The three levels of assessment

03 / Feb / 2020

Anyone looking to assess candidates for their suitability for a role needs to consider the capability and behaviours that determine success in the role.

By: Jennifer Gaster

Whether it is a sideways move, internal promotion or external application; the role of the recruiter in this process is to objectively measure the candidates’ suitability for the chosen position.

It may be an internal talent team or an external recruitment consultancy making this assessment.

Either way, it is very common for those individuals to measure what we refer to as level 1 and level 2 indicators only; that is assessing what the candidate ‘appears to’ and demonstrates they ‘can do’.

Typically, we see clients use their ‘gut instinct’; do they connect, did they get a good feel for the candidate – what was the first impression they created?

This is all based on appearance, manner and presence. They then use the CV typically to assess what they can do, based on past experience. They look at skills, qualifications, and knowledge to understand the individuals’ current capability.

However, there is a third level that has been proven to be a much better indicator of future success and impact on performance when considering candidates for a role; this is what they ‘will do’.

Image depicting the three levels of assessment

So how do we gather evidence and assess this aspect?

By looking at an individuals’ attitudes and beliefs, self-motivation, persistence, judgement and temperament, we can build a far more accurate picture as to how the candidate is likely to perform in a role. When matched against the role requirements, we can objectively understand how well suited to a role a candidate is likely to be.

In a world of increasingly emerging AI and data analytics, it is important that we back up our hiring decisions with science. Our intuition can lead us so far, but how do we ensure we get it right? When the cost of getting it wrong is so high (including brand reputation, EVP and the cost to the business of having a failed hire and subsequent empty position), why risk not having the evidence to back up those recruitment decisions.

There is clear evidence to prove that the use of behavioral profiling leads to increased retention and engagement.

At Executive Heads, we use behavioral profiling to assess level 3 as part of our proven methodology. Creating a blueprint for each role considering skills, experience and results ensures new potential candidates can be measured against this behavioural blueprint. This gives a far greater indicator of future success for your organisation and your specific role.

To understand further how behavioral profiling can benefit your hiring decisions, click here to read our blog in which McQuaig details further how and why this is so essential for all stakeholders involved in recruiting senior positions.

About the Author

Co-founder of Heads Resourcing Group and the three brands that operate within it, Jennifer Gaster has more than 20 years’ experience specialising in consulting with and placing senior HR professionals in a range of environments predominantly across the South of the UK.

Click here to connect with Jen on LinkedIn.

See all Vlogs

The three levels of assessment

About the Author

Latest Blogs

Search our blog

Upcoming Events

Our latest vlog posts