General: Executive Selection Report   with Structured Interview

for Suzanne Example

11/1/2009

Questions? Call Employee Selection & Development Inc. at (800) 947-5678.

Introduction

Competency Overview

Ability Results

Personality Detail

Interview Guide

Making the Selection Decision

Management Suggestions

Graphic Profile

PDF Report

Because of the nature of appraisal information and the dangers of its misuse, this report must be kept confidential and its contents restricted to those who have direct responsibility for decision making. This Selection Report should not be shown to or discussed with the candidate. The ASSESS Developmental Report has been designed for this purpose.

• Since everyone has strengths and weaknesses, special caution must be exercised to view this report as a whole. Be careful not to overemphasize specific statements, but rather consider this person's overall suitability for a particular position in your organizational environment.

• Many of the characteristics described in this report could be assets in some circumstances and liabilities in others. You will notice that a characteristic may appear as a strength in relation to one competency, but a weakness when considered in relation to another competency.

• The report does not take into account the candidate's background, training, or technical skills or experience. Therefore, the results do not measure personal effectiveness or the quality of job performance; rather, they describe characteristics that (along with these other factors) may influence job performance. To minimize the chances of erroneous decisions, the contents of this report should be combined with information from other sources (for example; interview impressions, references, work experience, job competence, work habits, background, etc.) to gain a complete picture of this person.

• Over time, people and organizations change. If several years have passed since the date of this report, it may be valuable to reassess the candidate. Remember, this person was evaluated at a particular age, stage of development, level of experience, etc. With the passage of time, the characteristics measured by ASSESS may have changed.

ASSESS is a computerized expert system that interprets test scores and writes reports in the same manner that an organizational psychologist would. The reports are designed to be read by managers without regular assistance from a professional. Occasionally, however, you may need additional interpretation assistance. See the ASSESS coordinator for your organization to make arrangements.

Developmental Report: In addition to the Selection Report, a Developmental report is available. It is designed to be given directly to the individual and provides constructive feedback on test results, specific developmental suggestions, and a guide for writing a personalized developmental plan.

Competency in an area is the result of many factors working together, which include innate characteristics (natural ability, personality) and learned characteristics (knowledge, experience and skills) as is presented in the following chart. People who have the right competencies or who have a good potential for developing these competencies will be able to do the right things (behaviors) to produce the desired results (effective outcomes).

The following report provides detailed results and judgments about how these innate characteristics may facilitate or hinder the display or development of the desired competencies and, ultimately, job effectiveness. Also provided is a competency-oriented interview protocol to use to evaluate the skills, knowledge and other learned characteristics important to this job, as well as a general model for making a good decision from all sources of information.

The following results are based on the candidate's performance on standardized ability tests. They are presented as percentile comparisons to professional norms (people who, for the most part, have an education at or beyond the college undergraduate level) and to general population norms (people who, for the most part, have a high school education).

General Population Norms:   0%   100% Critical Thinking       Abstract Reasoning        Professional Norms:         Critical Thinking       Abstract Reasoning

 

She should have little difficulty solving problems that involve complex, abstract information. She should also be quick to grasp new ideas and solve problems that are outside her usual experience.

Visioning Identifying long-term goals and championing the implementation of different or alternative ideas. In-Depth Problem Solving And Analysis Solving difficult problems through careful and systematic evaluation of information, possible alternatives and consequences. Championing Change Taking action to support and implement change initiatives effectively. Driving For Results Challenging, pushing the organization and themselves to excel and achieve. Influencing And Persuading Convincing others to adopt a course of action. Managing Others Directing and leading others to accomplish organizational goals and objectives. Organizational Savvy Recognizing and understanding organizational politics and working within organizational dynamics to accomplish objectives. Business Acumen* Understanding general business and financial concepts, understanding the company's business, and using both general and specific knowledge to be effective. Integrity* Upholding a high standard of fairness and ethics in everyday words and actions. Courage Of Convictions* Having the personal courage to address difficult issues in the face of potential opposition. Presentation Skills* Having the skills to effectively communicate to an audience in a formal setting. Continuous Learning* Striving to expand knowledge and refine skills through education and training. Inspiring others to develop and refine knowledge and skills relevant to their work.

• For each personality characteristic, a distribution of possible scores (from less to more) is displayed in deciles (1-10% = 1st decile, 11-20% = 2nd decile, etc.) using ten graph blocks.

• This distribution is based on a professional norm group of approximately 40,000 respondents.

• The candidate's score on each personality characteristic is represented by the graphic character .

• Overlaid on the normative distribution, the colors and shading on the graph represent desirable and undesirable ranges on each characteristic for a particular competency.

• Ranges in which a characteristic may hinder are marked with least shading ( ).

• Ranges in which a characteristic may be a potential concern are marked in intermediate shading ( ).

• Ranges in which a characteristic may help are marked with most shading ( ).

• You will notice from the pattern of shadings that low scores are not necessarily bad and high scores are not necessarily good.

• Also notice that the Helps and Hinders ranges for a characteristic may differ by competency. For example, a higher level of assertiveness may be more desirable for one competency than another.

Identifying long-term goals and championing the implementation of different or alternative ideas.

Solving difficult problems through careful and systematic evaluation of information, possible alternatives and consequences.

Taking action to support and implement change initiatives effectively.

Challenging, pushing the organization and themselves to excel and achieve.

Convincing others to adopt a course of action.

Directing and leading others to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.

Recognizing and understanding organizational politics and working within organizational dynamics to accomplish objectives.

For additional, more detailed information on conducting good behavior-based interviews, please visit the ASSESS managers resource website at https://www.bigby.com/systems/assessv2/resources/manager.

Interview Date: __________

Before the Interview

Review the Competency Model definitions and representative behaviors.

Review the candidate's resume and be familiar with his/her background and experience.

Review the candidate's ASSESS results.

Review the interview questions and additional personality probes.

During the interview, remember to:

• Use open-ended questions
• Ask probing follow-up questions
• Focus on specific examples and behaviors
• Postpone judgment: don't rely on your first impression

  
   

Start the interview by discussing the details of the candidate's educational and work history.

Walk me through your educational background.

Listen and probe for accomplishments, grades, how he/she chose college/major, classes he/she liked or disliked, involvement in outside activities, work experience during school, etc., and probe for how they relate to the job.

Walk me through your work history.

Listen and probe for milestones, accomplishments, relationships with co-workers and supervisors, tasks he/she liked or disliked, work environments he/she liked or disliked, reasons for leaving each job, etc. and probe for how prior experience has prepared him/her for this job.

NOTES:

Visioning:  

• Tell me about a time when you were involved in setting the long-term goals and direction for your group (or division, company). What was your approach? What types of things did you consider?

• Describe a time when you felt it was important for your group (department or company) to change direction and thinking, and you personally championed this change. What did you do? Were you successful? Why or why not?

Additional special probes based on ASSESS results:

• Give me some examples of your most innovative business ideas. (Listen for creativity.)

• Describe a few situations in which you made a quick decision about a change of direction for your group that you later regretted. What were the circumstances? (Listen for a tendency to commit too quickly to an idea or direction.)

• Tell me about a time when you had to quickly implement a new approach or strategy in your group (department, company). How did you manage to do this while maintaining your normal workload? (Listen to see if the candidate had the energy to do both or if one suffered at the expense of the other.)

NOTES:  (details of the situation, actions by the candidate, and the resulting outcomes)

In-Depth Problem Solving And Analysis:  

• Tell me about two complex and difficult work problems you have faced. What were the circumstances? What steps did you take to solve the problems? What analyses did you make? How did you make your final decisions? What were the outcomes of your decisions?

Additional special probes based on ASSESS results:

• Tell me about a complex problem you recently faced in an area in which you did not have prior experience. How did you find a solution? (Listen for an ability to look for new and different approaches rather than simply modifying or using current practices.)

• Describe a situation where you were too quick to draw a conclusion in your problem analysis. What were the circumstances and the result? (Listen for a tendency to find a quick solution.)

NOTES:  (details of the situation, actions by the candidate, and the resulting outcomes)

Championing Change:  

• Tell me about two situations in which you took personal responsibility for ensuring that an important change occurred in your organization. What was the issue? What did you do? What was the outcome? What would you do differently next time?

Additional special probes based on ASSESS results:

• Describe the challenges you faced when implementing a change initiative quickly. In what time frame did you accomplish this? (Does the candidate have the energy necessary to successfully champion an initiative?)

• Tell me about a time when you felt it was better to continue with a way of doing something rather than championing a new approach. (Is there a stubborn resistance to trying new things?)

• Tell me about a time when you committed to a change effort but realized afterwards that it was the wrong thing to do. What did you not anticipate? (Listen for a tendency to adopt changes without careful consideration.)

NOTES:  (details of the situation, actions by the candidate, and the resulting outcomes)

Driving For Results:  

• Describe a time when your group set and met an aggressive goal. What types of obstacles did you face? How did you overcome them?

• Describe a time when your group failed to meet an aggressive goal. Why did this happen?

Additional special probes based on ASSESS results:

• Tell me about one of your projects that had an aggressive deadline for completion. How did you get it done? (Listen for an ability to accomplish things quickly.)

NOTES:  (details of the situation, actions by the candidate, and the resulting outcomes)

Influencing And Persuading:  

• Tell me about a recent work situation in which you were able to convince a group of people to do something that they did not want to do. How did you do this? What would you do differently next time?

• Tell me about a recent work experience in which you tried to persuade someone of something and failed. What was the situation? What did you do? What would you do differently next time?

Additional special probes based on ASSESS results:

• Describe a time when you tried to convince your boss to do something he or she did not want to do. What did you do? What was the result? (Listen for a tendency to be too forceful or pushy.)

• Tell me about a time when you needed to really excite people about your ideas in order to persuade them. How did you do it? Tell me about a time when you failed to generate enthusiasm. (Does the candidate have the energy to generate enthusiasm, and will he/she do the work to convince others?)

NOTES:  (details of the situation, actions by the candidate, and the resulting outcomes)

Managing Others:  

• (If not previously covered) Give me a history of your management experience. For each step along the way, tell me what your group did, how many people you managed and how you assigned work and organized the group to get the job done.

• Tell me how goals were set for the group and each of the individuals in the group for these situations? How did you manage people to achieve these goals?

• How do you discipline and reward people who work for you? Give me specific examples of both.

Additional special probes based on ASSESS results:

• Tell me about your poorest performing subordinates. Why do you think they struggle? What have you done to improve their performance? (Listen for a tendency to expect others to fail.)

• Give me several examples of positive feedback you have given to subordinates recently. Examples of negative feedback? What did you say? Why? (Was the negative feedback constructive or overly harsh?)

• Tell me about a time when your group had a tight deadline to meet and was successful. What did you do to ensure the deadline was met? What about a time when your group missed the deadline? What did you do to try to achieve the missed deadline? (Does the candidate have the energy level to set a good example and energize the activities of others?)

• Describe a situation where you, or others, thought you pushed your group too hard. How did it affect the group and their performance? Looking back, would you change how you handled the situation? (Listen for a tendency to be overly competitive to the detriment of group morale.)
  

NOTES:  (details of the situation, actions by the candidate, and the resulting outcomes)

Organizational Savvy:  

• Give me several examples of important alliances and personal relationships you have developed across organization boundaries in your previous jobs. Were you able to use them to advance or facilitate important projects? Explain.

• Tell me about a time when it was helpful to know the "politics" of your organization. How did this help you? How did you get the information? What did you do with it?

Additional special probes based on ASSESS results:

• In your experience, when do you find internal competition helps the organization move forward, and when is collaboration better? Give me examples. (Will the candidate's competitive nature interfere with building alliances?)

• Describe a work situation where you had to be very delicate in how you responded to a situation. Why was it important to be so careful? What happened? (Listen for an ability to exert enough self-discipline to choose words and actions carefully.)

• Describe several situations in which you were criticized unfairly by others outside your immediate work group. What was said, by whom? What impact did it have on you? (Can the candidate remain effective despite criticism?)

NOTES:  (details of the situation, actions by the candidate, and the resulting outcomes)

Business Acumen*:  

• What general business skills do you have? How much experience or education do you have in accounting, finance and marketing? Please give examples.

• How much experience do you have in writing general business plans, capital and operating budgets, and forecasting income and expenses? Please give examples and highlight your personal involvement.

• How much experience do you have in conducting formal performance reviews of subordinates, budgeting for salary expenses and allocating annual raises and bonuses? Please give examples and highlight your personal involvement.

Integrity*:  

• Describe for me an ethical business dilemma that you have faced. What were the circumstances? What did you do? Why?

• Tell me about two situations in which you have seen others be unfair or dishonest. What happened? What would you have done differently? Why?

Courage Of Convictions*:  

• Tell me about your values at work. What sorts of things are important to you about how you and others behave and about how business should be conducted?

• Give me several examples of business situations in which you said or did things you thought were right when others disagreed.

• Give me several examples of business situations in which your work group initially opposed your ideas, but you were able to change their point of view because of your tenacity.

Presentation Skills*:  

• Describe the level of your experience making presentations to small and large audiences. What types of presentations have you typically made? For what purpose?

• How would you evaluate your ability to make good presentations to small groups and to large groups? What do you do well, and what do you do poorly?

• What type of training have you taken to prepare yourself to make good presentations?

• (If this competency is extremely important to the position, we recommend the candidate be asked to make a formal presentation to the selection committee to provide a sample of his/her skills.)

Continuous Learning*:  

• (If not previously discussed earlier in the interview process) In broad terms, describe to me your educational background. What degrees or coursework have you completed? At what stage(s) of your life?

• What additional formal and informal training have you completed? When?

• What new things have you learned in the last five years? What did you do to learn them? Why?

• What have you done recently to maintain or improve your skills or knowledge? What do you plan to do in the future? Why?

Your goal is to bring the interview smoothly to a close.

Ensure that the candidate feels that he/she has been able to give you a complete and accurate picture of him/herself.

Explain the next steps in the process and timeframe as appropriate.

Thank the candidate for his/her time and close the interview.

Good selection decisions require careful consideration of all the available information (education, training, experience, skills, abilities, personality, etc.) from as many different credible sources as possible (interviews, reference checks, background checks, ASSESS results, etc.) against a clear specification of what is needed or desired in the job.

Use the following chart to evaluate the candidate on each of the competencies of the Model. Carefully consider each competency before making your overall judgment.

For coaching resources and additional suggestions on how to best manage and develop this person, please visit the ASSESS Manager's Website at http://www.bigby.com/systems/ASSESSv2/resources/welcome.asp.

In addition, developmental suggestions for this person can be obtained from the ASSESS Developmental Report. This report is designed to provide constructive feedback and extensive developmental suggestions to the individual assessed (books to read, courses to take, developmental experiences or assignments to negotiate with the boss, etc.). You can use these developmental suggestions in coaching sessions to help the candidate capitalize on key strengths and compensate for potential weaknesses. Check with your test administrator or Human Resources representative to see how you may obtain a Developmental Report on this individual. The following resources may be useful in coaching this person or other people in your organization.

Books

Masterful Coaching: Extraordinary Results by Impacting People and the Way They Think and Work Together by Robert Hargrove, Pfeiffer & Company, 1995.

Leader As Coach: Strategies for Coaching & Developing Others by David B. Peterson & Mary Dee Hicks, Personnel Decisions International, 1996.

Action Coaching: How to Leverage Individual Performance for Company Success by David L. Dotlich & Peter C. Cairo, Jossey-Bass, 1999.

Results-Based Leadership by David Ulrich, Jack Zenger, & Norman Smallwood, Harvard Business School Press, 1999.

Leadership: The ASTD Trainers Sourcebook by Anne F. Coyle, McGraw-Hill, 1996.

Coaching for Improved Work Performance by Ferdinand Fournies, McGraw-Hill, 2000.

High Flyers: Developing the Next Generation of Leaders by Morgan W. McCall Jr., 1997.

Successful Manager's Handbook by Susan Gebelein, Lisa A. Stevens, Carol J. Skube, David G. Lee (Editors), 2000.

The Handbook of Leadership Development by Cynthia D. McCauley, Ellen Van Velsor, Editors, 2003.

Leader As Coach: Strategies for Coaching & Developing Others by David B. Peterson & Mary Dee Hicks, 1996.

The Manager's Pocket Guide to Effective Mentoring by Norman H. Cohen, 1999.

FAST Feedback ™ by Bruce Tulgan.

Multimedia

How to Coach Your Employees Harvard Business Online.

The Coaching Collection Harvard Business Online.

The Practical Coach Advanced Training Source.

Public Courses

Coaching for Development Center for Creative Leadership.

Facilitative Leadership York University.

Leading and Coaching People to Higher Performance Wisconsin-Madison, University of.