Selecting Talent

Full executive assessment

Standard
assessment

Preliminary
screen

Group
firefighter
assessment

Full executive assessment

Our Full Executive Assessments are appropriate for senior management and executive roles. They provide the hiring team with: (a) critical information regarding candidates’ readiness to assume the duties and responsibilities of the role for which they are being considered; (b) professional-development planning recommendations specific to the needs of each candidate, and; (c) assessment of the likelihood candidates will underperform should they be appointed to the position.

In addition to identifying job-related strengths and development needs, our assessments can validate impressions arrived at through interviews, pinpoint areas that should be investigated further, and identify candidate qualities and characteristics that would not otherwise come to light.

Full executive assessments are focused, primarily, on four areas of leadership competence

Problem Solving and Decision Making

assessing a candidate’s ability to quickly become effective in the job, handle the complexity of issues encountered, and make solid decisions in a timely manner. Critical thinking, innovative thinking, conceptual thinking and financial analysis are among the qualities assessed.

Work Application

assessing a candidate’s motivation, energy, and work focus. Achievement orientation, planning and organizing skills, and personal resilience are among the qualities assessed.

People Skills

assessing a candidate’s ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with key stakeholders, including members of the organisation’s governance body, other executives, direct reports, counterparts from other agencies, and community group representatives. Communication, team-building, and people management are among the skills assessed.

Leadership Potential

assessing the extent to which a candidate possesses the constellation of qualities associated with success in leadership roles. Vision, conflict management, strategic orientation, and decision-making are among the leadership qualities assessed.

Full assessments also include identification of potential “derailers” – identifying personal characteristics that have been shown to undermine leadership effectiveness and create negative consequences for the organisation, its employees, and other stakeholders.

Full Executive Assessment Process

Our candidate assessment process consists of the following steps:

BLA confers with the hiring team to review the demands of the job to be filled, the organisational culture, and the competencies required for success.

Candidates are scheduled for assessment activities, including the completion of a battery of online questionnaires and attendance at an interview with a Corporate Psychologist (either in-person or via video conferencing).

The interview and test results are analysed and evaluated against the specific job demands and performance expectations to be placed upon the successful candidate. Special attention is paid to areas likely to limit candidate effectiveness, as well as to strengths upon which candidates may build.

Written summary reports are prepared and provided to the hiring team documenting BLA’s evaluation of each candidate.

The Corporate Psychologist reviews the assessment results with the hiring team and discusses the implications of those results for a successful hire. At this time, the hiring team is encouraged to ask the Corporate Psychologist pointed questions and explore the candidates’ suitability in depth.

The Candidates are provided with an opportunity to meet with the Corporate Psychologist to obtain detailed feedback on their results.

BLA remain available to the hiring manager and the successful candidate for guidance and advice via telephone during the first year following the candidate’s appointment to the position.

Standard assessment

Our Standard assessments are appropriate for supervisory, middle-management, and individual contributor roles. They provide the hiring team with critical information focused on candidates’ readiness to assume the duties and responsibilities of the role for which they are under consideration. Candidates’ key competencies are identified and a risk-of-failure assessment is provided for each candidate.

Our standard assessments include identification of a candidates strengths, up to three areas in which development will increase the likelihood of success in the role for which the candidate is being considered, and reading and online resources for the candidate to access for their ongoing development

Standard assessments includes identification of a candidate’s strengths that can be leveraged for greater career success from the following four managerial competencies

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Work Application

assessing a candidate’s motivation, energy, and work focus. Achievement orientation, planning and organizing skills, and personal resilience are among the qualities assessed.

People Skills

assessing a candidate’s ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with key internal and external personnel and stakeholders. Communication, team-building, and people management are among the skills assessed.

Leadership Potential

assessing the extent to which a candidate possesses the constellation of qualities associated with success in leadership roles. Big picture thinking, conflict management, strategic thinking, and decision-making are among the leadership qualities assessed.

Standard Assessment Process:

A BLA consultant confers with the hiring team to gain an understanding of the demands of the position to be filled, the organisational culture, and the competencies required for success.

Candidates complete a battery of online questionnaires and attend an interview (in-person or via video conferencing) with a Corporate Psychologist.

The interview and test results are analysed and evaluated against the demands of the job and the performance expectations that will be placed on the successful candidate.

Written summary reports are prepared that document the evaluation of each candidate.

The Corporate Psychologist reviews the assessment results with the hiring team and discusses the implications of those results for a successful hire. At this time, the hiring team is encouraged to ask pointed questions and explore the candidates’ suitability in depth.

Candidates are provided with an opportunity to meet with the Corporate Psychologist to obtain detailed feedback on their results.

BLA remain available for follow-up discussions and advice by telephone during the twelve months following a candidate’s appointment to a position.

Preliminary screen

Sometimes organisations lack the time or resources for a more robust assessment, or they simply want a basic screen of a candidate’s psychological profile that includes bullet points of strengths and potential weaknesses. In these instances, our preliminary screen may be the best approach.

The preliminary screen includes four to five tests that can be completed by candidates within 1.5-2 hours, along with a brief interview with a BLA consultant. The results are presented in a two-page report: including a fit for the role percentile, competency bar graph, and a brief narrative of results highlights.

Group firefighter assessment

Canadian municipalities have been utilizing our firefighter competency screening services for 40 years because of the many benefits psychological screening provides.

Candidates are tested in three broad areas of competence: intellect; character; interests. The competencies were identified as critical for firefighter performance through job analyses and have been updated over time to reflect technological changes in the role and customized to meet the demands placed on firefighters by specific fire departments.

Candidates are evaluated against a large database of Canadian firefighter applicants as well as applicants in the same competition. Results include a final score for each candidate that ranks their overall suitability for the role and how they compare against their testing cohort on each competency assessed.

Intellectual scores index a candidate’s learning and problem-solving strengths as they relate to firefighting. Character scores index a candidate’s personal and interpersonal strengths as they relate to firefighting. Interest scores index a candidate’s work interests as they relate to firefighting.

All of our firefighter profiles now include three special indicators: stress resistance, leadership potential, and counterproductive workplace behaviour.

Our screening services involve large group assessments of up to 150 candidates per session when conducted in-person, and an unlimited number of candidates when conducted online. In-person testing sessions typically last 3-4 hours and are administered and proctored by a BLA consultant. Candidates are given the same set of psychometric tests at the same time in controlled conditions. The parameters for completion of online tests are determined by the department, although we usually recommend a 12-24 hour window for all candidates for test completion. Online tests are proctored remotely.

Transform your selection process

If you’re interested in learning more about how we work and how we can help you with assessment, competency testing and coaching, please reach out, we’re here to help find the best possible candidates for your team.