Proven in practice Jobfidence is not only scientifically guaranteed. The procedure has also proved itself in 50 years of practice. It has been available in digital version since January 2001. Scientific validation studies and commercial cost/benefit analyses speak as much for Jobfidence as the high acceptance among the participants. Here is your guide to personnel success 1. Position-Skyline Together we draw up the requirement profile. 2. Recruitment Designing the advertisement. We help with text and layout. 3. Screening A systematic pre-selection based on the appearance of the applications and the pre-set minimum criteria. This should not be too strict: 12-20 applicants is an optimal number. 4. Invitation If desired we will make an approved standard text available to you, organise the conference room or set up a telephone service. 5. Candidates conference 6. Employment Page 1
Candidates conference (an example) 1 8.45 Informal talk with the guests as they arrive 9.00 Presentation of the company and the target positions 10.00 Beginning of the Jobfidence measurement procedure 11:45 Light meal for all participants, scoring of the result sheets 12.45 Explanation of the Jobfidence procedure for the participants parallel presentation of results for the employer 13.45 on Individual counselling: The certificates are handed out and explained during individual counselling. The strengths and possible risks with reference to the target positions are explained as well as possible self-management techniques. A decision-making conference with the employer is held to conclude the day. 1 Jobfidence can also be perfectly well combined with assessment procedures referring to critical situations (Performance Check ). Accuracy as well as acceptance among participants can thus be additionally optimised. Page 2
Client forum Alongside scientific test criteria, the main focus of the further development process is on real needs in the real world. In order to satisfy these, the Jobfidence Centre for Methods regularly organises client forums. In addition to this, there is a constant exchange of information and experiences between all Jobfidence users. Theirs and the clients questions, wishes and encouragement which often provide great guidance have made a decisive contribution to the optimisation of Jobfidence. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all clients and Jobfidence users for their help. Highlights of the last client forum Personnel development for apprenticeships. Reinhard Wolbeck, head of education and training at the SIGNAL IDUNA Group, reported on an innovative pilot project: on the basis of Jobfidence results, personnel development talks are conducted and individual goals agreed with the apprentices. Jobfidence as selection and personnel development instrument at the very beginning of the professional career. Inter-disciplinary personnel controlling. Possible but unfortunately far too seldom exploited: personnel risks are quantifiable. Mechthild Nowak, industrial economist, called for interdisciplinary co-operation between controllers, human resources staff and aptitude diagnosticians. A working group personnel controlling was called into life. Page 3
The digital version of the Jobfidence Measurement Procedure. The discussion of experiences in using the digital Jobfidence version provided a further focus. Consensus: high acceptance by participants; zero-error guarantee in scoring; clear reduction of work, therefore more time and concentration for the counselling sessions with the candidates. Page 4
Personnel development for apprenticeships In times when it is difficult to recruit qualified, experienced applicants everyone looks expectantly to their own apprentices. Reinhard Wolbeck, head of education and training at the SIGNAL IDUNA Group (a large insurance company), reported on the following solution: systematic personnel development starting right at the beginning of the apprenticeship. SIGNAL IDUNA has been selecting its apprentices successfully with Jobfidence since 1982. The education and performance results of the apprentices are far above branch average. From the very first moment on, the apprentices are encouraged to take on responsibility. Learning by doing is an important principle of the practice-oriented apprenticeship. Through concrete project-work the young people take responsibility for their own learning and work progress. The creation of an appropriate learning environment and a mentor who accompanies the training process are very important here. The underlying philosophy: only so much support as necessary. In the past, the Jobfidence results were only used for selection purposes. Therefore, valuable self-management techniques and leadership advice could not be systematically exploited. Jobfidence is now also used as a personnel development instrument during education. Two goals are thus accomplished: an earliest possible individual accompaniment and furtherance of the apprentices and the deduction of leadership advice for the mentor and sales manager. Page 5
Six months after start of the apprenticeship, detailed individual discussions are held with each apprentice on the basis of their performance appraisal and the first training and learning experiences. The Jobfidence results from the applicant selection are considered anew with regard to the first practical experiences. At this point each apprentice receives a detailed report with self-management tips. Training targets and behaviour recommendations agreed in the personnel development talk are recorded. These concrete goals can later be compared with results from the apprenticeship training institute, first sales experiences and the processing of insurance cases. Page 6
Personnel controlling A current catch-phrase, in common use but until now without one standard, accepted definition. The following basic explanation of the concept and systemisation is based on the conventions of the International Controller Club and the International Group of Controlling. a) Terms Controlling: the entire process of establishment of objectives, planning and steering management task! Controller: is a service provider for managers Controller-service: organisational name for the units which provide controlling support Organisational units with the label controlling lead as a rule to the misunderstanding that controlling is carried out by these units, but Carrying out controlling is the job of every manager (see above) b) Structuring Main Dimensions: Operational Controlling: as a rule short-term (1-3 years), concrete crete Departmental-Controller: is responsible for entire departments or divisions of an enterprise Strategic Controlling: as a rule long-term (5-20 years), high level of abstraction Function-Controller: is responsible within the department or division for the functions contained in the term Page 7
c) Where in the enterprise does personnel controlling take place? Corporate controlling and personnel The information service provided by the personnel department to the corporate controlling (numbers, data, facts: personnel controlling is almost always understood to mean this) Controlling of the personnel department Establishment of objectives, planning and steering of the personnel department as an organisational unit of an enterprise Human resources controlling Establishment of objectives, planning and steering of human resources (requires special knowledge from the human resources area, e.g. top executive controlling, training controlling, etc. in addition to controller knowhow) Page 8
d) Personnel controlling as a management process: from reaction to pro-action A strategic approach to staff development - Project outline - Starting question: What does the enterprise want to earn its money with in the future? Questions to be clarified Which key qualifications will be needed in the future? Will the qualitative requirements change? Current stock-taking Consideration of recognisable longterm changes (e.g. transferrals, terminations of employment, retirements) Is the leading and the further development of the enterprise secured with the existing potential? Is the staffing of strategic projects secured? Personnel selection (incl. measures for necessary staff adaptation) Sector responsible corporate steering and HR management HR management HR management HR management corporate steering and HR management HR management Applications fields of aptitude diagnosis drawing up or checking of the requirement profile, adaptation as necessary analysis of existing qualifications and abilities comparison of the new requirement profile with the existing potential, quantification selection according to requirement profile For further info contact: Mechthild.Nowak@t-online.de P.S. The Position-Skyline and the Jobfidence Measurement Procedure are outstanding instruments for the abovedescribed personnel controlling as a management process. Page 9
The digital version of the Jobfidence Measurement Procedure Two years of intensive work was necessary to transfer the proven paper/pencil version of the Jobfidence Measurement Procedure to the computer. Absolutely no lowering of standards concerning the quality and superiority of aptitude testing was allowed during the transfer process to a different medium. Over 200 pages of product requirement specifications with exact, unchangeable instructions demanded full commitment from the IT team contracted. All requirements could be met. Thus, the digital Jobfidence -Version sets high quality standards. The highlights: Double-media memory system. This provides maximum security for the measurement results even in the unlikely case of a hard-disk crash. The administration of the procedure can be continued immediately on another computer. Top comfort in user-guidance, so that the candidate does not need any computer know-how. Maximal consideration of the software ergonomics, for example the fact that the reading of texts from a monitor is more tiring. The candidates value the user-friendly guidance, the detailed explanations and help over the head-phone voice as well as the reading comfort and professional layout. Page 10
Our clients value the candidates high acceptance of the procedure, the considerable time-saving and the immediate availability of the results with zero error guarantee. The substantial time reductions for the administration and scoring increases the attractiveness of Jobfidence, especially for single tests. Thus, Jobfidence offers the ideal solution when it comes down to flexibility and speed of reaction in the case of much sought-after candidates or confidentiality in the context of a single test for a high position. At present, work is ongoing on the possibility of an automatic comparison with the requirement profile including digital help for counselling (self-management techniques and leadership advice). Applying Jobfidence will be even more comfortable in the future. Page 11