In a way that changes at a different pace than in the past, a new approach to staffing is also needed. HR managers are asked to analyze the evolution of each position and in relation to the increase in the automation of activities, with artificial intelligence at the forefront, identifying what are the fundamental skills for professionals and those that will be necessary precisely because of this transformation . And if the skills you don’t have definitely can’t be assessed, what you can and should do is right assessment of capabilitieswhere ‘potential’ means both the desire and ability to learn and, above all, the ability to maintain and enhance this quality over time.
From assessing technical skills to assessing capabilities
Until now, explains Robert Walters, a company active in the consulting and specialized recruitment of middle, senior and executive managers, the logic behind choosing a professional has usually been to hire someone who knows how to do their job well from the first moment, day, and that it could start producing results in the short term. But what if the functions you’re being hired for change even in less than a year? HR departments need to bet on hiring potential. In fact, it is important to identify professionals capable of growing and performing increasingly complex and competitive roles as their career progresses. Therefore, thinking about the future, those working in the field of HR should take the first step towards a long-term investment aimed at the success of the company.
However, conducting a career assessment is very different from reviewing a resume or checking references. It is therefore necessary, thanks also to the tools offered by innovative technologies, to adopt a systematic approach and to establish certain methodologies that allow a comprehensive and careful analysis of the individual, while keeping an eye on the present and the future.
Personnel evaluation methods today
There are various systems for long-term assessment of a candidate, from technological/digital tests to gamification-type tests, through social and/or cultural fit tests. Below are what Robert Walters suggests:
Digital skills assessment
It analyzes the level of knowledge (usually through multiple choice questions) and skills (through challenges or scenarios based on the work environment), at a “technical” level. The more advanced tests allow you to evaluate not only the candidate’s answers, but also understand how he came to certain conclusions, thus providing key information about how he approaches problems and constructs his thoughts.
Workplace skills assessment
It aims to understand a person’s ability to perform the job they have applied for. Today, thanks to increasingly sophisticated technologies, HR professionals can recreate highly realistic work scenarios, such as voice evaluations for call center staff.
Rating by game
Gamification testing involves applying game principles. Instead of answering multiple-choice questions or written tests, participants start a digital game that assesses thousands of data sets about behavior, skills, and knowledge. The fun nature of games tends to generate high response rates. This factor, combined with the reliability that psychologists attribute to the instrument, has led to the increasingly widespread adoption of this type of test in recent years.
Assessing cultural fit
Often misunderstood, cultural fit is the alignment of a candidate’s values, behaviors, and goals with the culture of the organization they intend to work for. The cultural fit assessment aims to find candidates with the same values and preferences as the company (or the values and preferences that the company wants to have in the future).
Video rating
One-way (where a candidate answers questions directly using the camera and their answers are later shared with the recruiter) and two-way (video conference interviews) video assessments began in the mid-1990s, but cultural reluctance delayed adoption them until 2010.
Psychometric/attitudinal assessment
Psychometric assessment (or aptitude test) assesses a candidate’s cognitive abilities or personality. It enjoys great popularity among companies seeking to predict a professional’s potential and assess a relatively wide range of skills and personality traits.
Traditional assessment
This category is a set of more traditional assessment methodologies and tests, usually consisting of standard multiple-choice questions. It often also includes tests of verbal and numerical reasoning. These assessments have the advantage of being widely audited (and therefore validated and verified) and have extensive and varied records, which allow companies to rely on the same vendor to assess all types of functions.
Experiential evaluation
Traditionally, assessment aimed to understand and assess a candidate’s skills and attributes. As companies increasingly compete for in-demand talent, there has been a shift in how assessment is used in how to interact with candidates and promote employer branding. An example is the use of virtual reality (VR), which to date lacks validity and verification, but inspires candidates and positions them positively towards the company.
Assessment of language and/or language skills
Increased globalization, a nomadic workforce and offshoring have led to increased use of language assessments. In recent years, millions of professionals have taken language tests. However, there are increasingly advanced technologies that allow assessors not only to understand a candidate’s vocabulary and language comprehension, but also to analyze oral communication skills, pronunciation and conversational ability (exchanging and expressing ideas in a coherent way). .