An assessment, or assessment center, evaluates a person based on behaviors observed in realistic situations. The person takes a semi-structured psychological interview and several simulations close to the role, observed by trained people using a shared rating grid, after completing psychometric inventories online.

A semi-structured interview follows the same framework and the same rating criteria for all candidates, with a prepared panel. It suits a high-stakes 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 what people declare to what they do: the person is observed in realistic situations, and these observations are combined with a semi-structured psychological interview based on the inventories they completed. A first twenty-minute call, free of charge, helps choose the right format.

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

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.

Victor Jaques, psychologist FSP, runs the assessment. He never observes alone: at least two trained people observe each simulation, with a shared rating grid, to limit cognitive biases.

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

• it observes behaviors in situations close to the role;

• it brings together 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 starts 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.

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.

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 intervention starts, in a contract. All of this complies with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and the GDPR. Anyone can request a copy of their data.

A recruitment 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.

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.

The organization is involved in the assessment because the exercises are drawn from the reality of the role and the debrief is discussed together. The organization thus has more material for an informed decision, which remains theirs.