We're experts on all things Management & HR
Assessment centres as methods of personnel selection
Written by John Berry on 28th February 2019. Revised 19th February 2025.
6 min read
An assessment centre is where a number of candidates participate together, undertaking exercises as selection tests while being observed and rated by multiple assessors. The candidates are effectively in competition but must also cooperate. Assessment centres can replace interviews and a host of other tools as methods of employee selection but they are misunderstood and controversial. Here's why.
Staff career development: what approach for managers?
Written by John Berry on 22nd September 2017. Revised 17th February 2025.
7 min read
The nature of work and careers have changed. Despite myth, the average employee tenure is still over eight years. And in that time staff must grow. When it comes to employee career development, you, as manager, have a clear decision to make and that decision depends on the relationship your firm has with the worker. You'd best take a contingency approach: develop your knowledge workers, give opportunity to your foot-soldiers, make alliances with your specialists and hire your contractors when needed.
Effective recruitment tools
Written by John Berry on 28th November 2018. Revised 17th February 2025.
5 min read
All managers will interview candidates for jobs with their firm. Each interview, as the single selection instrument, must be designed to give evidence against all decision criteria. Interview alone is unable to be that good. Indeed, no single selection instrument is that good. We recommend the use of a number of ‘tools’ to support the interview. Read about those tools here.
Deterministic Recruitment: getting recruitment right first time
Written by John Berry on 31st May 2017. Revised 17th February 2025.
3 min read
If a manager can express the traits and abilities of candidates such that search turns up truly viable candidates; if the search itself targets just the right people; and if selection tests for exactly what's needed, then the hiring manager avoids wasting everyone’s time and avoids lost turnover and profits. It's deterministic recruitment: getting it right first time. Here's how.
Recruitment, Search and Selection: get it right
Written by John Berry on 31st May 2017. Revised 13th February 2025.
5 min read
When assessing job candidates, a manager is trying to predict which candidate will perform best in a specific role. It makes sense therefore to use a selection process that will give an optimum prediction and it should come as no surprise that a thirty minute friendly chat and other ‘light’ selection methods come well down on the effective prediction league table. Here's a comprehensive discussion on how to get recruitment right.
Volunteer leadership: a never-ending machine
Written by John Berry on 22nd January 2025.0
6 min read
Leaders cause followers to do stuff – stuff that they might not do but for leadership interventions. Leadership is often promoted as a one-on-many phenomenon with the leader espousing policy or plans. It is best thought of, and best done, one-to-one. It’s best thought of as dyadic and done leader to follower. Leadership is a never-ending machine where the leader sets goals, selects leadership interventions, acts, monitors success & failure, and repeats: forever.
