Performance management is achieved when continuous communication exists between a supervisor and an employee. This process helps the workforce to know that their roles are recognized and acknowledged. Performance management includes planning, checking-in meetings, and assessment.
Planning means that there will be a continuous review of expectations by the employees and myself. During check-in meetings, individual goals are analyzed and updated. Performance analysis would be useful to us in several ways including reducing the employees’ turnover and performance appraisal (Edenborough, 2005 ).
There are various assessment methods used by an organisation. These methods may be external or internal. Internal methods are used when an organization is hiring new employees or promoting the existing ones. External methods are employed in situations where an organization is hiring from outside.
Most assessment methods, for example cognitive ability tests, personality test, and integrity tests are meant for external selection. Other methods such as biographical data, job knowledge test, structured interviews and situation judgement are intended for both internal and external selection (Pulakos, 2005).
Job knowledge test measures the knowledge needed in the performance of a specific job. This test requires technical knowledge, and candidates with previous experiences have an added advantage. It is not viable to train candidates after the selection process. Job knowledge test consists of multiple-choice questions presented on a paper or computer.
Biographical data test focuses on assessing candidates regarding their background, personal traits and interests with the aim of effectively predict the candidates’ job performance. These tests are base on the principle that the predictor of the future performance is the past performance. Like the other two tests, biographical data test consists of multiple choices questions presented on a paper or computer.
Another test applicable to this context is a structured interview. Structured interview consists of a specific set of questions used to assess skills such as interpersonal, communication, planning and flexibility skills. Through this assessment, a standardized rating criterion is established to help the management in judging the effectiveness of the interviewee’s response. Candidates are normally trained on how to administer structured tests.
As a human resource manager, I will strategize on external assessments methods because they have demonstrated to be effective forms of assessment in the past interviews. These methods have high validity and cost effectiveness.
The external assessment methods are cognitive ability test, ability test, personality and integrity test (Pulakos, 2005). Cognitive ability test will enable me to measure mental abilities like verbal ability, mathematical ability, reasoning, reading and comprehension ability of my candidates. The candidates’ total score will represent a measure of their general mental abilities.
Since I have to assess the candidates’ traits applicable to the job performance, personality test will be necessary. Through this test, work situations like meticulousness, thoughtfulness and emotional stability will be determined (Guion, 1998).
Meticulousness is the main predictor of performance in our organisation, and thus a candidate with this skill will have an added advantage. Like the cognitive test, this test shall consist of multiple choice questions presented in a paper or a computer. To ensure effectiveness, this method is designed to reveal the candidates’ strengths and weakness.
The Integrity test measures attitudes and experiences related to individual’s sincerity, reliability and loyalty. For better results, the integrity test will be administered in the form of multiple-choice questions and presented on a paper or computer.
Lastly, situational judgement test provides candidates with situations encountered on the job and ways of tackling them. Candidates are advised to select the most appropriate and effective way of handling the various situations. As opposed to other tests, the situational test is quite difficult to design.
The test is administered in written format and feedback presented on a paper or a computer. For effective results, this assessment method will be allocated more times than the other tests. In the future, the company will use the next month’s interview data to analyze the organisations’ overall behaviour, as these assessment methods are designed to bring in the best employees available in the market.
References
Edenborough, R. (2005). Assessment methods in recruitment, selection & performance a manager’s guide to psychometric testing, interviews and assessment centres. London: Kogan Page.
Guion, R. M. (1998). Assessment, measurement, and prediction for personnel decisions. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Pulakos, E. D. (2005). Selection assessment methods: a guide to implementing formal assessments to build a high-quality workforce. Alexandria, VA: SHRM Foundations.