completed on line allowing candidates to complete remotely 24/7 and results to be available immediately upon completion. They also tend to have right or wrong answers allowing clear sifting on the

• results. It is no surprise that over 75% of the times top 100 companies now use
• nline testing at some stage within selection processes. To take each one in turn:

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Situational Judgement Tests

Realistic scenarios and situations Improved diversity Enhanced employer brand Rigorous research and testing Tailoring Self-selection 24/7 access and instant reports

Over the past 3 years we have seen a dramatic increase in the use of Situational Judgement Tests by our clients for sifting volume applicants for standard roles. Situational Judgement Tests are work simulations designed to assess candidates against a broad range of behaviours and skills including problem solving, decision making all required for effective performance. They typically take candidates through real life work situations and ask them to rate specific

• responses. Off the shelf assessments are available for standard roles such as

Customer Service Representatives, and Junior Managerial roles; they can also be tailored to other specific roles. Through situational judgement tests candidates quickly gain a clear understanding of both the job and the company whist accurately being screened against essential attributes for the role. Alongside the cost effectiveness of this method of selection other benefits include:

• Realistic scenarios and situations
• Improved diversity
• Enhanced employer brand
• Rigorous research and testing
• Tailoring
• Self-selection
• 24/7 access

Getfeedback offer situational judgement tests from both Talent Lens and SHL PreVisor and also offer a bespoke design service.

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Ability Assessments

Verbal, Numerical and Logical Reasoning Highly effective at predicting job success Rigorous research and testing 24/7 access and instant reports Bespoke norms available

Highly effective in predicting job success, ability tests objectively measure problem-solving and critical reasoning capabilities. We offer a range of assessments from a variety of different publishers to measure numerical, verbal, and logical reasoning skills appropriate for a range of job levels and industries.. Well validated and approved by the British Psychological society these assessment have been shown to have strong links to performance in role and have undergone rigorous testing and research. These assessments are predominately completed online with instant reports available. Some of our larger clients have also created their own norms for their most widely used assessments. Tests you may be familiar with include the Watson Glaser, Verify, Elements, RANRA. All of these assessments are available via the Getfeedback platform and we offer a free advice and recommendation service to clients if they are unsure as to which

• f the assessments available would be best for a particular role.

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Skill and Safety Assessments

Skill Assessments

Accurately predict performance against specific skills Pinpoint abilities against specific job requirements

Safety Assessments

Evaluate reliability and safety related behaviour

Skill and safety assessments can also help with initial sifting. Skills assessments measure candidate specific knowledge to identify individual strengths/weaknesses and assess job readiness. These assessments accurately evaluate candidates ability in a specific knowledge area, skill or ability, these solutions can be used to pinpoint candidates with the right mix of skills and knowledge. Safety assessments review individuals behaviour in relation to safety at work. They evaluate a candidate's reliability and likelihood to comply with policies. They provide very relevant data for roles where safety is a specific concern.

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Recruitment accuracy

% Accuracy

• f predicting

success in role Selection Methodology

• 1. CV & I nterview
• 2. CV & I nterview + I nitial

Sift (Ability Assessment, SJTs or Skill and Safety reports)

• 3. CV, I nterview

+ I nitial and Detailed Sift (Competency Interview or Personality and Motivation)

• 4. CV, I nterview + Full Assessment

Centre (psychometrics, Behavioural Competency Interview, Assessment Centre)

Select

We’ve reviewed the range of initial sifting tools available however to increase the accuracy of predicting success in role further more detailed sifting techniques should also be employed. These include competency based interviewing and the use of personality and motivation assessments. The more detailed sifting tools available tend to be tailored more to the bespoke nature of organisations and roles. Having already sifted on qualifications, ability and experience the later stages of the recruitment process can provide greater insight into the personality, behaviours and motivation of applicants and their suitability for the role. Analysis of current high performers in role and clear role profiling can increase the accuracy of such selection techniques highlighting which personality and motivation styles have previously correlated with performance in role.

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Competency Based I nterviews

Structured or Event Based

Objective assessment Personal contact with candidate Versatile and flexible assessment Review of past behaviour to predict future performance

Competency based interviews review candidates ability by assessing their previous performance, the reliability and validity of such measures are dependent

• n the process and training surrounding the interview and interviewer. If

conducted correctly can provide an objective assessment of behavioural competence. Getfeedback work both with their clients own competency models, creating company specific interview guides and training or by training recruiters on the Schroder Model of High Performance. Training and guides can increase the inter- rater reliability of such interview techniques ensuring the candidate experience and rating of applicants during the interview process would be the same independent of who they are been assessed by. If undertaken correctly competency based interviews can provide a powerful insight into individuals suitability for a role.

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Motivation and Personality

Objective assessment Highly effective at predicting job success Rigorous research and testing 24/7 access and instant reports Detailed data not available at interview

Motivation and Personality assessment are predominately completed online and due to their validity and reliability provide another objective assessment method that has been shown to be highly effected at predicting job success. Unlike the initial screening tools reviewed previously there are no right or wrong answers for these questionnaires. Analysing individual responses from personality and motivation questionnaires enables recruiters to highlight any areas preferences appearing to miss match with role requirements and further question these in interview. Personality psychometrics measure an individual’s character traits. These traits are the things that enable us to emphasise with others or predict how they might behave in certain circumstances. Understanding someone’s personality helps to understand how they works, what type of work they will excel in, how they will associate with their peers and manage their team. Measures you may be familiar with include OPQ, Dimensions and Orpheus to name but a few. Depending on the job role it may be desirable to understand a candidate’s attention to detail, their ability to work in a team or their ability to make tough decisions in a highly pressured environment. These aspects of personality are not easily obtained by even the best trained interviewer. Motivation measures provide information about the type of environment, tasks and activities that at individual will be motivated to do. Matching role requirements to individual motivational preferences or highlighting where there maybe a mismatch can again allow recruiters to establish a candidates potential fit with the role. The cost of mismatching employees and roles is low productivity. Again these tools represent a cost effective objective assessment option which many clients are now choosing to utilise.

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Recruitment accuracy

% Accuracy

• f predicting

success in role Selection Methodology

• 1. CV & I nterview
• 2. CV & I nterview + I nitial

Sift (Ability Assessment, SJTs or Skill and Safety reports)

• 3. CV, I nterview

+ I nitial and Detailed Sift (Personality and Motivation Measures or Behavioural Competency Interview )

• 4. CV, I nterview + Full Assessment

Centre (psychometrics, Behavioural Competency Interview, Assessment Centre)

Select

And to give you an example of introducing initial and detailed sifting one of our private banking clients wanted to introduce an effective assessment for individual

• candidates. We advised them on a personality, motivation measures and ability

assessments and trained their HR team in the Schroder model of high performance so now all their potential recruits now go through a suite of online assessments and full behavioural interview as well as their standard application review and business interview. So in introducing additional selection methods dramatically increases the accuracy of predicting success in role, the final stage is running a full assessment centre.

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Assessment Centres

See candidates in action Variety of different situations Bespoke or off the shelf Assessment against skills required for role High face validity

Assessment centres enable you to know who you’re hiring by seeing them in action in a variety of different situations. Rather than questioning previous performance, you are actively assessing them in a real time scenario. As a result they provide recruiters with the quality of the decision making that interviews and psychometric tests alone can’t offer. Through out an assessment centre each candidate undertakes a range of exercises relating to a business simulation typically including group exercises, both competitive and collaborative exercises, in box exercises, individual role plays and presentations. They have the benefits of being available Bespoke or off the shelf See candidates in action Variety of different situations Assessment against skills required for role High face validity Getfeedback have a range of off the shelf business simulations that are applicable to a wide variety of industries and role and also a full design service available. Individuals trained and accredited to assess at such events can lead to high inter- rater reliability – again Getfeedback recommends the Schroder Model of High Performance but we also work within client existing frameworks.

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Recruitment accuracy

% Accuracy

• f predicting

success in role Selection Methodology

• 1. CV & I nterview
• 2. CV & I nterview + I nitial

Sift (Ability Assessment, SJTs or Skill and Safety reports)

• 3. CV, I nterview

+ I nitial and Detailed Sift (Personality and Motivation Measures or Behavioural Competency Interview )

• 4. CV, I nterview + Full Assessment

Centre (psychometrics, Behavioural Competency Interview, Assessment Centre)

Select

Last month we were contacted by one of our clients who were recruiting a sales manager for a new role, they had 4 capable internal candidates but only one position and were finding it hard to differentiate between them. The role was business critical and also needed filling in a very short space of time. We reviewed their role profile and advised on ability, personality and motivation

• nline assessments and also set up an assessment centre using one of our off the

shelf business simulations for the candidates the following week. A wash up was completed the evening of the event reviewing all the relevant information, combined with details from their business interviews and a decision was made. Each individual received detailed feedback and development planning and the successful candidate also had a clear development plan from which to start his new role. So which tools and selection techniques should you use and when? That depends

• n the role, resources and timelines available. Running an assessment centre with

full psychometrics and behavioural interviews may not be viable for all roles in all organisations. Therefore it is key to select the most appropriate selection techniques against the original role requirements specified. Here at Getfeedback we work with our clients to ensure the accurate and detailed definition of requirements before advising them on the most appropriate attraction and selection techniques.

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Engage

Offer On boarding Induction Objectives Development

Select

However it is important to remember that once you have selected the best candidate the process does not stop there. Also with strong links to performance in role there is the process on boarding your new starter, building on all the information established during the recruitment process to create an engaging and developing induction and development plan. Setting clear expectations and objectives for the role will allow them to achieve the required performance. However it is not just about the successful applicants. Many organisations view candidates not only as potential employees but potential customers and as such whish to give even unsuccessful candidates a positive view of the organisation. With this in mind, swift processing, clear, consistent and timely communication as well as overall process engagement are increasingly important in ensuring candidates form positive views on the selection process and brand in general.

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Accurate, valid process Accurate, valid tools

In summary to predict performance through accurate assessment you need to ensure you have an accurate valid process and accurate valid tools. Here at Getfeedback we have a proven track record in process consultancy and tool provision to support our clients in selecting the very best people who will perform in role.

22 Thank you for your time today, as part of today's session my colleague and I shall be

• n hand to answer any specific queries you may have.