Assessment Plan

Assessment Plan

In our assessment plan for the recruitment of management accountant it is important to consider the process of selection and the method that will be utilised to choose the most qualified candidate for the role (Edenborough, 2005).  Implementing an assessment plan requires the validation of an appropriate assessment method which will be relevant for the recruitment for an accountant (Arthur Jr, Day, McNelly & Edens, 2003).

It is generally accepted in Griffith University (GU) through predictor date they have established over the years drawing upon the necessary KSAO’s required to perform jobs effectively for all position levels (Sackett and Lievens, 2008).  This predictor will help ascertain the appropriate person-job fit for the accountancy job (Phillips and Gully, 2014).  A valid assessment system involves the use of firstly a written application including a cover letter and resume followed by the requirement to participate in an interview and finally the provision to be checked against referees the applicant has provided in their application.  It is important to note for positions of a HEW Level nine it is also valid for a work test to be conducted to ascertain their suitability.  This extra form of face validity highlights Phillips and Gully (2014) highlights the need for GU to use further appropriate methods to measure and assess applicant’s suitability for the role.

The first stage that will be undertaken will be of submitting a written application comprising of a cover letter and resume.  This will outline what skills and qualifications the applicant offers and is commonly referred to as ‘screening the resume’ stage (Choi, Soon and Kleiner, p.62, 2002).  This stage, which can take its time to scroll through, is necessary to check the integrity of the applicant’s education, work history and also their relevant experience (Choi et al. 2002).  In their analysis Cole, Rubin, Field and Giles (2007) then note that organisations ‘screen out’ (p. 319) applicants who do not fit within the desired criteria.

The following approach of undertaking an evaluative approach (Phillips and Gully, 2014) helps GU ascertain how applicants can perform effectively within the university environment.  This evaluative step can includes interviews as well as in this case the use of a work test which is used by GU to assess work skills that cannot be identified by other techniques including interviews (Cole et al. 2007).  The adverse impact of work tests in some situations may reduce the validity but such predictors have become an essential component of GU’s selection process (Doornenbal, Stitselaar and Jansen, 2012).  A work test for instance to determine the applicants proficiency in computing accounting software can be used and assessed to determine their competency.

The interview process is a critical aspect of GU protocol.  Both management and supervisors as well as staff including HR practitioners have identified interviews as the preferred assessment method in almost all organisations including university type environments (Wilk and Cappelli, 2003).  It has been ascertained to use the STAR technique (Doornenbal et al. 2012).  In their research Doornenbal (2012) highlight questions that may be asked for instance is how the applicant has dealt with a situation where high analytical skills were needed to synthesise financial and non-financial information; what was the specific task they had to implement and achieve; what did they do (achieve) and finally what was the end result.  The interview should follow a structured interview setup where the same questions are asked to applicants which will help GU determine how applicants feel about a particular topic (Judge, Higgins and Cole, 2000).  For example, asking applicants about the KSAO’s they have in the essential selection criteria of certain accounting systems will help GU determine who has experience in the relevant software and if they possess knowledge and skills in other software.