Competence und Development Center (Assessement Center Method)

The Assessment Centre is a widespread methodic especially in the external selection of higher education graduates and internal selection of high-potential employees. Usually a group of 8 – 12 candidates will absolve in a one or two day procedure several tasks that have been chosen according to areas of demand (e.g. interview, customer, interface, team conversations, organization or decision making practice, and group discussions). About 2 to 6 assessors, often a mixture from leadership, HRD professionals and external consultants, systematically observe and evaluate the participants during the practice in light of the demand profile. We also have the option of individual assessments that last only one day with two or more assessors and one candidate – but from our point of view we prefer in most cases a less time consuming and procedure optimised Intersessment®.

We choose between Competence Centre (CC) for selecting external applicants and Development Centre (DC) for internal potential analysis. There are small methodical differences between both procedures and in the Development Centre there is usually a self-evaluation of the applicant, an extraneous evaluation through supervisors and sometimes peer ratings are included.

In the area of Assessment Centre procedures there are huge differences in quality, depending on supplier, so that Assessment Centres have partially gotten poor reputations. Procedures that offer high quality are relatively costly in conception and implementation but they offer appropriate advantages:

Special Advantages

• Very good accuracy / validity
• With good AC procedures positive feedback from applicants and positive image forming (Competence Centre)
• Through variety and quality of assessment and in connection with additional information sources (e.g. self and extraneous evaluation) good starting point for employee development programs (Development Centre)
• Additional benefits: leadership profits from using the instruments (systematic assessment and evaluation) in their leadership practice

Primary Target Groups

Competence Centre: 
higher education graduates, specialists, sales and marketing representatives, project managers, lowest leadership level/ supervisors

Development Centre: 
high-potentials advancement / promotion programs (e.g. leadership, sales, project management)

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