USING ASSESSMENT

INSTRUMENTS

IN STAFFING:

THE CANADIAN CONTEXT

APRIL 2010

Foundations for Assessment 2

Legal & Policy Framework

Professional Practice

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 Assessment6

JOB QUALIFICATIONS ASSESSMENT TOOL

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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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)