It may be helpful to print out these pages to guide you through the process.

1. The PROFILE:MATCH® procedure

2. How to approach competency selection

3. Competency information

4. How many competencies should I select?

5. The questionnaire item count

6. How many competencies?

7. Previewing a sample report

1. The PROFILE:MATCH® procedure
The PROFILE:MATCH® competencies appear as a scrolling menu on the Competency Library screen which can be accessed from the Home Page. To select any competencies for your selection procedure, simply tick the box to the right of the list. Click on the right facing arrow to transfer these competencies to your selection in the right hand window. You can change your mind and transfer them back in the same way, but using the left facing arrow.

2. How to approach competency selection

When considering which competencies to select, you need to think about the job in question and be sure that you select only those competencies that are necessary for that job – the competencies that are likely to impact on performance in that role. It may be helpful to talk to some people already doing that job, or someone like a supervisor or line manager for that role. The crucial thing is to be sure that the competencies you select really are relevant for the job concerned. This is important for the utility and effectiveness of the process, but also because it is vital that you do not exclude candidates unfairly. This is an equal opportunities issue.

3. Competency information

For each competency in the P:M Competency Library, a short description can be activated by the Info button to the right of each competency label. This provides a brief guide that can be expanded by clicking ‘view long description’ at the foot of the page.

4. How many competencies should I select?

Faced with some 30 competencies, it may be tempting to select more than you really need. There are two basic considerations; firstly, when using the PROFILE:MATCH® system for assessments, you pay for each additional competency; secondly, the more complex you make the assessment, the more difficult the comparison between candidates. It is both efficient and less costly to prioritise carefully.

5. The questionnaire item count

As you select competencies, behind the scenes PROFILE:MATCH® assembles a questionnaire, adding new items whenever necessary. The total number of items selected so far is displayed on-screen at the bottom of your list of selected competencies. This allows you to take into account the length of the questionnaire you have created and the time this is likely to take the candidate to complete. Each question requires a simple TRUE/ FALSE response and a typical candidate would complete them at the rate of approximately 14 per minute.

6. How many competencies?

With some 30 competencies to choose from you will need to prioritise and be selective. We strongly recommend that you identify between 4 and 7 competencies that are critical to acceptable performance in that role. By deciding your priorities at this point, you avoid ‘information overload’ and the danger that less significant competencies are allowed unwarranted weight in the selection process.

7. Previewing a sample report

Once you are satisfied that you have made the optimum selection of competencies, you can preview a report from this assessment. To generate a sample report, click on VIEW SAMPLE REPORT at the foot of your competency selection window. Then just follow the instructions on screen, completing the Organisation and Job Title fields. You can also opt to email the report to yourself or a colleague by filling in the Name and Email Address fields. Now click VIEW SAMPLE REPORT again. This will download your sample report in pdf format.