What's the Assessment Center Process?

Assessment Center should be accomplished using the guideline of theAssessment Center Method. Every assessment will begin with a job analysis. Competencies will bedeveloped for each position.

1. Job competencies preparing

2. MeasurementsOnce the job analysis is completed, a determination must be made about the specific instruments to use to measure the desired competency

3. SimulationsA simulation is an imitation of a “real-life” experience. It can take the form of agroup discussing a “real-life” problem; a role-playing setting where individuals “act out” behaviors in response to stimuli; a presentation designed to represent a work-related speech; an in-basket exercise to demonstrate how candidates make decisions about work activities or work flow; or case studies where the candidate solve real work-related problems.

4. InterviewsThe Assessment Center interview is a structured interview, meaning that allcandidates are asked the same questions. Assessors, however, are free to followup on candidate responses and seek out additional information pertaining to the interview questions.

5. Observing and Recording BehaviorAssessors will observe candidates in a variety of assessment exercises. The assessor must be trained to observe candidate-behavior actively rather than passively.

6. Classifying BehaviorThe basis for rating candidates in an Assessment Center is the behavior that they demonstrate with regard to the critical assessment competency being evaluated.

7. Rating BehaviorAfter behavior has been observed and classified, it must be evaluated. Assessors must make judgements about the degree of the competency demonstrated through the behavior

8. AssessorsThere should be one assessor for every two candidates. During group iscussionexercises, it is important that assessors have frontal views of the candidates they are assigned to observe. Assessors should seat themselves a comfortable distance from the candidates, yet close enough to hear the conversation with ease. Candidates should be specifically instructed to avoid informal discussion with assessors on breaks or in other unplanned encounters.Following group discussion exercises, assessors should complete the Assessor Rating Form. Assessors should rank the candidates based on: (1) the quality of the ideals that they demonstrated, and (2) the overall contribution in helping the group reach its goals.

9. IntegrationThe integration session refers to the “pooling” of information and observations by assessors to determine candidate scores. There are various approaches to the integration of assessment information, but the key point is that simply “averaging” assigned ratings by different assessors does not constitute a pooling of information. The pooling and integration of information by assessors is what separates Assessment Centers from other testing procedures. Assessors share the information they have collected to develop an overall,comprehensive picture of each candidate.The primary approach to the integration of information is based on the specificexercise, with scores assigned to each competency in each exercise. (The total score is some mathematical combination of these ratings.) Assessors who were present during the exercise should pool their information and rate the candidate (in-basket). It is important to understand that while the assessors who observed are important, the assessor who took notes on a particular candidate plays no greater role in determining that candidate’s rating than theother assessors. This ensures that the assessors work as a team to review the available information and make fair and valid ratings.While the assessors who observed a particular candidate read his/her behavioral data, the other assessors take notes of points on which they need clarification of the candidate’s behavior. When the behavior data has been reported, the other assessors should ask questions if necessary and share any additional observations they may have made. The goal is to achieve consensus with regard to the ratings of the competencies in each exercise, which willthen lead to a final rating consensus on the competencies.

10. RatingsAfter all the reports have been read for a candidate and the ratings posted on a flip chart or blackboard, assessors should consider all available information obtained from the assessment exercises. The same 1-3 rating scale used in the exercises is used in making the final ratings. Attaining consensus on the part of the assessors, or at least achieving a set rating that has no more than a one-point spread, is the real test in the integration phase. Final ratings for each competency should be entered on the bottom line of the Final Rating Form.From the Final Rating Form, final overall scores must be assigned.