Talent management has become a priority issue for companies, reinforced by a balance of power that is no longer always in favour of the employer. While it is usual to assess an employee’s skills, it is more difficult to detect his or her potential as well as his or her ability to occupy a job that is different from those previously held.

 
The Assessment Center, an essential lever in talent management

 
The Assessment Center offers a decision-making aid for talent management, through an analysis of the intellectual potential, skills, behaviour and management style of the employee or candidate.

The assessment is determined on the basis of a reference framework of required competences adapted to the company’s needs. The objective is to validate one’s professional development for a given position.

The employee or candidate is placed in work situations. In the form of role-playing and case studies, they are confronted with various problems that they will encounter in their future professional life.

They are asked to analyse the information at their disposal, to act and thus to propose concrete actions. These simulations are often supplemented by psychometric tests. These provide a better understanding of the psychological components of the personality.

 
A tool and a method to be placed in a global strategy

 
As a tool, the Assessment Centre is part of a human resources policy. A set of processes whose primary quality must certainly be its overall coherence.

However, this system remains a decision aid. Indeed, the company will also take into account previous performance and behaviour. As a method, each professional colours his or her practice with his or her own philosophy and directs the approach according to his or her strong convictions.

This involves the construction of the exercises, the profiles of the evaluators, the regularity and form of the debriefings, etc. This has a strong impact on the reliability of the evaluation and the orientation given to the feedback. This has a strong impact on the reliability of the evaluation and the orientation given to the feedback. Thus, the timing of the feedback is decisive as it should not appear as a judgement. It should be based on concrete observations.

The consultant’s report must be precise, highlighting strengths and reservations. It must show the consequences of the behaviours in activities, in a transparent dialogue. The aim here is to promote awareness.

For its part, the responsiveness of the participant being assessed should make it possible to orient the conclusion of the exchanges towards a development plan broken down into three parts:

• actions that the employee can implement directly,
• recommendations made to the line manager who acts as a coach on a daily basis,
• and those addressed to the company’s HR department for a tailor-made training or coaching course.

 
In summary, the impact of the Assessment Centre on the organisation is important. Therefore, it should be very carefully situated in the human resources policy and open communication should be practised.
It is a powerful tool, geared certainly to selection, but above all to the development of employees in an increasingly demanding world.

About the Assessment Center

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