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Graduate Recruitment, Assessment and Development Case Studies
Outsourced End-to-End Graduate Recruitment Programme
Challenge: We needed to construct a complete graduate recruitment process which included the design of the required attraction, assessment and development stages.
Solution: We put together a multi-media advertising campaign developed around an on-line screening process. This was based on a rigorous competency-based appraisal method which involved pre-screening via face-to-face interviews. The solution also involved the design and implementation of an Assessment Centre. This was followed by a bespoke on-boarding programme as well as a project-based development programme. As a result, new employees were enabled to take up suitable positions spread throughout Europe.
Outcome: Placement of graduates into managerial positions was so successful that the programme extensively increased business buy-in.
Support For Peak Campaign Activity, including Application Screening and Telephone Interviews
Challenge: Our work for a pharmaceutical company, had to adhere to current processes and screen applicants against pre-ordained criteria. Competency based telephone interviews were also carried out.
Solution: We successfully allocated a team of skilled and experienced assessors who would work to our brief to carry out the task. Quality assurance and process compliance was maintained at all times.
Outcome: Deadlines were adhered to and applications managed in accordance with the client’s service standards.
Delivery of Existing Interview Process
Challenge: Here the goal was to assist a public sector organisation who lacked fully trained staff. We needed to assess their competency based interview process and develop role-play assessments for graduate recruitment.
Solution: By putting together a team of experienced assessors from our existing pool, we established face-to-face and web-based training related to the specific tools selected. Assessors were then allocated to take part in pre-planned appraisal days.
Outcome: Assessments were successfully executed in accordance with schedule and budget. Interpretation of the results flagged up the fact that a large number of those selected were unsuccessful at the final assessment stage. In consequence, we were asked to participate in the next campaign by allocating a similar team of assessors to the appraisal centre. As a direct result, the number of candidates asked to participate in the final stage of the assessment was reduced, thereby saving money for the organisation.
New Approach - Assessment Centre Design and Bespoke Competency Framework
Challenge: We were asked by a local insurance company to enlist two graduates to work in customer facing roles that would eventually progress to managerial positions. It was necessary to start from scratch as there was no system in place and no agreed competencies. Furthermore, there had been no prior recruitment of graduates, the company did not possess any trained assessors and had little budget.
Solution: Simultaneously, we put in place an assessment and competency system as well as a small recruitment campaign. Our aim was to ensure that by stage one of the applications process (bespoke application form and interview) all candidates invited to stage two (a one day assessment) possessed the technical skills required by the role. We then went on to study their customer-facing skills, assisted by the managers who had been trained via a one-day workshop.
Outcome: Six candidates were shortlisted and four interviewed. Two of these had the ability to take on a managerial role, this being calculated by a method used to assess this potential. We therefore enabled the company to secure two totally suitable new members of staff with strong development potential.
Training of Internal Assessors - increasing Compliance and Reducing External Costs
Challenge: A public sector organisation wanted to assess all of its existing employees as part of a re-structuring exercise. This was to be done via a competency-based process which would give them a new job structure and remit of work. Competencies had not been used prior to this scenario hence there were few assessors available. The assessment had to be carried out in a cascade fashion i.e. the first training would apply to the management team who would then apply their newly learned techniques to an assessment process which would then be applied to the 4 levels of personnel below them, all using the same method.
Solution: We made the process less complex by designing a bespoke training workshop for the managerial staff. Different methods were then used for each level of staffing. Use was made of multi-media, real experiences and the ORCE procedure (observe-record-classify-evaluate) as well as discussion and feedback.
Outcome: The workshops were completed in a short time but within complex and fairly tense circumstances. After the learning process, there were no complaints or questions regarding the methods used. Re-assignment of the new job structures went ahead successfully.