Assessment Center Method

Assessment Center Method

Figure 1: An Assessment Centre 

Source: https://www.careeraddict.com/assignment-center-tips

Assessment centers (AC) or
assessment Center Method (ACM) is a personal selection method in modern HR. This is an alternative method to direct interviews. The selection can be described in a broader manner as below,

• “External candidates into organizations,
• internal candidates into supervisory and managerial ranks,
• Individuals into a pool of high potentials who will get special training,
• Exemplary staff members to receive certification of competence in job skills, or
• Employees for retention when there is a reduction in force and reorganization.” (Thornton & Gibbs, 2009)
Early research on employee selection focused on either how well tests predicted future performance or how much utility they added (Gilliland, 1993; Herriot, 1989; Hunter & Hunter, 1984; Schmitt, 1997), rather than on applicants’ attitudes and reactions (Avery & Sackett 1993; Iles & Robertson, 1989).
The term "assessment center" sometime misleading; actually “the center” does not refer to a location, it is a process which is widely using by organizations to assess staff with a series of tests, activities, and simulation exercises. This can last anything from a few hours to several days. Psychometric-success.com, (2019) defined ACM as ‘A method for assessing aptitude and performance; applied to a group of participants by trained assessors using various aptitude diagnostic processes in order to obtain information about applicants' abilities or development potential.’
AC method first used at world-war II when Germans & British searched for highly capable officer rankings. In 1975, the International Congress on the Assessment Center Method, held in Quebec, Canada, formed an international task force to develop guidelines for AC practice. These are the well-known Guidelines and Ethical Considerations for Assessment Center Operations (Joiner, 1984).
Assessment centers usually for higher ranks, detailed or complex jobs as well as the 2nd or final stages of a selection process inasmuch it is a time consuming and expensive process. The assessment activities are varying, depending on the organization or role they searched for. However, there are some commonly used activities as below,
 In Box/ in- Tray Assessments
Candidates will be presented with material, or tasks, that they'd normally see in the role that they've applied for. With strict time slots, these tests commonly measure job skills such as: ability to organize and prioritize work; analytical skills; communication with team members and customers; written communication skills; and delegation.

Figure 2: Assessment Centre ExercisesS

Source:https://psychometric-success.com/psychometric-tests/psychometric-tests-assessment-center#

 Role Playing
During a role play exercise, candidates are expected to act out a
scenario as simulation exercises where situations they may encounter while performing the job they are applying for.
 Psychometric Tests
These tests are designed to evaluate objectively specific knowledge sets or technical skills, personality, logical or verbal reasoning ability, problem solving, or judgment
 Presentations
This will check the person’s public speaking, communication and presentations skills.
 Panel Interviews
             Quite similar to regular interview but with more details and often a panel
 Group discussions or group activities
These exercises commonly measure interpersonal skills such as group leadership, teamwork, negotiation, and group problem solving skills.
 Aptitude and ability tests
This is to check logical reasoning or thinking performance of the candidate. Famous tests are there such as, verbal ability, numerical ability, abstract reasoning, spatial reasoning, mechanical reasoning and error data checking. 
 Personality Tests
Personal tests are to determine the typical reactions of a candidate to various situations to reveal the aspects person’s character.

References

 Gilliland, S. W. (1993). The perceived fairness of selection systems: An organizational perspective. Academy of Management Review, 18(4), 694-734.
 Herriot, P. (1989). Selection as a social process. In M. Smith & I. I. Robertson (Eds.), Advances in selection and assessment (pp 171-187). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
 Hunter, J. E., & Hunter, R. F. (1984). Validity and utility of alternative predictors of job performance. Psychological Bulletin, 96(4), 72-98.
 Schmitt, P. S. (1997). Validity of assessment center ratings for the prediction of performance ratings and school climate of school administrators. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69(2), 207-213.
 Arvey, R. D., & Sackett, P. R. (1993). Fairness in selection: Current developments and perspectives. In N. Schmitt & W. Borman (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 171-202). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
 Iles, P. A., & Robertson, I. T. (1989). The impact of personnel selection procedures on candidates. In P. Herriot (Ed.), Assessment and selection in organizations (pp. 89- 110). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
 Thornton III, G. & Gibbons, A. (2009)Human Resource Management Review 19,Validity of assessment centers for personnel selection, Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States
 Joiner, D. A. (1984). Assessment centers in the public sector. A practical approach. Public Personnel Management Journal, 13(2), 435-450.
 psychometric-success.com, (2009); Psychometrics Tests [Online]
o Available at: https://psychometric-success.com/psychometric-tests/psychometric-tests-assessment-centers#
o Accessed on: 10th December 2019