With the help of aptitude assessment tools, a candidate’s individual strengths can be precisely identified and their future career path optimally tailored to them. Job seekers are often unaware of exactly where their skills and abilities lie and may not even be looking for the job that is the perfect fit for them. A career profile match can open up entirely new ideas and perspectives in this regard.
More than 10,000 participants took part in a survey conducted by HR Consult Group AG, which aimed to gauge current opinions on the service and image of recruitment consultancies. Among other things, the survey examined how well aptitude assessment procedures – and, in particular, the suggestions for suitable job profiles – are received by candidates.
Just under a third of candidates are willing to spend money on aptitude testing.
At 31 per cent, just under a third of survey respondents are willing to pay for a career profile recommendation. Almost one in four respondents would spend up to 49 euros on a career profile recommendation, whilst 7 per cent 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 those surveyed have no interest at all in this advisory service.
If we take the desired salary into account when analysing the responses, it becomes clear that the higher the figure quoted, the less of a factor cost is. Candidates with a desired salary of 150,000 euros or more make up the largest group for both the „max. 49 euros“ and „max. 89 euros“ responses. Accordingly, this group cast the fewest votes for the „too expensive“ response. Candidates with the lowest desired salary, ranging from 30,000 to 45,000 euros, make up the largest group for the „too expensive“ response. However, when looking at the distribution of responses for „max. 49 euros“, a similarly high demand is evident across all desired salary brackets. In other words, the need for a career profile recommendation is not directly linked to the desired salary, but rather to the cost of the service.
One thing is quite clear, however: as salary expectations rise, interest in this consultancy service declines. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that candidates with higher salary expectations have been in the workforce for some time and therefore have the relevant professional experience. They generally already know where their own strengths lie and in which roles they can best utilise them.
„Career profile matching is particularly helpful for candidates who are still unsure about the direction their career should take. But people who want to completely change career direction – in other words, those venturing into a new field – also benefit greatly from this analysis. It provides reassurance during the orientation phase and ultimately helps with the actual job search as well. After all, only those who know what they’re actually looking for will ultimately find a job that really suits them,“ explains Mr Matthias Barhainski, recruitment consultant at SENATOR.
About the author
After completing his degree in Automotive Engineering and Industrial Engineering, he began his career in the automotive industry in the fields of sales, development and marketing, and also spent a year in Japan working for one of the largest automotive suppliers.
He then moved to a world-renowned premium car manufacturer, where he served as a marketing officer responsible for product marketing in Japan and South America, and as a marketing officer responsible for marketing strategy in North and South America.
In 1994, he decided to set up his own business and founded a recruitment consultancy in Munich, which he has been developing and expanding for over 20 years. As managing director, his main areas of focus are, naturally, the automotive sector and mechanical and plant engineering.
His PhD in the field of aptitude assessment perfectly complements his areas of expertise, particularly with regard to HR and management consultancy. His thesis focuses on identifying and demonstrating typical personality traits among engineers, as well as defining areas for development to ensure a successful career.
These are scientifically derived and presented in the book *Aptitude Testing in Practice*.
At the same time, his focus is on building networks and cooperation models, as well as the ongoing development of systems and processes in HR consultancy.
Over the past 20 years in the field of HR consultancy, he has developed several brands that continue to operate successfully in the market to this day.
