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‘Assess’ covers how you use different selection tools to judge whether candidates share your values and are the right people for your roles.

Research shows that using different assessment tools and involving a variety of people in your recruitment process increases the chances of you recruiting the right person for the role. Values-based assessment tools could include values-based interviews, group activities (meet the team, meet the people who draw on our support), written or computer-based activities, scenario-based discussions and work observations.

The benefits of including values as a part of your assessment process are:

• you can witness a candidate's behaviours in action, something more traditional assessment methods don't always explore
• staff employed for values perform and learn the skills they need in their role better than staff not recruited for values
• values-based recruitment can also lead to lower sickness and absence, higher retention and better staff wellbeing and engagement.

Individual employers can view our 'Using values-based ways of assessing if candidates share your values and are the right person to be your personal assistant' video to find out more about assessing personal assistants. 

Assessing whether candidates share your values and are right for your roles:

How can you assess whether candidates share your values and are the right person for your role?

1. Design assessment tools that are relevant to the role and allow candidates to demonstrate how they would apply your workplace values in relevant situations.
2. Use a range of assessment tools to give candidates different opportunities to share their values with you, which will enable your process to be more inclusive of different candidates.
3. Develop assessment tools with assessment criteria linked to your workplace values.
4. Ensure your managers have training in how to fairly, objectively and inclusively assess whether candidates share your values. 

Resources and templates

Here are some resources to enable you to analyse how effectively you're exploring candidates’ values in your application process, plan areas for improvement and know what to do to put those plans in place.

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These psychometric tests could form part of the interview process to assess whether candidates have the right values to work in social care. Consider alternatives for candidates who are or may be neurodivergent.

Learning from others

•  - Helen Sanderson Associates case study
•  - Dussindale Park Nursing 不良研究所 case study
•  - Sense case study
•  - Avalon Group case study

Ensuring your values-based recruitment is neuro-inclusive

Neurodivergent people can have challenges effectively completing psychometric tests as part of the recruitment process.

If you are aware that a candidate is neurodivergent or believe that they might be, you could offer alternative assessment methods such as:

• work samples - a piece of actual work that a candidate would need to complete as part of the role they are applying for
• job trials - a way to judge a candidate’s ability to perform specific duties, as well as how they fit in your existing team
• problem-solving exercises - ask candidates to solve a relevant problem or debate a particular issue.

For interviews, offer to send out questions in advance, allow candidates to mind-map their answers if this would be helpful, give a written copy of each question as they are asked and for online interviews allow candidates to keep their videos turned off if this makes them more comfortable.

If you use assessment centres, manage the environment to reduce sensory overload e.g. natural lighting, well-ventilated rooms, and quiet/calm rooms for those who need them and include plenty of breaks.

Include neurodivergent staff in your assessment process and ask them to share what has worked well for them or what they think should be offered to candidates with regards to ‘reasonable adjustments’.

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