Assessment: the guarantee of successful casting

For over 15 years, Valeur Plus has built unique expertise in the field of assessments. Hundreds of candidates have been put under the assessment microscope, an evaluation process often regarded as secretive and intimidating. At Valeur Plus, that is not the case at all: our assessments are supportive, transparent and rewarding for both the candidate and the client. Here is everything you need to know.

What is an assessment?

The term originates from the selection processes used to recruit soldiers during the First World War. The aim was to put the soldier through a battery of physical, psychological and intellectual tests in order to assign them to the right battalion.

Fortunately, things have moved on considerably since then. It was the Americans who adapted the process to the business world, after which the field of psychology took it further, and today it is a highly refined tool that comes into its own within HR departments and beyond.

An assessment is intended for employees being considered for internal mobility (promotion, a change of department, a reorganisation) or for external candidates. Most of the time it is aimed at managers, but it is equally relevant for non-managerial staff taking on complex and demanding roles. An assessment should not be confused with a recruitment interview or an annual appraisal. It draws on different tools and must be carried out by experts who follow a proven methodology. What truly sets the assessment apart from other types of interview is its predictive power.

A well-conducted assessment should make it possible to anticipate how a candidate will perform in their role and to picture this in very concrete terms.

Why is it worth carrying out an assessment?

Precisely because it has predictive power.

Let us take an example: David manages a small team in a bank. He is being considered to become a department manager and take charge of the ten teams that make it up. Senior management is wondering whether he will be able to rise to this level, whether he will treat his former team like all the others, whether he will be able to assert himself within the management committee, and whether he will be able to handle significant pressure and major responsibilities.

David will be able to reassure his management about his abilities, and he can give examples from his career to convince them, but two things will be missing:

• Management will have no objective evidence to confirm that David will be able to grow into the role, that he will handle pressure and remain impartial.

• David will not really have experienced his new responsibilities, nor will he have grasped the challenges ahead, and he will know little about his own limits.

The added value of the assessment is precisely this: the role-play scenarios and psychometric evaluations make it possible to fill these two gaps.

A well-conducted assessment greatly reduces the risk of a casting error, for the company and the candidate alike.

How does an assessment work at Valeur Plus?

1. The preparation involves selecting the key competencies to be assessed for the role and gaining a detailed understanding of the working environment, the company's values and the profiles of the existing staff and colleagues.

2. Preliminary exercises are sent to the candidate a few days before the assessment. These are psychometric profiles or targeted questionnaires designed to prepare the ground for the process.

3. The assessment is conducted by one or two experts and lasts either half a day or a full day, depending on the complexity of the profile to be evaluated. It consists of an interview followed by a debrief of the profiles, role-play scenarios and various exercises. The exercises may include, for example, a priority-management challenge involving emails within a set time limit, a corrective discussion to lead, a difficult speaking situation, or the simulation of crisis management within a team; every exercise is tailored to reflect the reality of the role being considered.

4. The interim assessment report is drafted by the experts and submitted to the candidate for validation. This is an essential step that allows the candidate to engage with the report and contribute through their own observations and comments.

5. The final assessment report, enriched by the candidate's feedback and a final analysis by the experts, is delivered to the client. It runs to between 10 and 20 pages depending on the complexity of the profile. It brings out the key points, with simple quantitative charts and a written section that gets straight to the point. In the report's conclusion, the experts always take a clear position on the appointment: favourable or unfavourable.

Why trust Valeur Plus?

The methodology of Valeur Plus stands out for its clarity and adaptability. It strikes a balance between simplified assessments, which lack predictive power, and very lengthy and costly processes, which tend to over-complicate the interpretation of results.

It is in the DNA of Valeur Plus to commit wholeheartedly to its clients and to take a clear stance. That is why our assessments can be carried out within a short timeframe and provide a clear, unambiguous judgement on the fit between profile and role.

Over 15 years, Valeur Plus has continually evolved its process to keep it firmly anchored in the present. Today, our assessments incorporate digital tools and the evaluation of contemporary competencies such as supportive leadership, remote management, autonomy and emotional intelligence.

We are proud to be able to say that our assessments are consistently perceived as positive, by clients and participants alike. In any professional journey, the evaluation of skills is always an opportunity, and we put all our heart and commitment into making it a unique experience. To managers, leaders and candidates: we are here to ensure your success.

Written by Adrien Gygax, consultant