Assessment Center: a modern method of assessing staff

Translated from English assessment - Evaluation. It is logical to assume that the assessment center is the center of evaluation. But what (or whom) is supposed to be evaluated? Since at the beginning of this article we talked about the field of personnel management, it becomes clear: it will be staff assessment.

The Assessment Center is a method of comprehensive staff assessment. This is not a separate technique, but a wholea set of methods that allows you to get the most objective assessment of staff competencies. The assessment center is used to hire employees, appoint employees to key positions, make decisions about the compliance of the employee with the position held, etc.

Usually the assessment center is conducted Specialized companies and their employees - assessors. There are several reasons for this. First, external experts are independent, impartial and objective in relation to the staff being evaluated. Secondly, professional assessors have sufficient qualifications and experience to prepare and conduct an assessment center. But the managers of the company-customer are also attracted to the evaluation.

From what stages is the assessment center? First, each participant is interviewed by an expert who collects initial data on his knowledge and experience. During the interview, various tests can be used: psychological</a>, professional and general.

When all the interviews are completed, a brief presentation of each participant to other participants and experts takes place. Then happens business game. In fact, this is a simulation of real business situations, carried out under a certain scenario. It allows you to show how participants behave under certain circumstances.

Since the assessment center necessarily involves a business game, it makes it look like a training. But the task of the training is to develop certain skills. Before the assessment center, this goal is not worth it. Its task is to give the participants an opportunity to prove themselves, and experts - to assess them as objectively as possible.

In addition, the assessment center includes a biographical questionnaire, a description of professional achievements, expert observation and individual analysis of business examples: the participant is given a specific situation, his task is to choose the optimal (in his opinion) strategy and tactics of actions in this situation.

Despite the fact that the assessment center is a combination of standard and non-standard methods of personnel assessment, The evaluation criteria are defined fairly clearly. Before the assessment begins, the assessors compile and agree with the company's management the list of competencies that an appraised employee should have, and a rating scale for these competencies is developed.

The assessment center is favorably different from other methods of personnel assessment (testing, interviewing, etc.) in that it allows estimate several parameters at once. Many qualities of the employee can be assessed onlywhen working in a team; The assessment center gives such an opportunity. Using this technique, you can assess not only the level of competence of the employee, but also his personal characteristics, behavioral characteristics, the effectiveness of his activities, the performance of his duties and the level of achievement of goals.

Despite all its advantages, The assessment center is not devoid of shortcomings. This is a rather expensive procedure that cannot all companies allow themselves. In addition, the evaluation procedure is rather long (up to several days), and this is the lost working time. And add here the time is not the training of supervisors from among managers - it's about three days in which they will not perform their immediate duties.

How to successfully pass the assessment center? There is no correct answer here. The only thing you can advise is to be yourself. Often, subjects are "pierced" when they try to talk or do something they do not want, but what they (they think) expect of them. Insincerity is immediately visible and plays against them.

Perhaps, at the moment, the assessment center - one of the most effective methods of assessing staff. But the laboriousness and cost of this procedure does not allow to use it everywhere.