One day interactive workshop designed and delivered in Birmingham to an audience of HR professionals, recruiters and line managers from both the public and private sectors. The session covered the latest developments and hot topics for organisations facing vast numbers of applicants when vacancies are posted.

1. Assessing and selecting the right applicant by Fluid March 2010

2. Page 2 Contents 3-4 Introduction to Fluid 5-7 Refining the selection process 8-10 Filtering job applications 11-12 Age discrimination 13-14 Exercise A 15-17 Selection processes 18-19Ability tests 20-21Personality tests 22-26 Choosing the right assessment tools 27-28 Exercise B 29-31 Selecting women 32-34 Assessing board members 35-40 Getting the best from your test 41-42Using tests for coaching 43-46 Assessment centres 47-49 Assessment centres-worth the cost? 50-51 Case studies 52-53 Exercise C 54-55 Conclusion and questions

3. Page 3 Introduction

5. Selection- Attraction - Remuneration & Reward - Outplacement - Training & HR consultancy

6. Page 5 Refining the selection process

8. Streamline your paperwork and try to cut administration costs as much as possible

10. Try to find out whether there are any potential hidden costs in your recruitment tools. For example, not all candidates have access to a computer so there needs to be a paper version as well

13. Use targeted advertising

14. Think about the application method

15. Consider automated selection

16. Profile the candidate as well as the role

17. Ensure that interviewers know what to look for

19. Advertise in specialist press/media

20. Brush up the skills of all interviewers

23. Discrimination can be justified if it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim

24. The test of justification is vague, and difficult to predict

25. Employers should avoid stereotypical assumptions as to the impact of age and experience on ability

27. Page 14 Exercise A

28. Page 15 Selection processes

30. Obtain selection data

31. Obtain employee performance data

32. Carry out a simple analysis

33. Compute the ROI

35. Evaluation is statistically straightforward and can remove cost from the organisation

36. Make sure performance data is as accurate and fair as possible by providing guidelines for managers

37. Take time to understand the findings by placing them in the context of the organisation

38. Present findings to senior management and propose improvements based on objective data

41. Numerical reasoning

44. Parent Adult Child

47. Identify your needs

48. Do your research

49. Consider your resources

50. Understand the context

51. Seek advice

53. Face validity

54. Predictive validity

55. Norm groups

56. Self-report questionnaires

58. Identify your objectives

59. Work out the costs and benefits of testing

60. Tailor generic tests

61. Enlist top-level support

62. Use assessment to build your employer brand

63. Reuse assessment data

64. Exploit technology to improve efficiency

66. Ensure that recruitment processes are robust

67. Assessment can help you to build your employer brand

68. Programmes should be aligned with business objectives

69. Data from testing has a shelf life of about two years

70. Assess only the stronger candidates using the most labour-intensive methods

72. Page 6 Exercise B

73. Page 29 Selecting women

75. What makes an Employer of Choice for women?

76. Legally attracting more applications from women

77. Genuine Occupational Qualifications, Skills and Experience

78. Finding the right people

80. Constructive feedback

81. Welcoming and supporting women in the workplace

82. Avoiding a backlash from other employees

85. A questionnaire covering issues such as the board’s composition and team effectiveness is given to each director.

87. All input is analysed and tested against corporate governance standards and the practices of comparable organisations.

90. Is the test user friendly?

91. Brief candidates

92. Provide easily accessible support

93. Ensure equivalence

94. Can your system cope?

95. Keep data safe

97. Don’t choose a test that takes too long

98. Don’t allow the technology to set the agenda

99. Don’t overcomplicate the process

100. Don’t skimp on training

101. Don’t stick to an old favourite

102. Don’t assess staff and then do nothing with the data

104. Do be sure about your objective

105. Do calculate your sums

106. Do weigh up the true costs of recruitment

107. Do make sure job specifications are up-to-date

108. Do try the tools yourself

109. Do use tools early to filter the quality of applicants

110. Do give feedback to all applicants

112. Pick a test

113. Make it appropriate

114. Engage your people

115. Beat the cheats

117. DURING-measure and evaluate

120. Which test?

121. Context is key

122. Offer a plan

123. Avoiding discriminationUsing tests for coaching

124. Page 43 Assessment centres

126. Welcome and introduction

127. One or more interviews

128. Group exercises

129. Role-play exercises

130. Psychometric tests

131. Written analysis exercise

132. Presentations by candidates

133. Presentations by employersAssessment centres 1 of 3

135. Graduates 64%

136. Senior managers 60%

137. Middle managers 62%

138. Line managers 46%

139. Management trainees 24%

141. Be clear about objectives

142. Look for competencies rather than ‘nice to haves’

143. Ensure the assessment reflects the working environment

144. Limited the competencies that you measure

145. Have a good variety of exercises to let candidates shine

146. Don’t overlook the details when staffing

147. Don’t cut corners on training observers

148. Give feedback to everyone, not just the successful onesAssessment centres 3 of 3

149. Page 47 Assessment centres-worth the cost?

151. Upper quartile

152. Median

153. Lower quartile

154. MANAGEMENT

155. Senior

156. Middle

158. Management trainees

160. Page 51 Case studies

161. Page 52 Exercise C

162. Page 53 Exercise C

163. Page 54 Conclusion & Questions

164. Page 55 Conclusion Summary Questions