An assessment, or assessment center, evaluates a person based on their behavior observed in situations. After completing psychometric inventories online, they go through a semi-structured psychological interview and several simulations close to the role, observed by trained people using a shared grid. The assessment observes above all behavior at work, what are commonly called soft skills. This practice predicts a share of job performance that cognitive ability tests and personality inventories do not capture (Meriac et al., 2008). The assessment therefore does not replace the other tools: it brings what they do not show. It also provides an estimate of the person’s potential, along with support suggestions to help them settle into their new environment.

They are three moments of the same decision.

• Recruitment assessment takes place before hiring a person from outside the organization. It helps choose between finalists.

• Development assessment (or development center) takes place before a promotion or an internal move. It estimates the gap between what a person already in a role masters today and what the new role will demand, with suggestions to support them.

• Coaching takes place once the person is in the role. It is support over time, over six or nine sessions.

270° or 360° feedback is a tool in support of coaching.

An assessment and a skills review differ by who they are for and by format. A skills review is carried out for the individual, who is its only recipient: it is used, among other things, to build a career plan. It takes place over several one-to-one sessions. An assessment is carried out for the organization that has to make a hiring or promotion decision. It takes place once, over half a day to a day. The person assessed also benefits: they gain from Victor Jaques’s perspective and can use it to develop.

No, an assessment is not a personality inventory. A psychometric inventory is a questionnaire in which the person describes themselves. The assessment observes what they do in situations close to the role. The two methods are, however, complementary.

Depending on the role, an assessment combines several of these formats:

• validated psychometric tests and inventories, completed online beforehand;

• a semi-structured psychological interview, based on the content of the psychometric inventories;

• case studies drawn from the reality of the role and the organization;

• role plays.

The dimensions assessed are not announced to candidates. Knowing how to read what a new situation demands is a useful skill at work (Jansen et al., 2013), and announcing the criteria neutralizes it. Ratings from an assessment whose dimensions are not announced predict job performance better than those from a transparent assessment (Ingold et al., 2016). Everything else is transparent: how the day runs, what will be passed on and to whom.

Because the exercises are drawn from the reality of the role and the feedback is discussed together. The organization thus has more material for an informed decision, which remains theirs.

Managerial potential is assessed through a development assessment. The person is observed in simulations close to the target role, with a shared rating grid. These observations are combined with a semi-structured psychological interview, based on validated psychometric inventories. The summary describes the gap between the observed behaviors and those the role demands, and what can be worked on. It helps the organization decide on a promotion, and the person prepare for taking up the role. Finally, throughout the process, the feedback given to the person often reveals how they take it on board.

A recruitment assessment takes place at the end of the process, when the organization has kept two or three finalists and CVs and interviews no longer make it possible to tell them apart. The summary then serves as a basis for onboarding the chosen person once in the role, thanks to the support suggestions.

A recruitment assessment suits specialists, project leads and managers who supervise team members, managers of managers, heads of unit and executive team members. The level of the role influences the exercises and the flat fee.

A recruitment assessment with Victor Jaques takes place in five steps:

1. Scope the role. Victor Jaques clarifies the need with the people concerned.

2. Build the exercises. He designs them with them. The exercises reproduce real situations of the role, because the best indicator of a behavior remains a sample of that same behavior (Wernimont & Campbell, 1968). International guidelines require it too (Rupp et al., 2015).

3. Run the assessment. On the day set with the organization, candidates take the psychological interview, based on the psychometric inventories completed online beforehand, then the exercises.

4. Hand over the summary. Within 24 hours.

5. Debrief, if needed. Victor Jaques meets the people who decide to discuss the results.

The assessment lasts half a day to a day depending on the role. It can take place at the organization’s premises, by video call or in a neutral room.

A semi-structured interview follows the same outline and the same rating criteria for all candidates, with a prepared panel. It suits a sensitive hire and relies mostly on what the person says about themselves. The assessment comes later, between finalists, when the decision remains hard to make. It moves from the declarative to the behavioral: the person is observed in situations, and these observations are combined with a semi-structured psychological interview, based on the inventories they have completed. A first twenty-minute call, free of charge, makes it possible to choose the right format.

For each person, the summary presents the observed behaviors, strengths, development areas, sources of motivation, the demands of the role and support suggestions once in the job. It stays short: the essential information to decide. It ends with a reasoned recommendation and is handed to the commissioning organization, which makes the decision.

Yes, the people assessed receive feedback if they ask for it. Clear, respectful and frank feedback supports the person’s development and positively feeds the organization’s image. Victor Jaques’s view of people remains positive: the outcome of an assessment serves the organization as well as the person assessed.

This feedback also serves the organization’s employer brand. People who judge a process to be fair find the organization more attractive and are more likely to recommend it (Hausknecht et al., 2004). Explaining the process clearly improves this perception of fairness on its own (Truxillo et al., 2009). Clear, respectful feedback at the end of the process, even in case of rejection, is part of the candidate experience.

A recruitment or development assessment is offered at a flat fee, on two levels depending on the role assessed: specialists, project leads and managers who supervise team members, or managers of managers, heads of unit and executive team members. The flat fee covers two people assessed for the same position, excluding VAT. Each additional person adds one third of the flat fee. The first call is free.

A hiring mistake costs twice. First, while the person holds the role. In executive and highly skilled roles, performance gaps are considerable: the top 1% of performers produce more than double an average person (127% more), against about half as much again (52%) in a simple role. Selecting better therefore yields almost two and a half times more output per person hired in those roles (Hunter et al., 1990). Second, through its effects on the team: a poor fit between the person and the role often creates tension, absorbs management time and can trigger departures, which weigh on the organization’s results (Hancock et al., 2013). Against that cost, an assessment can prove a particularly profitable investment.

Yes, a recruitment assessment reduces the risk of a poor choice, without ever removing it. An assessment reduces the margin of error, and no tool offers certainty: such a promise should raise suspicion. It is a powerful tool, provided you know its limits:

• it observes behaviors in situations close to the role;

• it combines several perspectives and several methods;

• it provides information that cognitive ability tests and psychometric inventories alone do not give (Meriac et al., 2008);

• it ends with a clear recommendation, with support suggestions that help the person express their skills once in the role.

It also has a lesser-known benefit: the organization begins the collaboration with more accurate expectations. Feedback that strengthens a person’s confidence in their abilities can also improve their motivation and performance, even if the effect fades (McNatt & Judge, 2004). The assessment thus informs the decision and prepares the ground for the collaboration to start on a good footing.

It depends on the timing: a development assessment when a promotion is still to be decided, coaching when it has already been decided or when a key person is going through a difficult period. Three situations come up often.

A promotion to decide. An assessment puts the person in situations that match the demands of the target role. The organization decides on a solid basis, and the summary points to what needs work. If the promotion is confirmed, coaching then supports the transition into the role.

A promotion already decided. Coaching directly supports the transition into the role: the first months, the manager’s stance, the expectations to clarify. A 270° or 360° can be part of it, to increase the reach of the change.

A key person going through a difficult period, with too heavy a workload, doubts or a loss of drive. Coaching, without prior evaluation, helps them regain their footing and act. If the difficulty goes beyond the professional sphere, Victor Jaques says so and points to the appropriate help.

Yes, an organization can request the assessment of an internal person for a role: that is the purpose of the development assessment. It brings an outside opinion, without the organization’s HR department having to handle the file. If the organization wishes, the assessment takes place in a neutral and discreet room outside its walls.

A development assessment with Victor Jaques takes place in five steps:

1. 1

   Scope the role. Victor Jaques clarifies with the people concerned the reality of the target role: the critical skills, the constraints, the tensions.

2. 2

   Build the exercises. He designs them with them, from real situations of the role.

3. 3

   Run the assessment. On the day set with the organization, the internal candidates take the semi-structured psychological interview, based on validated psychometric inventories, then the exercises.

4. 4

   Hand over the summary. Within 24 hours, with support suggestions to prepare the transition into the role.

5. 5

   Debrief, if needed. Victor Jaques meets the people who decide to discuss the results.

The assessment can take place at the organization’s premises, by video call or in a neutral and discreet room outside its walls.

The simulation takes half a day to a day, depending on the role and the number of exercises. It is preceded by a scoping of the role and the building of the exercises with subject-matter experts. The date is set with the organization and the person assessed. The summary reaches the organization within 24 hours after the assessment.

Coaching is one-to-one support over six or nine sessions, during which the person works with Victor Jaques on professional goals that matter to them. He does not tell them what to do: he helps them step back, clarify what they want and find their own solutions, then put them into practice. It is a development measure: an organization offers it to people it believes in. It is neither an evaluation, nor a sanction, nor therapy, and it does not replace the role of their manager.

Yes. Victor Jaques does not accept any coaching carried out against the person’s will. Moreover, the person can stop the coaching whenever they wish.

Coaching lasts three to six months between scoping and review, and up to a year when the situation requires it. With 270° or 360° feedback, a second measurement and a review meeting take place one year after the kick-off.

Coaching is offered at a flat fee, depending on its length: short coaching of six sessions, or long coaching of nine sessions. The format is chosen at the scoping stage. Depending on the results, it is possible to stop or extend a coaching. Fees provided on request, excluding VAT. The first call is free.

Coaching includes up to nine sessions, at the pace of the person being coached. Two of them, the kick-off and the closing, bring together the person, their manager and Victor Jaques. After stepping back from their situation, the person tries out new ways of doing things in real situations, between sessions, then adjusts them. An interim checkpoint with the organization covers progress on the agreed areas and the observable changes at work.

The neutrality of coaching is ensured by a three-party agreement, signed before the first session by the organization, the person being coached and Victor Jaques. It sets what will be passed on and what will remain confidential. The person’s reflections belong to them; conclusions that concern the organization are meant to be shared. The summary intended for the manager is first submitted to the person: without their agreement, nothing is passed on. This confidentiality makes everything else possible.

360° feedback gathers the views of many people in the professional circle (management, peers, the team) and that of the person themselves on how they work. Without the team, it is called 270°. Victor Jaques uses an instrument centered on the managerial behaviors that research associates with manager effectiveness (Yukl, 2012). The instrument covers what the person does, and therefore what can be worked on. It thus avoids vague feedback, or feedback aimed at the person themselves, on which they cannot act. Victor Jaques offers it when the situation calls for it, and only then.

When delivering the results, Victor Jaques keeps a fair distance from the comments, positive and above all negative. The feedback is honest and transparent: neither belittling nor, above all, watered down. It is delivered in session and discussed with the person, who is then supported in taking action (Atwater et al., 2007; Smither et al., 2005; Bracken & Rose, 2011).

An evaluation process is the set of tools, criteria and rules that an organization uses to evaluate people when hiring, promoting or developing them. It relies on tools such as the competency framework, interview grids, tests and psychometric inventories.

No. Most of the gains come from bringing existing processes into line with one another, whose contradictions stem from the organization’s history more than from deliberate choices. Resolving them can reduce processing time, selection errors and cost per hire. If nothing exists, Victor Jaques builds the system from end to end.

The revision takes from a few weeks to several months, depending on the scale of the project. Victor Jaques remains available for a review session after a few months of use.

An evaluation process (recruitment, annual reviews, promotions) should be reviewed when it produces contested or unsuccessful decisions, or uses too many resources for the result obtained. Victor Jaques starts with a diagnosis of what exists, redesigns the process with the people who keep it alive, supports its implementation, then follows the results over time: indicators, analyses, adjustments. This expertise (interview grids, test calibration, training on the tools) is rare in-house, hence the value of calling on an external adviser when needed. The service is quote-based.

Psychometric inventories are used as a complement, never as the sole decision criterion. They are chosen for their documented psychometric qualities and their length is proportionate to the process.

Yes, the measurement instruments Victor Jaques uses are chosen for their documented psychometric quality. His grids, plans and working tools are interview aids: they help structure the conversation, without claiming to objectify the person. These tools complement the dialogue, they do not replace it. The scientific references used appear in the Scientific sources section of the Tools page.

Victor Jaques uses artificial intelligence to help draft documents (spelling and syntax checks), never for analysis. The portrait he paints of the people he meets is the fruit of his experience.

It is a system that spots people with potential and prepares moves from one role to another. Victor Jaques optimizes or builds it with the competent people in the organization: diagnosis of the situation, co-built system, tools the teams can take over, then follow-up over time with a review after a first cycle. The goal: a system its users truly adopt. Follow-up over time, to correct what needs correcting, is essential and included in the approach. The service is quote-based.

Summaries and files are stored in Switzerland, on kDrive (Infomaniak). Only Victor Jaques has access, with two-factor authentication, and summaries are sent through a secure link. Online questionnaires go through SoSci Survey, hosted in Germany and subject to the GDPR, with a signed data-processing agreement. Correspondence goes through Proton Mail, encrypted, in Switzerland. No data is stored in Microsoft 365 or on consumer tools. The summary and the signed agreement are kept for ten years, as provided by the FSP code of ethics, then destroyed. Working notes are deleted or anonymized no later than six months after the summary is handed over. The application file is deleted at the end of the engagement. What is passed on to the organization, and to whom, is defined before the engagement begins, in a contract. All of this complies with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and the GDPR. Every person can request a copy of their data.

Victor Jaques follows the framework of his profession: the Swiss Federal Act on Psychology Professions, the code of ethics of the Swiss Federation of Psychologists (FSP) and regular supervision. He takes a positive and respectful view of people, which remains clear-sighted.

Victor Jaques is a member of the Swiss Federation of Psychologists (FSP) and follows its code of ethics. His work also complies with the Swiss Federal Act on Psychology Professions. It rests on four principles. Respect first: each person keeps control of their choices, their dignity and privacy are protected, and what is said stays confidential. Competence next, with scientifically recognized methods and continuing education. Responsibility, which means never causing harm and giving rigorous, transparent opinions. And finally integrity: the framework is clear from the start, with no conflict of interest.

Victor Jaques, psychologist FSP, runs the assessment. He has more than 6 years of evaluation practice and has designed and run more than 150 assessments. He holds an MSc in Counseling and Career Psychology (UNIL), a MAS in Management, Human Resources and Careers, and a CAS in Change Management (HEC Lausanne).

No, Victor Jaques never observes an assessment alone. At least two trained people take part, with a shared grid and one person responsible for the summary, to limit cognitive biases.

Victor Jaques is based in Fribourg and Lausanne. He works throughout French-speaking Switzerland (Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Valais, Jura) and in Bern, in French, as well as in Zurich and German-speaking Switzerland, in English. Depending on the service, assessments, sessions and workshops take place at the organization’s premises, by video call or in a neutral room, which suits internal candidates.

Victor Jaques replies within 24 hours to anyone who gets in touch. After an assessment, the summary is delivered within 24 hours. Setting up a system requires meeting the person who recruits and, sometimes, a specialist in the role. The schedule depends on everyone’s calendars. Victor Jaques deliberately keeps a limited volume of engagements, to stay available and agile.

A collaboration with Victor Jaques starts with a first twenty-minute call, free of charge, by video call or in person, to clarify the need. He then sends a written proposal, at an announced flat fee or by quote, and the organization decides.