London Ambulance Service selects top talent with custom-built assessment

May 1, 2012 - PRLog -- Talent Q, the talent assessment specialist, has combined its personality questionnaire and its 360 degree feedback process, and designed an assessment centre, to help London Ambulance Service select high potential participants for its talent management programme.

The selected participants undertake the two-year programme in addition to their regular work. They learn more about the different roles and functions of the Service, they undertake strategic projects and they receive one-to-one mentoring support from a director or deputy director.

“A key challenge for us is to develop future leaders who can go beyond established thinking,” said Jo Lynn, Learning & Organisational Development Manager at London Ambulance Service. “We created this programme to engage our talent and to help them achieve their potential. We knew that identifying the right people would be a real challenge and we were determined to create a selection process that was objective, fair and relevant.”

After being shortlisted via a competency-based application form, the candidates complete Talent Q’s Dimensions personality questionnaire, which the company has mapped against the Service’s competency framework. They also undertake Talent Q’s MultiView 360 degree feedback process.

“Dimensions shows an individual’s work preferences and MultiView shows how they operate in practice,” said Jo Lynn. “Talent Q’s assessments are more specific and pragmatic than some others we have used. They’re firmly rooted in the work environment.”

Talent Q designed bespoke exercises to be run within the half-day assessment centre and its Head of L&D served as an independent invigilator.

“Anyone who has ever run an assessment centre will tell you that the amount of work involved is huge, both in terms of the administration and the analysis,” said Jo Lynn. “Talent Q provided all of this seamlessly for us and that was a huge benefit. The insights gained from the combination of assessments, together with the assessment centre, give you a complete and rounded picture of each candidate.”

Talent Q has provided training for internal assessors at the Service, to enable them to undertake the assessment process independently in the future.

“Our intention was always to develop our own capability and Talent Q have given us everything we need to run the process indefinitely by ourselves,” said Jo Lynn. “This programme gives us an opportunity to recognise and reward key people who could shape the future of our service. Thanks to Talent Q, we now have an established and objective process for selecting the participants for this important programme.”

For further information, please call Talent Q on +44 (0)1844 218980 or visit www.talentqgroup.com

Background notes: London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the UK’s busiest emergency ambulance service. Its 5,000 staff serve more than 7.5 million people who live and work in the London area, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. www.londonambulance.nhs.uk

Talent Q provides personality, ability and competency assessments that support recruitment, development, the identification of high potential, team building, coaching and talent management. For further information about Talent Q, please call Claire Rahmatallah on +44 (0)1844 218980 or email her at ClaireRahmatallah@talentqgroup.com