Should we use assessment centres for top talent?
16/07/2009, Author: Maria Gardner
I have been busy designing new assessment centre exercises for the last couple of weeks, ready for the launch of our much improved and expanded Odyssey series of off-the-shelf assessment and development exercises in the autumn.
During a meeting with a potential client last week, to discuss some of the exercises I am creating, I was asked an interesting question –are assessment centre exercises suitable for use as part of the recruitment and selection process for senior and director level posts?
My answer was that, in my opinion, the more senior the position the greater the impact that individual will have on the organisation – making it even more important to make the right decision. Using an assessment centre approach enables a more in-depth and rigorous approach to exploring and uncovering a candidate’s suitability.
In order for them to be used successfully however, it is important that;
a) Face validity is high – getting the right level of challenge, which accurately reproduces and reflects the demands of the role.
b) The exercises send the right messages to the candidate – there is always two-way selection going on during a recruitment process, and at the most senior levels top talent can be scarce so an organisation has to present itself well. An organisation will not maintain the interest of the best candidates if it’s assessment centre techniques are poorly conceived, appear out of date or lacking relevance.
I would be interested to know if other people agree with me here. What have been your experiences in using assessment centre exercises to find top senior talent?
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