FAQs & Case Studies

How does Thomas measure work behaviour?
We utilise the Personal Profile Analysis - a self-report measure, which assesses an individual’s preferred workplace behavioural style. The Thomas PPA is DISC-based.

How are the assessments done, and what form do they take?
The assessment can be done online or manually, and only takes 10 minutes to complete. A candidate answers a series of 24 forced choice questions.

What will the results show?
The results provide insight into how a candidate will behave at work both generally and under pressure, as well as their preferred communication style, possible limitations and key motivators and fears.

Would you use this only for recruitment?
No, the results from the PPA can be used in many different phases of the HR lifecycle, including: benchmarking, development, team analysis and performance management.
See our applications section on this page.

Applications

Recruitment, Benchmarking, Performance Management, Talent Retention, Job Profiling

The insights gained from the PPA results will lead to a greater understanding of WHY employees behave the way they do and can be used within the organisation to:

• Reduce staff turnover by placing individuals in positions that best suit their behavioural preferences;
• Increase management effectiveness by providing insight in terms of communication and motivation of staff;
• Improve working relationships by revealing team members’ communication, management and motivational preferences;
• Raise individual self-awareness of own preferences and their effect on others;
• Consolidate working strengths and develop areas of limitation;
• Use interview questionnaires produced from the PPA results in recruitment and development scenarios;
• In general scenarios, one can gain more information about your candidate based on tailored questions relevant to their profile;
• In specific scenarios, on can also gain more information about your candidate, based on tailored questions relevant to their profile in comparison to the job.

The Personal Profile Analysis Results will answer questions such as:

• What are the candidate’s Strengths & Limitations?
• How will they manage others?
• How do I manage this candidate most effectively?
• What are their key motivators?
• What is their communication style?
• What is the candidate’s suitability for different types of positions – Sales, Technical, Management, Administration, Service and Support?
• Would they suit a team or autonomous environment?
  
  

There are over 20 reporting options available for the Personal Profile Analysis to provide you with the information that you need when making human capital decisions. Click here to view.

Would you like Thomas International to introduce the Personal Profile Analysis to your team? Click here to organise an in-house presentation that will enable your organisation to see the applications of this tool.

The Thomas International Behavioural Assessment is available to you as part of an online package that your organisation can implement in-house. Click here to find out more about this and other products available to you online.

How do I measure development potential?
Thomas International’s Tests for Selection and Training (TST) is a predictor of a candidate’s development potential, which shows how quickly he or she can learn, retain and utilise new skills and procedures.

How do I gain access to this assessment? What form does it take?
The assessment can be done electronically or manually, and only takes 30 minutes to complete. The candidate completes 5 tests, each no longer than 5 minutes and which assess: Perceptual Speed, Reasoning, Number Speed & Accuracy, Word Meaning and Spatial Visualisation.

What will the results show?
The results will give an accurate indication of how rapidly the candidate can learn, use and retain new information, thus measuring how ‘trainable’ the candidate is. This is particularly important when considering a candidate for a position where a gap exists between the skills required for the job and current competency level of the candidate.

Would you use this only for recruitment?
No, the results from the TST can be used in many other areas in the HR Life cycle including: benchmarking, induction, talent management, retention and development.

See our Applications section on this page.

Applications

Benchmarking, Recruitment, Talent Retention, Succession Planning and Development

Results from the Test for Selection and Training (TST) provide you with a clear indication of a candidate’s ‘mental horse-power’, and can be used within the organisation to:

• Set appropriate benchmarks for future recruitment and promotion;
• Establish the level, type and speed of induction and training to maximise the
  candidate’s potential;
• Expose skill gaps;
• Highlight areas where additional support may be necessary;
• Identify staff with high potential for fast-tracking within the business;
• Create an internal talent pool.
  
  

The Learning Potential Assessment Results will answer questions such as:

• Can the candidate think on his feet?
• Can the candidate cope with the cognitive demands of the position?
• How well will the candidate ‘problem solve’?
• Will this candidate be sufficiently challenged by the role?
• Should I consider this candidate, despite him not having the exact skill set
  required for the role?
• Do we have internal candidates that will be able to meet the demands of the role?

Would you like to know more about the TST? Click here to organise an in-house presentation that will enable your organisation to understand the power and advantages of the Tests for Selection and Training.

The Thomas International TST is available to you as part of an online package that your organisation can implement in-house. Click here to find out more about this and other products available to you online.

What is the Thomas Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire ?
The Thomas Emotional Intelligence questionnaire (TEIQ) is an accurate and objective way to measure emotional effectiveness in the work context. It gives you an indication of an individual’s emotional functioning and detail on 15 key emotional facets.

How do I gain access to the questionnaire? What form does it take?
The questionnaire can be done online, and only takes 20 minutes to complete. Candidates answer 153 questions, ranking their response from ‘completely agree’ to ‘completely disagree’.

What will the results show?
The TEIQ report provides scores in terms of a global trait EI benchmark, reflected as 4 core factors and 15 facets. Because there are no right or wrong answers, no bad scores, results simply reflect the various facets of emotion that could contribute to success in the role.

Would you use this only for recruitment?
No, the results from the TEIQ can be used in many phases of the HR Life Cycle, including: performance appraisal, development, promotion and leadership
development.

See our Applications section on this page.

Applications

Recruitment, Performance Appraisal, Development, Promotion, Leadership Development.

Results from the TEIQ provide you with an indication  of overall emotional functioning, and can be used within the organisation to:

• Predict future performance in a role;
• Indicate how well the candidate understands and manages their emotions, how they interpret and deal with the emotions of others and how they use this knowledge to manage relationships;
• Decrease high staff turnover;
• Reconnect poorly functioning teams;
• Raise self-awareness of ineffective management;
• Enhance interpersonal communication;
• Assist in conflict resolution.

The TEIQ results will answer questions such as:

• How optimistically does the candidate see their future?
• Does this person possess leadership qualities?
• How will the individual handle conflict in the workplace?
• How does the candidate deal with stress in the workplace?
• How driven is the candidate to achieve goals?
• What is the candidate’s level of assertiveness?
• How adaptable is this individual in new situations?
  
  

Would you like more information on the TEIQ?  Click here to organise an in-house presentation that will enable your organisation to understand the applications of the TEIQ.

The TEIQ is available to you as part of an online package that your organisation can implement in-house. Click here to find out more about this and other products available to you online.

Click here to view a TEIQ report.

What are the Thomas Skills Online assessments?
The Thomas Skills Online assessments are a series of over 100 tests designed to measure hard competencies and skills. Once skill levels have been ascertained, there are also certain training modules to bridge identified skill gaps.

What form do these assessments take?
The assessments are done online, and only take 3-15 minutes each to complete. Assessments are available to measure competencies in MS Office and computer proficiency, call centre and secretarial skills, and basic literacy and numeracy levels. There are Basic, Intermediate and Advanced tests, designed for varying levels of skill, experience and relevant work exposure.

What will the results show?
You are provided with an overall percentage, number of questions attempted, number of correct answers and the total time that it took for the candidate to complete the test. Not all test results are the same however, as certain categories of tests also reflect additional scores, such as: quality, productivity indexes, mean reactive times, number of repeats, average words per minute.

When would I use this in my organisation?
The Thomas Skills Online assessments are a perfect complement to your recruitment process to provide an objective measure for hard competencies, in addition to the information that your candidate provides in their CV and interview. Thomas Skills Online training can also be of great assistance when inducting a new employee, training prior to promotion, or simply ongoing skill development.

Applications

Recruitment, Benchmarking, Skill Assessment, Training and Development

Results from Skills Online testing allows users to measure with certainty the proficiency of potential employees, as well as establishing the range of existing skills within your organisation.

Skills Online Assessments

• Accountancy
• Audio typing
• Basic Skills (including Numeracy & Literacy)
• Call centre foreign language
• Call centre listening and keying
• Data entry
• Driving tests
• Email / Internet
• IT
• Lotus Notes
• Microsoft Office 2000, 2003 & 2007
• Secretarial
• Shorthand
• Spelling

For a full list of assessments and training modules available, please click here

Skills Online Training

• Computer Theory
• Office 2003 (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access)
• Outlook and Internet
• Typing
• Windows XP

Would you like to know more about the Skills Online assessments? Click here to organise an in-house presentation that will enable your organisation to understand the applications of the Skills Online assessments and training.

The Thomas International Skills Online assessments and training is available to you as part of an online package that your organisation can implement in-house. Click here to find out more about this and other products available to you online.

Can anyone use it?
Yes, it is equally applicable to small organisations as to large.

How will online 360 degree feedback tools help my business?
As the invited feedback comes from direct reports, peers, colleagues and managers it is an objective process to enhance the awareness of one’s strengths and potential development opportunities, which will in turn increase personal or team effectiveness.

When is a good time to complete a 360 degree feedback questionnaire?
If you are running a leadership or management development programme, Thomas360 is a great self awareness tool to use prior to commencing the programme. Similarly, a 360 review can add another dimension to an appraisal or performance review.

Should Thomas360 be linked to an appraisal?
The 360 degree feedback questionnaire can be used in conjunction with an appraisal to give the individual a more comprehensive view of their performance.

How is 360 degree feedback different from personality and behavioural assessment?
Personality and behavioural assessment measures behavioural preferences, how you are likely to behave, whilst 360 measures competence and explains how you actually behave. The two combined provide a powerful resource for both individuals and organisations.

Is it confidential?
Yes. The respondent’s names do not appear on the report so the feedback remains anonymous.

How often should 360 degree feedback take place?
Typically every 6 – 12 months should be sufficient, to give employees sufficient opportunity to agree and implement their personal development plans.

How quickly do I get the results?
Once all the respondents have completed the questionnaire a report is generated in seconds.