Assessment & Development

Psychometric personlaity assessment designed to reveal aspects on a cadnidate’s character and motivation in relation to their occupation.

• Administrative Skills
• Critical Reasoning Tests
• Management & Executive Item Bank

Scores generated for each candidate will include a norm based score (e.g. better than 60% of the comparison group).

This suite of computer based tests is designed to measure individual’s skills in using Microsoft Office Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook programmes. These tests are suitable when selecting candidates for jobs that require good knowledge in using computers, such as administrative staff.

• MS Word – core and expert
• MS Access – core and expert
• MS Excel – core and expert
• MS PowerPoint – core and expert
• MS Outlook – core

Competency based interviews are behavioural interviews including questions that ask candidates to demonstrate that they have a particular skill or a “key competency” the firm is looking for. Candidates will be asked to do this, using situational examples from their life experiences, to illustrate their personality, skill set and individual competencies to the interviewer. The interview usually takes 45 minutes depending on the number of competencies incorporated, which usually does not exceed four competencies.

The Online Placement Test is an adaptive computer-based test of English language proficiency. The test takes approximately 45 minutes to complete, during which the student answers multiple-choice questions. Depending on the answers the student gives, the level of the test adapts to the ability of the student. Areas assessed are: vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening.

We design English and Arabic writing tests that are aimed to measure the candidates’ skills in terms of cohesion, content, structure and use of the language (vocabulary and grammar). The topics are varied and selected to match the purpose of the assessment. For example, the tests could ask the candidate to write a letter for administrative jobs recruitment or differences between conventional and Islamic banks for a compliance officer. Essays are then marked by our language specialists.

Candidates are given a file of papers providing information about issues that need to be addressed. Tasks include sorting and organising this information, prioritising the different issues, making decisions and writing reports. A range of exercises are available under the following categories: strategic, operational, customer contact and tactical.

We also have a new online in-tray exercise which simulates an online desktop environment. Each multimedia exercise includes three components set within the same fictional organization: email issues that require a response (similar to an Inbox or In-basket), an Analysis Exercise including a briefing call and an Interview Simulation (or Roleplay).

Managerial Scenarios is a unique test of Managerial Judgement – an individual’s ability to decide on effective ways of handling real life situations. It consists of hypothetical scenarios, each followed by several possible responses. Candidates rate the effectiveness of each response, using a 6-point scale, from highly undesirable to highly desirable. It can be used for recruitment, selection, training and development, performance management and coaching in a variety of functions and industries.

Management Scenarios therefore measures:

• Managerial Judgement – overall assessment
• Managing Objectives – making best use of energies, prioritisation, consultation, and alignment with objectives.
• People Management – managing a team, balancing people issues with motivation and performance, coaching/counselling, leading and encouraging.
• Reputation Management – Supporting, sustaining and being positive about the organisation. Managing your manager, protecting the reputation of the organisation

Candidates are assessed through a role play exercise.  Their performance will be observed throughout the exercise and their strengths and weakness will be assessed depending on the competencies required for the job they have applied for.  The content and context of the exercise will vary according to the organization and the role they have applied for.

Presentation exercises are often used as a selection assessment for position that require high level of presenting information such as sales, business development, PR, marketing.  The topic of the presentation will vary according to the requirement of the organization and the preparation persiod may vary from being given the informaiton with 30 minutes to prepare to being given in advance of the assessment centre date.  The presentaion excerises can assess the following factors:

• Communication skills
• Confidence
• Remaining calm under pressure
• Persuasion and influence
• Public speaking
• Analysis skills and replay information
• Verbal ability

Candidates are asked to work together in order to complete a particular task. The set of competencies assessed can change depending on the exercise and the client request. Each candidate is observed and assessed throughout the exercise by a trained assessor. A range of group exercises are available under the following categories: strategic, operational, customer contact and tactical.

During the feedback session, candidates will receive feedback about their performance in the assessment- especially their personality profile and report. The purpose of the session is to give candidates feedback about their potential areas of strength as well as development and propose individual development plans for them to consider for the future. The session will take 45 minutes – one hour per candidate and will be delivered by a specialised consultant.

Coaching is ultimately an act of human resource development. It is the first step in improving performance, which includes raising awareness about strengths and areas for development, exploring fresh perspectives and solutions to different issues, improving relationships and communication, as well as reducing stress, empowering employees and building confidence. Coaching is a great approach for developing leadership skills, creativity and encouraging individuals to think outside the box.

Candidates undergo assessment which provides them an understanding of how their behavioural competency strengths (based on preferred style) are related to the types of role they are most likely to enjoy and be good at.  The report also enables the candidate to under how their personal style may impact on their approach to exploring career options.  It identifies which aspects of personal style may prove to be strength or a challenge in this context.  The assessment is followed by a feedback session that helps coach the candidate into understanding ways of working around potential challenges and an in-depth look at their competency strengths and link these to potential job roles.

Journey

‘Journey’ is designed to give graduates the best start to their career, helping an organization to attract and retain the best people and deliver improved performance across the graduate population of an organization.  It is a mobile app that takes the graduate recruits through a series of on-the-job exercises designed to develop emotional self-awareness, self-management, empathy, influence and teamwork.  This app utilizes gamification techniques to create an enjoyable and inspiring learning experience.

Coach in a Pocket

‘Coach in a Pocket’ helps managers change their leadership behaviours over time.  Based on the candidate’s results from the Leadership Style and Organizational Climate Assessment, the app shows the manager’s developmental areas and what they need to work on.  This app helps them build their action plan and work towards achieving the goals set.

A special workshop can be designed to evaluate the way employees perceive the corporate culture in relation to four main domains: Performance, Human Resources, Decision Making and Relationships. Each domain is further analysed into specific scales or dimensions. The workshop can be stretched to include group discussions and recommendations related to the corporate culture. This workshop can either be conducted as stand alone, incorporated into a team building programme or offered with workplace coaching to help resolve any corporate culture issues with the employees.

Workshops can be designed especially for in-house training which focuses on different assessment tools and the role of competencies within an organization – this can range from introduction to competencies, different tools used to assess competenices to  developing a competency framework.  Also specialised courses can be cutomised to help develop the competencies of the employees in your organization.

Team building exercises consist of a variety of tasks designed to develop group members and their ability to work together effectively. There are many types of team building activities that range from kids games to games that involve novel and complex tasks designed for specific needs. There are also more complex team building exercises that are composed of multiple exercises such as rope courses, corporate drumming and exercises that last over several days. The purpose of team building exercises is to assist teams in becoming cohesive units of individuals that can effectively work together to complete tasks.

We can create a customised test or case study using our team of specialised experts to meet your specific needs. These can vary from writing exercises in a special field such as HR, Finance, IT or Sales to more complex case studies. We can also provide the required assessment in either Arabic or English. Examples of what we have provided to clients include typing, translation and letter writing skills for various positions.

Training or Development Needs Analysis identifies developmental needs at employee, departmental and/or organizational level in order to help the organization to perform effectively.  The aim of training needs analysis is to ensure that training addresses existing problems, is tailored to organisational objectives, and is delivered in an effective manner.  This involves monitoring current performance using techniques such as observation, interviews and questionnaires, anticiapting future shortfalls or problems and identifying the type and level of training required and analysing how this can best be provided.

The Assessment and Development Centre offer a consultancy service in which we work with your HR department to advise on the assessments for recruitment and development. We conduct training needs analysis for your organization and help with the development of your employees as well as succession planning. Our consultancy services gives your organization its own assessment and development centre.

The Assessment and Development Centre offer a complimentary consultation session in which we help allign the needs of your employees with the training provided at BIBF. We help provide an initial consultation in which we work with your organization in matching our courses (standard offering and professional courses) with the development needs of your employees.