Assessment gives organisations a more reliable framework for selection than traditional methods. In this article, occupational psychologist Sue Colton explores the process and benefits.

Why use trait-based assessment for recruitment and selection?

The face-to-face interview is the most widely used method for candidate selection but if used on its own it can have its limitations. Adding in other assessment methods, particularly behavioural profiling provides further evidence to enable a recruiter to validate their own findings. So, these additional insights provide more clarity and confidence when it comes to helping clients reach the maximum potential of a hiring situation.

But what are we trying to achieve with trait assessment? Assessment provides a client with different layers in understanding an individual. We’re looking to tease out the uniqueness of the individual; to understand their drivers, their strengths, their motivations and their derailers. Behaviour analysis at a trait level gives us a lot more richness, as trait profiles are unique to an individual; no two trait profiles are the same.

Assessing personality traits provides a chance for us to get some robust and objective evidence on which to base hiring decisions. For example, we can use trait assessment to look at an individual’s personality dimension, their leadership styles, their impact on team culture, the dynamics created between individuals, their development areas and how the individual might fit within the wider organisation.

Assessment also increases an individual’s self-awareness– some candidates say they often find little time to reflect over who they are, so this process provides a welcome opportunity to talk through aspects of their personality and how this manifests at work and in team situations. They may also offer perhaps the best opportunity to help a successful candidate integrate quickly and successfully into an organisation.

However, a key benefit as already mentioned, is that the assessor can validate the findings of an executive search consultant or those of the client. Once we have both collected our respective data we can cross reference each other’s output, which helps make the entire selection process more robust and credible.

The process of carrying out a trait assessment

Step 1: Client briefing
The first thing we do is take a briefing from the executive search consultant or from the client themselves. It’s a real chance to fully understand the requirements of the role, its uniqueness and any nuances as well as the dynamics that exist within the prevailing team.

This is also our chance to establish how open the client is to change. If the client really wants to create something new, we can challenge the ability of the team to accept change, as well as discuss the expectations and responsibility of the new incumbent being able invoke this singlehandedly.

Step 2: Design benchmarking criteria
We design the criteria on which to benchmark the results. This can sometimes be in the form of a unique competency framework with bespoke behaviour statements written to really encapsulate the key themes relevant to the role.

Step 3: Assess the candidate
Once the candidate completes a questionnaire we review the results and consider the hypothesis, and how one trait might impact another, bringing the unique personality portrait to life so to speak. Ideally, we then have a feedback discussion with the candidate to discuss the results and to further validate the findings.

Step 4: Review the results
Often, we will then compile a report of our findings. Preferably we will also review the results with the client in a panel discussion. Sometimes we do this with the executive search consultant, sometimes the actual company looking to hire. This is when we can bring the dynamics to life and see how the candidate will impact the team and how the team will impact the candidate. We can also then look at the bigger picture and the cultural perspective.

About Sue Colton
Sue is the owner and director of SJC Consulting. A specialist in strategic HR management and occupational psychology, Sue is a qualified behaviour assessor and psychometric tester registered with The British Psychological Society (BPS) holding the EFPA accredited European Test User Certificate in Work & Organisational Assessment. She has an MA in HR Management and is qualified as a Certified Principal Business Psychologist (CPBP) with the Association of Business Psychology (ABP). She is also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD).
Prior to founding SJC Consulting, Sue worked at KPMG and NatWest Group.

Please call Sue Colton, Director of SJC Consulting on 0780 3137820 or email: sue@suecolton.co.uk