Topic 7

Assessing external
candidates
 Learning Objectives - A
After studying this part of the topic, you should be able to:
 Identify different external assessment goals.
 Describe what is meant by an assessment plan.
 Create an assessment plan

1-2
External Assessment Goals
 Maximise fit
 Accurate assessment
 Maximise return on investment
 Generate positive stakeholder reactions
 Support talent philosophy and HR strategy
 Establish and reinforce employer image
 Identify new hires’ development needs
 Assessing ethically
 Ensure legal compliance
9-3
9-4
Complementary and Supplementary Fit
 Complementary fit: when a person adds something that
is missing in the organisation or work group by being
different from the others
 Supplementary fit: when a person has characteristics
that are similar to those that already exist in the
organisation

9-5
Identify Development Needs
• Assessment tests can also identify new hires’
developmental needs.
• Some assessment methods even identify applicants’
preferred learning styles, which can decrease
training time, improve training effectiveness, and
increase retention.

9-6
 Hiring Stages
 Screening: Aim to minimise costs
associated with substantive
assessment methods by reducing
number of people assessed

 Evaluative: Determining who

among minimally qualified will likely
be best performers on job

 Decision: Determine finalist who

receives job offer

 Contingent: Not always used

9-7
Common External Assessment Methods
• Screening
– Resumes and cover letters
– Job applications and weighted application blanks
– Biographical information
– Telephone screens

• Evaluative
– Cognitive and non-cognitive ability tests
– Personality and values assessments
– Interviews
– Job knowledge and situational judgment tests
– Work samples and job simulations
– Integrity tests and reference checks

• Contingent
– Medical and drug tests, and background checks
9-8
Choosing assessment methods

9-9
Assessment Plan

9-
10
Assessment item: required table
Table 6: Assessment Plan for specified position
Characteristic Importance of Select ‘Selection ‘Selection Panel
(Selection Criteria) characteristic (S) method 1’* method 2’* Interview
to job Train    
performance (T)
(1 = Essential;
≥2 = Desirable)

      x(y)#    

9-11
 Learning Objectives - B
After studying this part of the topic, you should be able to:
 Create a guide for a structured panel interview

1-
12
Steps in Crafting a Structured Interview

9-13
 Types of Structured Interviews
 Behavioral interviews: using information about what the
applicant has done in the past to predict future behaviors
 Situational interviews: asking people how they might
react to hypothetical situations
 Case interviews: give the candidate a situation, problem,
or challenge and ask him or her to address and resolve it.
• All three outperform unstructured interviews and result
in scores that can be used to compare candidates
9-14
STAR Technique
 A technique for developing and answering
behavioral interview questions:
 Situation or Task: describe in enough detail for
the interviewer to understand the situation and
what you needed to accomplish
 Action that you took
 Results that you achieved
9-15
Behavioral & Situational Interview Questions

9-16
Assessment item: required table
Table 7 Panel interview questions for specified position
Interview question Question type Selection Answer Answer scoring
(Behavioural/ criteria (Include three model (Good = 10;
Situational)   answers for each Satisfactory = 5
question as examples Poor = 1)
of three types: Good;
Satisfactory and
Poor)

         
Next week
 Mid-trimester break
 Week 7: No classes due to Easter public holiday
 Week 8: Expert plenary session