HR · Recruitment and selection · Component
The assessment design
How candidates will be assessed against the definition, decided before the first conversation rather than adjusted during.
The deliverable
What it is
Structured assessment predicts performance considerably better than unstructured conversation, and the evidence for this has been consistent for decades. It is still the less common practice, because unstructured interviews feel more informative than they are.
Designing the assessment before meeting candidates is what stops the criteria adapting to whoever is in front of the panel.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The methods
What the candidate is actually asked to do, matched to each requirement.
3 attributes: Method · Tests requirement · Time asked of candidate
LearnThe criteria
What a strong, adequate and weak answer looks like, written before the first interview.
3 attributes: Criterion · Scale · Weight
LearnThe panel
Who assesses, in what role, and how their scores are combined.
2 attributes: Assessor role · Scoring order
Learn
Record scores independently before the panel discusses. Otherwise the first person to speak sets the outcome.
The other components in recruitment and selection
The role definition
What the role is for, what it must be able to do, and what a good first year looks like — written before anyone is approached.
LearnThe decision record
What was decided, on what evidence, and what the panel was uncertain about — kept because it is useful long after the hire.
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