With the help of aptitude diagnostic procedures, the individual strengths of a candidate can be precisely determined and the future career path can be optimally aligned with them. Often, job seekers are not even aware of where exactly their competences and skills lie and may not even be looking for the job that perfectly suits them. A career profile matching can bring completely new ideas and perspectives.
More than 10,00 participants took part in a survey conducted by HR Consult Group AG with the aim of obtaining an up-to-date opinion on the service and image of personnel consultancies. Among other things, the survey examined how well aptitude diagnostics procedures and, in particular, suggestions for suitable professional profiles are received by candidates.
Just under a third of candidates are willing to spend money on aptitude testing.
At 31 percent, just under a third of survey participants are willing to pay for a professional profile recommendation. Almost every fourth respondent would spend up to 49 euros for a professional profile recommendation, while 7 percent would even invest up to 89 euros. For more than a third, however, even 49 euros would be too expensive. At 32 per cent, just under a third of respondents have no interest in this advisory service at all.
If one considers the amount of the desired salary in the answers, it becomes apparent that the higher the sum stated, the less the cost factor plays a role. Candidates with a salary expectation of 150,000 euros and more form the largest group for both the answer "max. 49 euros" and "max. 89 euros". For the answer "too expensive", this group cast the fewest votes accordingly. Candidates with the lowest desired salary of 30,000 to 45,000 euros form the largest group for the answer "too expensive". However, if we look at the distribution of the shares for the answer "max. 49 euros", we see a similarly large need for all desired salary groups. In other words, the need for a professional profile recommendation is not directly related to the desired salary, but rather to the price of the service.
However, one thing is quite clear: as salary expectations increase, interest in this advisory service decreases. This is certainly due to the fact that candidates with higher salary expectations have already been in professional life for longer and thus have the corresponding professional experience. They usually already know where their own strengths lie and in which positions they can best use them.
"The professional profile matching helps candidates who are still unsure about where they want to go on their professional journey. But also people who want to completely reorient themselves thematically - i.e. dare a lateral entry - benefit greatly from this analysis. It provides security in the orientation phase and ultimately also helps in the actual job search. Because only those who know what they are actually looking for will ultimately find a job that really suits them," explains Matthias Barhainski, personnel consultant at SENATOR.
After graduating as an automotive engineer and industrial engineer, he began his career in the automotive industry in the areas of sales, development and marketing and also spent a year in Japan with one of the largest automotive suppliers.
He then moved to a world-renowned premium car manufacturer, where he was responsible for product marketing in Japan and South America and marketing strategy in North and South America.
In 1994 he decided to become self-employed and founded a personnel consultancy in Munich, where he has been driving development and expansion for over 20 years. As managing director, his industry focus is naturally on the automotive world as well as mechanical and plant engineering.
With his doctorate in the field of aptitude diagnostics, he ideally rounds off his fields of competence, especially with regard to personnel and management consultancy. The dissertation deals with the identification and proof of typical personality traits of engineers as well as the definition of development areas for a successful professional career.
These are scientifically derived and presented in the book "Eignungsdiagnostik im Praxiseinsatz".
At the same time, his focus is on building networks and cooperation models as well as the continuous further development of systems and processes in HR consulting.
Within the last 20 years in personnel consulting, he has developed several brands that are still successful on the market today.
Due to the numerous appointments in technical and engineering-specific fields, the need arose for an aptitude diagnosis that is primarily tailored to engineers.
As a result of years of successful cooperation between HR Consult Group AG and geva-institut, an aptitude diagnostic was developed especially for engineers: the Soft-Skills Check. The geva-institut is a psychological consultancy specialising in diagnostics and HR consulting.
The scientific know-how of the geva-Institut and the many years of experience of the HR Consult Group AG came in handy.
Before the development of aptitude diagnostics for engineers, there was no test for this occupational group that came close to recording and evaluating personal, social and methodological competence with regard to engineering-specific characteristics. Although soft skills tests from various other fields already existed, these fragments were not specifically tailored to engineers.
For many years, HR Consult Group AG has been working closely with the geva-institut, which fulfils all the necessary quality criteria and ensures compliance with the DIN standard.
The good cooperation combines the theoretical elaboration of the procedures and the expertise from real interactions with companies and candidates. This creates a solid basis for the most accurate possible instrument for analysing personal, social and methodological competences. Even today, the test procedures are constantly being further developed. Strengths are further developed and weaknesses minimised by relying on empirical values.
The Soft Skills Check for Engineers answers questions on the core topics of motivation, behaviour, interest, leadership, educational path and activity.
In order to be able to record the different groups of engineers, the degree, age and leadership, industry, gender, hierarchy and activity are also prerequisites for meaningful evaluations.
These offer a possibility to form different clusters. A cluster is the totality of several thematically related profiles. The prerequisite for this is not only the differentiation of the various groups of engineers but also a high number of participating engineers.
In total, more than 1,500 engineers took part in the Soft-Skills Check in cooperation with VDI Nachrichten. The engineers became aware of this through the online and print editions of VDI Nachrichten. Only after the large-scale test was it possible to form a wide variety of clusters. For example, according to gender or field of activity.
It is clear from the above figures that the industry cluster shows the areas in which engineers are employed. Engineers are mainly needed and employed in the automotive and machinery and plant sectors. It is clearly visible in the cluster area of activity that most engineers work in development. Only in second place is project management.
A large proportion of the participating engineers are between 30 and 45 years old. This is also confirmed by the hierarchy. Many of the participants work as specialists or project managers. With the help of the hierarchy cluster, different examinations can be aimed at. For example, the hierarchy can be divided into specialist / skilled worker, project management, department management and divisional / executive management. Through this classification, the developments of personality traits can be determined and differentiated.
The next article in this series of topics will not only take a closer look at the personality traits that remain the same in their expression over the entire professional career, but also at those traits that are responsible for a career in engineering. Do you know in which personality fields development must take place in order to make a career successful?
Image source:
Betz, Armin: Eignungsdiagnostik im Praxiseinsatz - "Ingenieur bleibt Ingenieur", German National Library, 2015, p. 111 f., ISBN 978-3-00-052093-8
After graduating as an automotive engineer and industrial engineer, he began his career in the automotive industry in the areas of sales, development and marketing and also spent a year in Japan with one of the largest automotive suppliers.
He then moved to a world-renowned premium car manufacturer, where he was responsible for product marketing in Japan and South America and marketing strategy in North and South America.
In 1994 he decided to become self-employed and founded a personnel consultancy in Munich, where he has been driving development and expansion for over 20 years. As managing director, his industry focus is naturally on the automotive world as well as mechanical and plant engineering.
With his doctorate in the field of aptitude diagnostics, he ideally rounds off his fields of competence, especially with regard to personnel and management consultancy. The dissertation deals with the identification and proof of typical personality traits of engineers as well as the definition of development areas for a successful professional career.
These are scientifically derived and presented in the book "Eignungsdiagnostik im Praxiseinsatz".
At the same time, his focus is on building networks and cooperation models as well as the continuous further development of systems and processes in HR consulting.
Within the last 20 years in personnel consulting, he has developed several brands that are still successful on the market today.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MANAGEMENT IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMPLIANCE FUNCTION
A question that arises again and again in corporate practice is that of the scope of discretion in the establishment and operation of a compliance management system. Here, a distinction must be made between bound and entrepreneurial decisions of the company management.
There is no discretion in complying with statutory provisions. These must be complied with without any ifs and buts. These are binding decisions.
On the other hand, there is a certain amount of discretion when it comes to defining and implementing organisational measures. After all, the company's management does not usually take on the task of ensuring compliance with laws and regulations as an original task, but delegates this to a certain group of people and in doing so provides the organisational framework. Even monitoring and control can be delegated to supervisors. In this respect, these are original management and organisational tasks that fall within the scope of entrepreneurial tasks - and for these there is undoubtedly entrepreneurial discretion.
The following requirements exist when establishing a compliance function:
Organisational requirements
Liability for breaches of the law is not strict liability. The liability is borne by the management in persona if it fails to take appropriate organisational measures. The case law[1] assumes here that the company management has the duty to create the organisational conditions to ensure that the authorised representative can actually fulfil the duty to avoid compliance violations. The scope of the duty is related to the size and structure of the company. The case law does not provide further details on the "how" of a compliance organisation, which allows the reverse conclusion that it sees the establishment and design of a compliance function as an original entrepreneurial task.
In addition to the aforementioned aspects of personnel allocation, organisational anchoring, task definition and control/supervision, the main organisational requirements include the interlinking with other management functions in the company. These include, in particular, general risk management, quality management, controlling and auditing. The form in which this dovetailing takes place depends on the organisational structure; however, it is essential that the compliance function does not represent an isolated "island solution".
Monitoring and control requirements
In principle, the organisation used (both within the meaning of § 130 OWiG and § 43 GmbHG) requires appropriate monitoring and control of the persons to whom the tasks of the compliance function are assigned. The random control of employees thus represents an elementary basic function of the business organisation.
However, the monitoring and control measures must be practicable and reasonable. Where exactly the limits of practicability and reasonableness are to be seen is not clearly defined. However, they are likely to be exceeded if the intensity of monitoring and control is so strong that it comes close to the supervisor actually performing the tasks of the supervised person himself. This would de facto nullify the right to delegate tasks.
Requirements for investigations and enquiries
The rightsSpeech[2] assumes that - although no clear obligation to do so can be derived from the law - a company then has internal Investigations / Inquiries if there are concrete indications of a violation of the rules, even if these indications are not the result of the regular, accompanying monitoring from the compliance function's area of responsibility. If the compliance function detects breaches of rules in the course of its regulatory activities, a corresponding investigation must be initiated without doubt so as not to call into question the purpose of the compliance function per se.
Summary and outlook
A sense of proportion is required when setting up, implementing and operating compliance management systems. Cost aspects on the one hand and the question of organisational proportionality as well as internal acceptance are weighty arguments for implementing not what is possible, but what is necessary in the area of the compliance function. The permissible exhaustion of the entrepreneurial discretion should therefore also take place at this point.
However, this leeway should not obscure the fact that the issue of implementing a compliance management system is a business imperative, because the mere absence of such a compliance function can already give rise to the personal criminal and civil liability of the company management.
Dealing with a compliance management system is complex and requires a number of different disciplines. On the one hand, a legal perspective is necessary, but - viewed in isolation - it is not sufficient. Violations of rules can occur anywhere in a company. Therefore, profound knowledge of organisational structures as well as of the interaction of functions and processes is indispensable in order to identify and define the requirements for an adequate compliance management system in the context of the company-specific risk landscape; on this basis, the right measures for setting up and implementing the CMS are then derived and implemented. In addition, knowledge and experience with other management systems are essential., such as risk or quality management systems, This is advantageous in order to ensure the necessary dovetailing of the systems in the company.
Eckart Achauer, studied law and business administration, postgraduate studies to become a Master of Business Administration (MBA). In-service training to become a European Quality Manager (DGQ), a mediator specialising in business mediation and a Certified Compliance Manager (TÜV).
He worked for around 10 years in the international insurance industry in the management of a Swiss insurance group in various functions (claims department, sales, assistance) before moving into management and business consulting in 1997.
As a consultant and managing director of various consulting companies, Mr Achauer has specialised thematically in organisational and process optimisation as well as in the development and implementation of management systems - quality management, risk and compliance management.
At Senator Executive Search Partners, Mr Achauer is responsible for the area of compliance management. Within the scope of compliance audits, he analyses their organisational "compliance fitness", he sensitises and trains the management, executives and employees and supports the companies in setting up and implementing individual compliance management systems. In doing so, he always takes into account the specific risk situation of the companies. Due to his many years of experience as a manager and consultant, he is very familiar with the entrepreneurial challenges from practice.
They are coordinators, communicators, problem solvers and (at best) interculturally competent: international managers. More and more often, cross-border tasks of internationally operating companies are assigned to them in order to cope with the increasing management complexity.
What tasks does an international manager have to face? What requirements must he fulfil and what expectations does he face?
International managers are primarily selected on the basis of their professional qualifications. They perform their tasks with extensive specialist knowledge, but the necessary cultural background knowledge is often disregarded when filling a position. Yet an understanding of different cultural mentalities is enormously important in order to work successfully with business partners from abroad. Completely wrong in this context is the assumption that all challenges can be mastered with a good knowledge of English. Mastering the respective national language for international tasks should not be underestimated. Certain nuances of communication can only be conveyed and understood in the mother tongue. Even a basic knowledge of the national language helps to create a pleasant atmosphere and to show that one is treating one's interlocutor with respect and at eye level.
In addition to the necessary language skills, international managers should also be able to work well with people who have different cultural backgrounds. This requires a lot of tact and a high degree of empathy. Everyone is influenced by the prevailing values and views of their own culture, and international managers are no exception. In business exchanges, one's own cultural background should by no means be transferred to one's interlocutors. It is much more important to look at a situation from the perspective of the other person, independent of one's own perception and evaluation.
Case study
The following case study shows you which mistakes an international manager can avoid if he knows the mentality and culture of his negotiating partners.
Thomas L. is an international manager and leads the cooperation negotiations of a German plant manufacturer with a company from Russia. In an initial conversation, he explains the upcoming procedures to the Russian colleagues, names milestones and defines processes. Since the Russian colleagues do not disagree, he assumes that both sides are in agreement. When asked, he learns a few weeks later that the cooperation partner has not carried out the steps and processes set or has not carried them out as apparently agreed. The Russian colleagues explain this with unexpected circumstances. Thomas L. is disappointed and wonders whether the behaviour is due to unreliability. With the necessary knowledge of the Russian mentality, Thomas L. could have avoided this situation. After all, the lack of objection from the Russian colleagues only means that nothing has been decided for them yet. Also, the very process-oriented execution of the explanations does not correspond to the more person-oriented Russian mentality. Nor would Thomas L. with the necessary cultural knowledge have wrongly assumed that the cooperation partners would inform him of delays on their own initiative. Concealing or glossing over negative events is part of the distinct culture of saving face in Russia and many other Central and East Asian countries in order to avoid painful confrontations for both sides. In addition, Thomas L. did not consider that he must also include in the process the time needed to build and maintain the business relationship.
With the right preparation for the cultural peculiarities of the Russian negotiating partners, Thomas L. could have avoided the unpleasant situation.
How is your intercultural competence?
Put your own intercultural competence to the test in our self-test. Our test does not determine a score on a scale, but rather aims to sensitise you to the various dimensions of intercultural competence.
Professional competence
How well do you know your own culture? Are you aware of the values and norms that apply? How well do you know the culture in your target country? What values and norms apply there? What is the historical background of the target country? Do you know the specifics of the target country? List the most important business characteristics of your home country and sort the characteristics in order of importance from 1 to 10. Check whether the characteristics are also valid in the target country and what numerical value they would have there.
Social competence
How do you deal with stress? Could you resolve conflicts in the destination country according to the cultural expectations there? Do you like the destination country and its inhabitants or do you have a negative attitude?
Self-competence
Do you know the paradigms that determine your world view? Which paradigms are culturally determined, which are subculturally determined? To what extent do the paradigms influence your self-image?
Action competence
Look at your own culture from a distance and try to analyse it. Can you take an independent perspective? What results does such an analysis give you for the target country? Do the results help you to consciously shape your encounter with the culture in the destination country?
In summary, it can be said that every country has economic, social and cultural peculiarities. In addition to language skills, observing these particularities is very important for every international manager in order to work successfully with business partners abroad. If you pay attention to the aspects we address in our blog post, this will pay off in your everyday work as an international manager. We wish you every success!
The complete series of articles "The Roles of an International Manager" by Sergey Frank was published online in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and can be accessed HERE.
In addition, personnel consultant and best-selling author Sergey Frank already presented in a HANDELSBLATT COLUMN how companies best conduct themselves abroad.
The cooperation with personnel consultancies is appreciated by candidates and rated positively overall. This assumption was confirmed by the HR experts of HR Consult Group AG in a recent survey.
For the survey, 518,653 candidates who had already had contact with recruitment consultants were asked to answer 38 questions on the topic of "recruitment consultancy". More than 10,000 responses reflect for the first time a relevant opinion on the service and image of recruitment consultancies. Also, for the first time, candidates' wishes, ideals and actual conditions in dealing and working with recruitment consultancies were answered in open questions.
1. personnel consultancies as stakeholders and contact persons for candidates - a WIN - WIN situation!
The candidates surveyed have a very positive view of the cooperation with recruitment consultancies. An average of 76% said that recruitment consultancies find the right candidate for a company and represent the company's interests.
From the candidates' perspective, an average of 48% said that recruitment consultancies find the right job for them and represent their interests. It is worth mentioning here that almost two thirds of young candidates (18 - 34 years) see the HR consultancy as their stakeholder and optimal contact for their own job search.
Mr. MATTHIAS BARHAINSKI, authorised signatory of Senator HR Management GmbH, describes the image of personnel consultancies from his point of view as follows:
"It is recognisable that in times of digitalisation, the demands of companies on future employees and the demands of candidates on a new employer are becoming more and more extensive. As a personnel consultant, you are only successful if you meet both demands and, as a service provider, you are the one who represents the company to the outside world and the candidate to the company.
This is recognised above all by the young generation of specialists and managers. They know that a personnel consultant can represent the candidate more optimally and competently than they could themselves, especially when analysing the company's requirements, but also when negotiating with the company.
After graduating as an automotive engineer and industrial engineer, he began his career in the automotive industry in the areas of sales, development and marketing and also spent a year in Japan with one of the largest automotive suppliers.
He then moved to a world-renowned premium car manufacturer, where he was responsible for product marketing in Japan and South America and marketing strategy in North and South America.
In 1994 he decided to become self-employed and founded a personnel consultancy in Munich, where he has been driving development and expansion for over 20 years. As managing director, his industry focus is naturally on the automotive world as well as mechanical and plant engineering.
With his doctorate in the field of aptitude diagnostics, he ideally rounds off his fields of competence, especially with regard to personnel and management consultancy. The dissertation deals with the identification and proof of typical personality traits of engineers as well as the definition of development areas for a successful professional career.
These are scientifically derived and presented in the book "Eignungsdiagnostik im Praxiseinsatz".
At the same time, his focus is on building networks and cooperation models as well as the continuous further development of systems and processes in HR consulting.
Within the last 20 years in personnel consulting, he has developed several brands that are still successful on the market today.
