Selection Systems

Internal Bench Marking:

A radical approach to recruitment and selection

Imagine what your company could achieve if all of your managers and staff were as good as your top performers, or even better.

This is not just wishful thinking. There is nothing mysterious about excellence. Excellence can be objectively identified, analysed and predicted.

And excellence is not just desirable, it is essential. In today's competitive market, competence is not enough: to succeed, you must hire individuals with the potential to take the business forward. MCM can develop selection systems which enable you to achieve these goals.

Our clients are demanding. They want selection systems which accurately predict a candidate's potential to succeed within their particular organisation. They know all the limitations of `generic' psychometric procedures such as OPQ and 16PF. They will not accept cumbersome and expensive systems which involve using outside people to interview the candidates, then having to wait for written reports before decisions can be made.

Our clients want to get meaningful, detailed, reliable information from the selection process. And they want it fast. They want systems that can be used to assess people internally, for promotion or developmental reasons, as well as being suitable for hiring people externally. They want procedures that allow straightforward administration, interpretation and assessments. They want excellence. And we provide it.

We produce recruitment and selection systems that are designed to be administered and interpreted completely in house. Our systems are efficient and are designed to be integrated into the company's existing procedures. Relevant personnel from the client organisation work in partnership with MCM to develop the system. They are then fully trained on its administration and the interpretation of the results. Techniques for giving effective feedback, to both individual candidates and hiring managers, are explained and practised.

Consistency and objectivity are achieved allowing a uniform standard of hiring decisions to be made. The systems produce reliable information about the individual which is presented in a way that allows the hiring manager to make an informed decision on the overall suitability of the candidate.

Our recruitment systems not only help to screen people out, they actively target potential candidates to screen them in. It can be hard to attract sufficient numbers of the right calibre candidates, especially in inner city areas, or in less than `glamorous' roles.

We undertake detailed job analyses with our clients and then write effective job advertisements designed to attract the right people. Advice is given as to the most suitable publications used to net the highest return on cost, in terms of quality and quantity, of respondents.

In addition, we design and produce recruitment videos which are used to inform and impress potential candidates. These give realistic and memorable representations of the scope and nature of the work, as well as accurately portraying the type of person currently successful within the position.

Our clients appreciate the speed and efficiency with which they are able to process candidates, benefitting both the organisation and the candidates, who are frequently themselves customers.

Most importantly, we listen to our clients. We spend time researching their needs and their environment, before collaborating with them to design systems which work for them. We give them the tools which allow them to control their decision making process.

MCM research has extensive experience in developing selection procedures for leading companies in the financial services, aviation, leisure and hospitality industries, such as The Prudential, National Air Traffic Services, Irish Life Assurance, Whitbread and Bass.

Specialist `niche' selection

In addition, clients have used us to develop specialist selection and assessment procedures which identify the candidates' potential in specific areas which are considered crucial to their success. These often involve skills and abilities which cannot be assessed using standard selection tests and interviews. For example, we have developed selection procedures which assess the potential of candidate pub managers to deal effectively with conflict and aggression. These have been shown to provide highly accurate predictions, and are currently being used successfully by leading brewers and pub/retail companies.

If you would like to talk to us about any recruitment or selection problems, we would welcome the opportunity to share our ideas.

Identify excellence

Design effective systems

Attract the right people

Our experience

MCM Research Ltd., 27/28 St. Clements, Oxford UK OX4 1AB.

Tel: +44 (0)1865 204211 Fax: +44 (0) 1865 793137