Work-sample Tool-kit for Managers

8/17/2019 Work-sample Tool-kit for Managers

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Human ResourcesDivision:

TOOLKIT FOR RU LINE

MANAGERS/SUPER ISORS

HO! TO DE ELOP A !ORK"SAMPLE

ASSESSMENT

AS PART OF THE RU RE#RUITMENT $

SELE#TION PRO#ESS

FOR SUPPORT STAFF POSTS

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#o%&ri'(): HR Division* Oc)o+er ,-.,

!(a) is a or0 sam%1e

assessmen)2• A work-sample assessment is an internationally recognised assessment tool

used in the employee selection process.• It measures the competencies of a speci c job. Competencies = knowledge

skills and personal attributes needed for the job. !hese are listed in the sectionon job re"uirements in the job pro le.

• !he assessment is based on typical tasks of the job. !he job applicant does theassessment to demonstrate whether or not s#he has the rele$ant competenciesfor the job e.g. a secretary who is re"uired to do typing in the job does a typingtest %work sample assessment& to assess his#her typing skills %competency&.

!(& use a or0 sam%1e

assessmen)2• !his method has $ery high le$els of $alidity i.e. it is $ery good at measuring the

competency for a job accurately and is a good way to predict if someone cando %or not& that element of the job e.g. the cooking test for a cook is a goodway of assessing his#her ability to follow a recipe measure our ingredientsaccurately use basic con$ersions apply cooking techni"ues etc.

• !his method is also $ery reliable i.e. it measures the competency consistencye.g. the painting assessment measures painting skills time after time.

• In contrast inter$iews typically ha$e low $alidity and reliability.

!(en 3oes one use a or0 sam%1e

assessmen)2• 'ne should always use the best selection tool %e.g. inter$iew work sample

presentation and referee reports& to measure the re"uired competencies in a$alid and a reliable way.

• (ome competencies just cannot be assessed through an inter$iew e.g. writtencommunication skills typing skills attention to detail. A work sample is a moreaccurate way of testing these competencies.

• )ork samples are an e*cellent way of testing the technical skills in a job e.g.

cooking skills for a cook painting skills for a painter design skills for the webdesigner organisational skills for a manager.

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• !he work sample can be used together with other methods of assessment i.e.the results of the work sample are combined with the results from the inter$iewto achie$e an o$erall picture of the competencies of the applicant, ' , !hework sample can also be used as a “hurdle” in a selection process i.e. onlythose applicants who meet a particular le$el of competency in the worksample proceed onto the ne*t stage of the selection process.

OK* so I an) )o use a or0 sam%1e

assessmen)* no (a)2

or each recruitment and selection process for a support sta/ post0

• A job pro le with job re"uirements e*ists. !hese job re"uirements include theeducation and e*perience re"uirements as well as the competencies for the post.

• efore a strategy meeting of the (election Committee your 2 3eneralist willmeet with you and e*plore your $iews on the recruitment and selection process. If the use of a work sample is a good idea your 2 generalist should be suggestingthis to you.

• !he proposal of the recruitment and selection strategy is then tabled with the(election Committee at its rst meeting and agreed on.

• )here the Committee agrees that a work sample assessment will be used it will

fall to the manager#super$isor together with 2 to de$elop this tool and toconduct the assessment of applicants. (peci cally it is the manager4sresponsibility to design the work sample assessment and then to assesscandidates and to feed back the results to the (election Committee. It is the 2generalist4s responsibility to ensure that the assessment meets the necessary"uality re"uirements and is a fair and e/ecti$e assessment and to wherenecessary assist with the administration of the assessment.

Are )(ere or0 sam%1e assessmen)s )(a) I

can use25


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• or jobs that are common across the 6ni$ersity e.g. administrator roles the 27i$ision will ha$e work sample assessments a$ailable. !hese are de$eloped withindustrial psychologists.

• !here may also be some work sample tests for particular aspects of a job e.g. forthe I! components of a job or the nance components. !hese work samples are

being or ha$e been de$eloped with the I! and inance 7i$ision.• !he 2 7i$ision will also keep copies of assessment used to date to de$elop a

library of possible assessments.

Ho 3o I ma0e sure )(e or0 sam%1e

assessmen) is 4air2• 8ake sure that the e*ercises in the assessment are typical of the job and they are

substanti$e elements of the job. !ypical tasks of the job can be used e.g. if themanager needs to be able to discipline a sta/ member you would write thise*ercise using a typical scenario and ask the applicant to tell you how they wouldgo about dealing with this situation. If you want to test the cleaner4s knowledge of hygiene re"uirements ask them to show you how they would go about cleaning aroom.

• e clear on what competencies are being measured and that these arecompetencies re"uired for the job e.g. if you want to assess someone4s numericalability know what kind of numeracy is re"uired for the job and make sure theassessment tests these particular numerical skills.

• 8ake sure that the e*ercise is pitched at the right le$el e.g. don4t re"uire someoneapplying for a super$isor job to sol$e problems that managers typically resol$e.

• If you ha$e e*ternal candidates make sure that the e*ercise does not re"uireknowledge of hodes procedures and policies. !his creates an unfair ad$antage forinternal candidates. Also be careful that your assessment does not bene t thosesta/ already working this area. 9ou need to test the generic knowledge and skillsfor the job not the knowledge of the processes and procedures within a particulardepartment.

• 8ake sure your instructions are clear. If some e*ercises are more important thanothers and you want candidates to nish the important e*ercises you must tell thecandidates to do those e*ercises rst. In the absence of a clear instruction of whatto do rst second etc. you can4t penalise an applicant who does not do thee*ercises in the order re"uired.

• 8ake sure that the e*ercises %"uestions scenarios& are clearly and conciselyworded. )here possible get someone to do the actual assessment so that you cantest that your "uestions or instructions are not ambiguous.

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• )atch out for ;double jeopardy< in your assessments e.g. you ask an applicant todo an *cel spread-sheet to test their numeracy skills and the applicant doesbadly. Is this because of their *cel spread-sheet skills or their numeracy skills>

9ou will need to ha$e another e*ercise that is not *cel dependant to test theirnumeracy skills.

• 8ake sure that the a$erage person can nish the assessment or nish areasonable number of items in the test. In some assessments too much work isdeliberately gi$en so that the person identi es the priority areas and works underpressure. ut if you are not measuring prioritisation skills or time managementskills then rather make sure that the assessment can be completed by thea$erage person. emember that candidates will be ner$ous and allow for this inthe time gi$en.

• emember that no-one is perfect. 9ou are looking for the candidate that best

meets the competencies for the job and therefore the needs of your department.

Ho 3o I ma0e sure )(e or0 sam%1e

assessmen) is e5ec)ive2

• 7ecide on whether to use the work sample assessment as a hurdle or togetherwith other assessment tools. !he way to decide this is to ask yourself0 would I hirethe person if they can4t do *> %* being the skills you are measuring& e.g. would Ihire a secretary who is not computer literate> If the answer is ;no< then whybother to inter$iew them> 9ou are wasting the candidate4s time and the (electionCommittee4s time. In this case the work sample assessment is used as a ;hurdle


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• e clear on what you want to achie$e in the measurement of the competency.o 7o you want to identify the top candidates>o 7o you want to identify if applicants can do the job>o 7o you need to know who is the best candidate the second best etc.>

If you want to be able to di/erentiate between candidates rather than just know

that candidates are competent your assessment needs to be designed in a waythat gi$es you this information.

Deve1o%men): !(a)

e6ac)1& 3o I 3o2

•

Identify the competencies that are best measured by the work sampleassessment. emember that you don4t need to test e$erything with the worksample as there will be other methods of selection. A good rule of thumb is tofocus on the technical competencies of the job the competencies that are di@cultto assess in an inter$iew e.g. computer skills written communication skills designskills nancial skills numeracy accuracy etc.

• Collect source materials#scenarios to be used as job related case studies that willhelp you measure the competencies identi ed. 3ather information throughcommunication with departmental sta/ %position aligned co-worker line manager2o7&. 3ather dummy letters emails memos standard operating procedures%(o s& for departmental processes etc.

• 7e$elop your "uestions for the assessment. emember that some "uestions may be

asked $erbally of candidates %e.g. I want you to paint that wall making sure that you followall the right methods of doing so& while other assessments will be paper-based %i.e. theperson writes their responses&.

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• 7e$elop the model solutions. emember to be e*ible to di/erent ways of doing tasks.7i/erent methods may still demonstrate the necessary competence. Also be careful ofre"uiring sta/ to do it the ; hodes way


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A3minis)ra)ion: !(a)

e6ac)1& 3o I 3o2

• 8ake sure that you ha$e pro$ided the 2 3eneralist with the following electronically0o A copy of the informed consent form %see Appendi* +&o A copy of the instructions for applicantso A copy of all material for applicants e.g. any spread-sheets or documents that they

will work witho Clear instructions of what the 2 3eneralist needs to do e.g. if loading of documents

onto computers needs to take place.'nce loaded it is ad$ised that you check that this is accurate.

• Eiaise with the 2 3eneralist as regards whether you need to be a$ailable during theassessment process. If the assessment is a practical one e.g. cooking painting you willneed to be present. If the assessment is computer based or paper based you don4t needto be present.

• !he 2 3eneralist will do the actual administration of the test if it is computer or paper-based.

• If you do the administration you are re"uired to get the candidate to complete theinformed consent documentation. (ee Appendi* +.

Assessmen): !(a) e6ac)1&

3o I 3o2

• 'nce the applicants ha$e completed the assessment and where rele$ant the 23eneralist will get the completed work to you. !his will either be in the printed formator electronically as re"uested by you.

• 9ou then need to mark the assessments using the assessment grid.

• If the assessment is a practical assessment you will mark the applicants after thecompletion of the $arious task#s. 9ou are encouraged to ha$e at least + assessors asthis pro$ides a more objecti$e opinion.

• roduce one assessment grid per applicant. (ee Appendi* 5.

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• )here the assessments are a hurdle ad$ise the 2 3eneralist of which applicants areto proceed to the ne*t phase of the assessment. !he 2 3eneralist will contact thesuccessful and unsuccessful applicants and ad$ise them accordingly.

Fo11o "u% i)( )(e a%%1ican) in )(e

in)ervie :

• It is often the case that one wants to ask the applicants how they e*perienced theassessment and to probe how they belie$ed they fared. !his is often a good re ection ofthe candidates4 ability to re ect on their own le$el of competence. In professional jobs thisis important.

• At other times one may want to establish from an applicant what the thinking was behindapproaching a "uestion in particular way. !his gi$es one insight into why the applicantfollowed a particular course of action.

• At other times one may want to nd out why a candidate did not fare well on a particularassessment.

• !hese e*plorations are done by the assessors of the work sample assessment in theinter$iew.

Fee3+ac0 )o )(e #ommi))ee: !(a)

e6ac)1& 3o I 3o2

• !ypically the assessment data is presented to the committee after the inter$iew phase butbefore the discussion about candidates commences. it is not ad$isable to present the

ndings before the inter$iew because the inter$iew is then H'! an independent set of datathat can be used to $alidate or refute the work sample assessment results. !he "uality ofyour selection process is impro$ed through triangulation %using independent sources ofinformation&.

• 9ou can pro$ide a copy of each assessment grid for each candidate to the Committee. 9oucan highlight the strengths and weaknesses and raise any concerns.


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• (ometimes the members become ;seduced< by the candidate in a selection inter$iew andlike to ignore the assessment results. It is important that the Committee is reminded tofocus on AEE selection data.

• emember that the discussion of candidates must focus on their merit relati$e to thecompetencies of the job. Common selection errors include the ;halo< or ;horns< e/ects.

!his is when some data is allowed to create the o$erall impression of the applicant eithergood %halo e/ect& or bad %horns e/ect&.

No

(a)2

• 9ou are encouraged to re ect on the e/ecti$eness of the work sample assessmentand update it where necessary. 7o this soon after the selection process while thede$elopment and assessment is still fresh in your mind.

• )ith the successful applicant once they start share with them their assessmentresults and use this as a basis to identify de$elopment needs from the start oftheir employment.

HR #(ec01is) 4or !or0 Sam%1e

Assessmen)s#OMPETEN#IES1 !he competencies being measured0 Are these in the job pro le for the post>+ Can the work sample $alidly and reliability measure these competencies> Iis there a

better assessment tool>5 7o the e*ercises designed measure the re"uired competencies> Is there a clear link

between these>

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: Is the competency operationaliKed in terms of the e$idence being looked for in the

assessment e*ercises>? 7oes the work sample focus on the most critical competencies>E;ER#ISESB Are the e*ercises used typical of the kind of work done in this job>F 7oes any e*ercise re"uire hodes knowledge> If yes is this fair to all applicants>G 7oes any e*ercise re"uire departmental knowledge> If yes is this fair to all applicants>

Are the instructions clear and unambiguous>1

J

Are the e*ercise#s clearly worded> If rele$ant is the nglish appropriate to the le$el of

job>1

1

Is the time needed for the entire assessment clear to the candidate> Is this time

allocation reasonable>1

+

Is there any ;double jeopardy

1

5

Are critical competencies measured more than once>

ASSESSMENT

1:

7oes the assessment grid can the rele$ant competencies from the job pro le>

1

?

7oes the assessment grid specify the e$idence needed from the e*ercises>

1

B

7oes the assessment grid specify the rating to be used> Competent#Hot yet competent

or a likert scale>1

F

Are the weightings for the competencies speci ed>

1

G

7oes the assessment grid ha$e an o$erall assessment and identify strengths and areas

of de$elopment>1 Is there a model solution>

STRATEG< +

J

2urdle approach0 are the right competencies focused on>

+

1

Compensation approach0 is this the right approach>

+

+

Competence or di/erentiation assessment0 is the assessment appropriate to achie$e

these aims>PROFESSIONALISM+5 Is the material presented professionally>+: Is the informed consent form included and updated>

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INFORMED #ONSENTFORM

!or0 Sam%1e Assessmen)

a. At hodes 6ni$ersity the assessment of occupational competence is are"uirement for the selection process for a number of posts.

b. T(e %ur%ose o4 )(e assessmen) is )o o5er can3i3a)es an3em%1o&ees )(e o%%or)uni)& )o 3emons)ra)e )(e 0no 1e3'e* s0i11s*a))ri+u)es an3 va1ues re=uire3 +& )(e re1evan) >o+ %ro?1e7 Assessment tools measure whether candidates meet the re"uirements of aspeci c position. !his particular assessment will focus on the technicalskills re"uired for the post for which you ha$e applied.

c. !his outcome of this assessment may determine whether or not you gothrough to the ne*t stage of the selection process the inter$iew.

d. hodes 6ni$ersity re"uires your consent before proceeding with theassessment process.

e. 9ou may choose to not be assessed or withdraw your participation withoute*planation at any point during the assessment. (hould you howe$erchoose not to complete the assessment you forfeit the opportunity todemonstrate your competence. !his means that you cannot proceed tothe ne*t stage of the selection process.

47 T(e Human Resources a) R(o3es Universi)& ensures )(a):

Assessors are suitably trained,Assessment instruments are culture and gender fair,Assessments are $alid in that they measure competencies re"uiredon the job,3uidelines for responsible assessment are followed.

'7 T(e res%onsi+i1i)ies o4 )(e Tes) A3minis)ra)or inc1u3e:stablishing rapport with candidates and putting them at ease,ro$iding clear instructions,

Administering instruments properly.

(7 Res%onsi+i1i)ies o4 Assessors inc1u3e:Accurately scoring and interpreting results,Accurately reporting the ndings to members of the selectioncommittee,(toring the assessment data,


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I* 8en)er name an3 surname +e1o 9

Surname

Name

I3en)i)& or%ass%or)num+er

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a. agree to participate in an assessment conducted under the auspices of thehodes 6ni$ersity 2 7i$ision,

b. understand that my participation is $oluntary,

c. ha$e recei$ed a clear and comprehensi$e e*planation of the0reasons why I am being assessed,the nature of the assessment methods and procedures,how the results will be used,

d. gi$e permission that my results may be made a$ailable to0the Assessors so that they may assess the results of my assessment,the hodes 6ni$ersity (election Committee,the person in the 2 7i$ision who administered this assessment tool,

e. gi$e permission should I be appointed in the position applied for that myresults may be a$ailable to my 8anager to be used to assess my de$elopmentneeds.

f. accept that the Assessors may not be able to e*plain all aspects of theassessment to me until the assessment has been completed.

(ignature of candidate 0 LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

7ate0 0 LLL..#LLLL.#+J1

R(o3es Universi)& Assessmen)

Assis)an) )o Direc)or/De%u)& Direc)or:

HR: #om%e)enc& Assessmen) Gri3 4or !or0 Sam%1e Tes)

Hame0 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

7ate of assessment0 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM 15


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ating scale for indi$idual competencies0

: = abo$e a$erage, 5 = a$erage and suitable for appointment + = below a$erage

competency and could be de$eloped 1 = not competent

#om%e)encies

8Kno 1e3'e*

S0i11s an3

A))ri+u)es9

Tes)e3 +&: Ra)in': #ommen)s

*cellent

Computer literacy0

able to work with

a word processor

• Able to draftcorrespondence

• Able to create tables• Able to open other les and

use these and sa$e theseappropriately

• Able to create own folderAd$anced ability

to communicate

in nglish and

reporting writing

skills

• )ords use in correct way• Correct grammar spelling

punctuation• Appropriate sentence

structure• 8eaning is clear• Correct layout of letters

*cellent

administrati$e

skills %good org

and planning& and

shows initiati$e

Able to manage

multiple demands

and work under

pressure

• Appropriate diarymanagement

• Completed all importanttasks in in-basket

• )as able to priorities• ollowed through on $ery

urgent items to make surethese did not fall throughcracks

• Identi ed follow throughand made plans for ownabsence

• Informed manager of whathad been done#not done

• ut documents in order so

that someone coming toher desk would be able tolocate documents etc.

• (et up own diary system inrelation to manager4s diaryin order to ha$e remindersand follow-ups

• )as e@cient inmethodologies used to getthrough the work.

• Identi es not onlyimmediate work but other

related work to be done• roject plan methodologywas sound %alignment with

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dates of committeesincluded rele$ant processesand rele$ant peopleidenti ed gaps to follow upon with manager&considered implementationissues %e.g. communicationtraining&

Ability to network

and access

re"uired

information

ability to e$aluate

"uality of

information

• Able to access website andget necessary information

• Able to discern whichinformation is appropriate Nonly rele$ant informationincluded

2igh le$el of

accuracy with an

attention for

detail

•

rrors minimal• 7ocuments presentedprofessionally

• ollow through on tasksidenti ed

Conceptual ability

to learn "uickly

and grasp what is

needed in terms

of information.

• Instructions pro$ided wherefollowed

• Able to grasp key issues intasks

• Able to think laterally with

regards to tasks i.e. did notonly follow instruction butcould think of related andother issues

• roject plan wasconceptually sound andidenti ed rele$ant issues

(er$ice ethic

commitment to

continuous

impro$ement

• esponse to complaint wasappropriate

• Able to di/erentiatebetween own issues andthat of others

•

eferral of problem to thecorrect source was done• reparedness to e*plore if

there was an error• Concern with ser$ice was

demonstrated in tasks ingeneral e$idence ofser$ice to the manager inmaking his#her life easier

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Overa11 ra)in' 4or in +as0e) an3 numerica1 assessmen):

:= abo$e a$erage on competencies. !o go through to inter$iew stage.5 = a$erage. !o go through to inter$iew stage.+ = below a$erage in multiple competencies. Hot suitable for the post at this

stage. egret.1 = below a$erage and unsuitable for post at this point in time. egret

(trengths of the candidate include0

Areas of de$elopment of the candidate include0

Hame of assessor0 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

7ate0 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Hame of assessor0 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM



Hame of 2 3eneralist0 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM (ignature0



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Work-sample Tool-kit for Managers

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