Method - Assessment & Development
Described below are the various phases that can be distinguished within the approach Hays Assessment & Development adopts to a standard test day. A test day or an assessment centre can generally be used as the starting point for continued career guidance.
Intake
Our approach starts with a broad intake to gain an insight into the organisation (culture), the job in question, the goal and the context of the assignment. Depending on the customer’s needs or wishes, the intake can be handled by phone or take place in the customer’s offices. After the intake the critical competencies/criteria are identified and supplemented where necessary with the candidate’s CV. The parameters for the assignment are refined and a plan of action/a test programme is formulated.
Planning and Invitation
The candidate is invited for an interview and is briefed in detail on what will happen on the test day. If possible, a date is set for the tests as soon as the customer submits his request. Candidates are usually tested within 2 working weeks.
Test Day
A standard test day starts with a brief conversation during which the planning for the day and other relevant matters are discussed. When all the tests have been concluded at the end of the day, including possible assessment exercises, there is an extensive debriefing with the candidate. During this debriefing session the results are discussed and the candidate is given the opportunity to react. The basic premise is that the overall picture created by the day’s testing should be clear and unequivocal to both parties.
Result Feedback
On the test day we ask our customers for permission to explain the preliminary results by phone. This gives them an idea of what the final results will look like so they can organise the necessary follow-up actions. We also ask permission to draw up the report.
Test Report
When the candidate has granted permission, a test report is drawn up on the basis of the day’s testing. At the request of the customer this can be followed-up with a discussion at the customer’s offices. The candidate also receives a copy of the test report. He or she may wish to see the report before it is sent to the customer. The customer receives the test report within 2 working weeks of the test day.
