Foundations for Assessment
Legal & Policy Framework 3
Central HR Agencies: Public Service Commission & Treasury Board
Public Service Employment Act
Merit: persons appointed must meet the qualifications for the job
Qualification Standards
Education
Experience
Knowledge
Occupational Certification
Abilities / Skills
Aptitudes
Personal Suitability
Official Language Proficiency
Foundations for Assessment
Legal & Policy Framework 4
Authority for staffing is delegated to
departmental managers
Human Resource (HR) officers support
delegated managers in staffing jobs
Foundations for Assessment
Legal & Policy Framework5
Staffing Policies
Central Agency
Departmental specific
Staffing Values
Fairness
Transparency
Access
Representativeness
Professional
Foundations for Assessment 7
Job Qualifications Assessment Tool
Options
Duties & responsibilities
Organization’s strategic
plan
Operational content: now
Operational context:
future
Experience
Education
Occupational
Certification
Knowledge
Abilities/ Skills
Personal Suitability
etc
Resumé
Test
Interview
Reference Check
Assessment Centre
Simulation Exercise
Personality Test
Etc
Professional Foundations for Assessment
Assessment Plan
8
Qualification Assessment Methods
Resumé Test Interview Reference
Check
Education X
Experience X
Knowledge of
Statistics
X
Teamwork X X
Communication X X
Self-confidence X X
9
1. Qualifications to be assessed
2. Assessment instruments to be used
3. Sequence of events
Assessment Plan
10
1. Qualifications to be assessed
Define the qualifications: examples
- Experience developing assessment instruments: “In-depth experience developing varied types of assessment instruments that have been used in staffing. At least one of the instruments must be a multiple-choice test. “
Judgment: “Makes sound decisions when solving problems and deciding actions to take”
Teamwork: “Contributes actively to group projects & works collaboratively with others”
Assessment Plan
Assessment Plan11
2. Assessment instruments to be used
For each qualification: decide which assessment instrument(s)
will assess each qualification effectively & efficiently
Effective: e.g., Oral Communication: likely better assessed in
an interview than in a resume
Efficient: e.g., if 60 applicants, may be better to use resumé vs.
interview to assess experience (screen on experience)
For each assessment instrument: scoring criteria
e.g.,: correct answers for knowledge test questions
e.g.,: expected behaviours for interview questions
e.g., Teamwork: Offers to help other team members
Assessment Plan12
3. Sequence of events: typical example
• Screen applicants on Experience & Education using resumé (done by HR; verified by manager)
• Knowledge test to those who pass the “screen”
• Interview those who pass the knowledge test
• Reference check for those who pass the knowledge test
• Identify most suitable candidate(s)
• Provide feedback to candidates upon request
Assessment Instruments13
Sources of assessment instruments
Choosing assessment instruments
Commonly used assessment instruments
Sources of Assessment
Instruments 14
Developed by hiring manager with help from human resources officer
Public service: Purchased from a central agency’s centre of expertise (e.g., federal Personnel Psychology Centre)
Public & private sectors: Purchased from private sector companies (e.g., standardized tests from test publishers; customized assessment instruments from consulting companies)
Choosing Assessment Methods 15
Practical aspects to consider:
Cost to develop, administer, score
Expertise needed to develop, administer, score
Time required to develop administer, score
Choosing Assessment Instruments 16
Quality aspects to consider.
To what extent is the instrument....
Valid: measures what it is supposed to measure; does a good job of predicting who’ll do well on the job
Reliable: yields consistent results
Not unfairly discriminatory against minority groups that are protected by law
Accepted by candidates: perceived to be relevant and fair
Commonly Used Assessment
Instruments17
Knowledge / ability tests
Interviews
Reference checks
Instruments to assess leadership abilities
Knowledge / Ability Tests 18
Used especially below the executive level Typically used to assess technical /functional knowledge &
abilities needed for the job Usually developed by the hiring manager with help from
the Human Resource Officer Personnel Psychology Center offers varied ability tests for
use at a price e.g., multiple-choice tests of clerical abilities e.g., writing skills test
When developed, administered and scored in a standardized way to assess knowledge /abilities that are needed for the job: does a good job of helping identify the most suitable candidates
19
Used in almost all hiring processes at all levels
Typically used to assess:
Technical / functional knowledge & skills needed for the job (e.g., knowledge of policies & organizational priorities; ability to handle certain types of professional issues)
Non-technical (generic ) abilities needed for the job (e.g., Oral Communication, Teamwork, Dependability)
Structured interviews work much better than unstructured interviews
What is a structured interview?
Questions assess qualifications required for the job & the qualifications are defined
Questions are identified in advance of the interview
Same questions are asked of all candidates & their answers are assessed using the same scoring criteria
Interviews
Interviews20
Types of structured interview questions to assess non-technical (generic) abilities & skills
Behavioural questions (premise: past behaviour predicts future behaviour):
e.g., Teamwork: “Tell me abut a time when your ability to work cooperatively with others was especially important in reaching a goal”.
Situational questions (premise: present intended behaviour predicts future behaviour)
e.g., Ethics: “If you saw a co-worker begin to work without wearing the required safety gear what would you do?”
Instruments to Assess Leadership Abilities
21
Structured Interview
Structured Reference check
Instruments that simulate important aspects of a leader’s job
In-Basket Exercise (paper-&-pencil)
Simulation Exercise (live interaction)
Assessment Centre (line interaction)
In-basket exercise22
Paper-and-pencil
Assume leadership job & perform tasks like those on the job
Measures job-related abilities such as:
Analyzing
Problem Solving
Delegating
Managing Programs
Planning
Organizing
In-basket exercise23
Candidate assumes duties of manager in simulated organization
Candidate receives & reviews
(A) background information (e.g., organization's mandate, organizational chart)
(B) documents like those in a manager's in-basket & e-mail (e.g., letters, reports)
The candidate must:
respond in writing to the items in B, as if on the job, by writing memos & letters, planning meetings, preparing agendas, delegating tasks etc
Source: rarely developed by mangers; available from Personnel Psychology Centre & test publishers
Simulation Exercise24
Candidate is observed & assessed in live interaction
Candidate assumes leadership job & performs tasks like those on the job
Possible variations in interaction: One-to-one; one-to-many; group
Measures job-related abilities such as:
Thinking Skills
Service Orientation
Human Resource Management
Communication
Leadership
Team Building
Simulation Exercise ( one example)25
Candidate assumes duties of manager in simulated organization
Candidate receives & reviews
(A) background information (e.g., organization's mandate etc)
(B) documents (e.g., memos, reports, minutes of meetings, descriptions of problems, studies, complaints from clients, policies )
The candidate must:
prepare written summary of priorities, problems, solutions, decisions, recommendations etc
prepare & make oral presentation to selection board, identifying priorities, problems etc
answer selection board members’ questions
Board members assess candidate on the competencies, using structured rating materials (e.g., expected behaviours, rating scales)
Source: Occasionally developed by managers; available from Personnel Psychology Centre & test publishers
Assessment Centre26
Candidate is observed and assessed in at least two exercises, one of which is “live”
Candidate assumes leadership job & performs tasks like those on the job
Multiple trained assessor must be used
Measures job-related abilities such as:
Communication
Team Leadership
Strategic thinking
Planning
Delegating
Can be used to assess leadership potential
Assessment Centre (AC) (one example)
27
In advance: candidate receives background information (e.g., job description, organization chart etc)
Assessment day: candidate takes part in 3 meetings & is observed by assessors
Before each meeting, candidate receives & reviews new material
1. Candidate briefs a superior & a peer in the simulated organization on proposed approaches to address issues & advance the organization’s agenda; then, candidate answers questions from superior & peer
2. Candidate meets two subordinate managers to reach decisions on varied issues.
3. Candidate meets an external stakeholder on an issue of mutual concern, & then has a follow-up meeting with a peer.
End of assessment day: assessors assess candidate on competencies, using structured rating materials (e.g., expected behaviours, rating scales)
Source: Available from Personnel Psychology Centre & test publishers
Other Assessment Instruments Used
28
Cognitive ability tests
e.g.: ability to use reasoning skills to solve problems
360 degree feedback
receive feedback from others (e.g., supervisor, employees, peers, clients) on their perceptions of your strengths & development needs; compare this to own self-assessment, and use information to identify gaps in own competencies that need addressing & strengths on which to better capitalize
Track record review
self-report of work-related accomplishments that illustrate the demonstration of specific competencies; assessed by others
Personality inventories
questionnaire used to assess personality characteristics such as agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion
Innovations in Assessment
29
On-line internet testing - supervised
Administer & score in supervised settings across the county
Departmental tests & Personnel Psychology Centre tests
Unsupervised internet testing
Results validated with supervised test administered later
On-line in basket exercises
Video & on-line interactive simulations
Using Assessment to Hiring the Right People
30
Organizations use practices aim that ….
Identify & define qualifications needed for the jobs
Identify optimal set of assessment instruments to assess the qualifications in valid, reliable, non-discriminatory ways that applicants consider relevant and fair
Ensure optimal administration conditions, maintain assessment instrument security, & maintain confidentiality of assessment results
Assessment in Staffing:
Return on Investment 31
Studies have shown that using valid, reliable & fair assessment instruments in staffing can pay off in many ways, such as:
less employee turnover
better employee attendance records
higher productivity (e.g., better profit margin for private sector companies; more taxes collected in public sector)