Baldwin Gilman Adds Formal Behavioral Assessment To Retained Search Process

To ensure we’re selecting the absolute best candidates (experience, skills and “fit”), Baldwin Gilman is pleased to announce the addition of the BG Behavioral Assessment into our retained search process. We believe we are the first executive search and recruiting firm in the Cincinnati area to do so. When combined with our face-to-face interviews, the assessment provides added information about each candidate which helps us better assess whether their natural behaviors are a good fit for a position.

The assessment tool we’re using, Professional DynaMetrics Program (PDP), is a non-threatening, quick, easy and reliable survey. It is one of the most advanced instruments available. The survey examines combinations of specific traits that affect how a person works most effectively and reacts under stress. BG is currently using two PDP modules:

• JobScan allows a company to ‘define’ the behaviors and traits required for a specific job. It provides a benchmark of the behavior needed for success in the position.
• ProScan is an online survey that takes only minutes for a candidate to complete yet yields a wealth of information about their work style and behavioral traits. The information gleaned from the survey provides insights that might not otherwise be readily apparent. It focuses on strengths and motivators and the results are shared with the candidate as well as us and the potential employer. We have already seen how adding this tool to our normal repertoire of candidate assessment provides additional insight and discussion points for interviews.

As an example, successful salespeople are typically extroverts with a high energy level. A company requiring these behaviors along with, a high level of detail orientation, can develop the JobScan profile with these traits and then compare it to each candidate’s ProScan to determine which candidates might best match the desired characteristics.

For companies, the BG Behavioral Assessment offers a number of benefits. The first, of course, is that it enhances the employee selection process. It can also enhance managerial competencies and improve organizational effectiveness when the JobScan and ProScan are used together.

To reinforce its validity and accuracy, all Baldwin Gilman employees were asked to complete the ProScan portion. Everyone was quite surprised at how well the survey ‘nailed’ their behaviors! Our own Michele Plessinger has received extensive training from PDP and is a Certified PDP Administrator. According to Michele, “When we ask our clients what it takes to be successful in their job and company, they give us a list of soft skills like high energy or decisiveness. Now we have a tool (the ProScan) to add to our candidate interview process that provides additional insights into a candidate’s natural traits and behaviors because it reveals the candidate’s natural softer skills (like energy level). We can even take it a step further and compare it to the JobScan (the client’s job model), enabling us to match the candidate to the job on those key skills.”

The BG Behavioral Assessment is immediately available and is automatically included in all retained searches. It is available for contingent searches at an additional cost. Please contact Michele to learn more about how the product works and how Baldwin Gilman has been using it in our candidate assessments to date.