Talent Practice: Wickland Westcott

profileJohn Milsom

Talent

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Tel: 01625 508100

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view allThought Leadership

Assessment Toolkit for NHS by Georgia McHardy
31 July 2008

Using Competencies in Recruitment by John Milsom
24 March 2006

Competency Based Telephone Interviewing by Liz Lawson
2 December 2004

Talent

Assessment and Development Centres

We design and run high quality assessment and development centres to support large programmes and one-off appointments. Considerable effort is invested to fully understand the client's culture and structure, and we have a reputation for designing realistic, engaging and highly predictive simulation exercises (case-studies, presentation exercises etc). Occupational psychology expertise underpins all of our work, which we combine with practical experience to enable clients to accurately select and develop key staff.

We have extensive experience in developing competency frameworks to support assessment/development processes, and in working with pre-existing organisational competencies. Our ground-breaking activities are frequently published (e.g. our work on values-based recruitment, and cross-cultural assessment) and our assessor/observer training packages receive excellent client feedback. Above all, we focus on the participant experience, so that those being assessed and developed feel committed to the outputs, and motivated to act upon them.

Case Studies

Camelot - Fit for the Future

Camelot has successfully won the licence to operate the lottery for a third time and has completely upgraded its network of retail playstations, connecting over 27,500 retailers via a brand new communications network. Camelot has also sought to underpin its continued growth and success by reorganising major functions such as Sales, IT, Marketing, Finance, Programmes and Legal. Camelot chose to work with Wickland Westcott to help them ensure the right candidates were appointed within their new structure by implementing an accurate, fair, rigorous and objective assessment process. Wickland

Jackson-Stops & Staff - Personal Effectiveness

Jackson-Stops & Staff is a name synonymous with high-end property. The firm has expanded over the last 100 years into a network of some 40 branch offices. A key strength of the business today is the accumulated knowledge, experience and abilities of the individuals who now own and run the offices, many of whom have more than 20 years experience in the property market. With significant experience and tenure comes the risk of complacency, which has the potential to translate itself into declining service quality and uncompetitiveness.

Londis - Improving Retail Sales Performance

Founded in Cork in 1876, Musgrave is prominent in the Irish Independent's list of Best Companies to Work For. Describing itself as 'partner to entrepreneurial food retailers and food service professionals' it is best known in the UK through its Londis and Budgens brands. With a core staff of 5,500, the Musgrave business operations reach over 3,400 stores and forging constructive relationships with their network of partners is essential to their business model. The vital link In the Londis Trading Division, the Retail Sales Managers (RSMs) provide a vital link with shopkeepers.

NHS Trafford PCT - Leadership Assessment

A ground-breaking project with Trafford Primary Care Trust was recently show-cased in the Health Service Journal. Members of Wickland Westcott's Public Sector Practice have first-hand knowledge of working in public services, specifically the NHS, and they drew on this experience to develop an innovative Leadership Assessment Toolkit. The toolkit enables Trafford PCT's recruiting managers to work hand-in-glove with HR colleagues to construct and run tailored assessment events. The practical range of tools ensures the accurate and fair measurement of senior job applicants against the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework.

UNITE - Retaining High Performers

UNITE, the UK's leading developer and manager of student accommodation, recently initiated a significant change programme. In line with a new strategic and operational vision, Wickland Westcott was commissioned to assist in streamlining the staffing structure, requiring multi-role assessment centres designed to assess a high volume of internal and external candidates. Wickland Westcott worked closely with UNITE to identify the behaviours that were critical for success in the new roles, and the commonalities between them.