Original Research - Special Collection: COVID-19

Shifting assessment practices in the age of COVID-19

Kim E. Dowdeswell, Hennie J. Kriek
African Journal of Psychological Assessment | Vol 3 | a50 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ajopa.v3i0.50 | © 2021 Kim E. Dowdeswell, Hennie J. Kriek | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 04 January 2021 | Published: 28 May 2021

About the author(s)

Kim E. Dowdeswell, TTS Top Talent Solutions, Pretoria, South Africa; and, Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Hennie J. Kriek, TTS Top Talent Solutions, Pretoria, South Africa; and, Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the world of work, and we see a corresponding shift in the talent management and assessment spheres. This commentary reflects on the impact the pandemic has had on organisations’ human resource (HR) practices in general and on assessment practices in particular. Informed by insights drawn from a series of in-depth interviews with representatives of organisations in South Africa and on the broader African continent, we consider recent trends in unproctored internet testing (UIT) and virtual or video interviewing technologies that appear central to how organisations have adapted their assessment practices in a COVID-19 world. We also consider the role of various assessment practices in retrenchment and restructuring applications. Finally, potential implications for organisations and their assessment practices when moving towards a post-COVID-19 world are discussed.

Keywords

talent assessment practices; COVID-19; unproctored internet testing; virtual interviewing; remote working; digitalisation; retrenchment

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Crossref Citations

1. A framework for digital talent assessment: Guidelines and applications
Frederick W. Stander, Sebastian Rothmann, Vesselin Popov, Luning Sun
Journal of Psychology in Africa  vol: 32  issue: 5  first page: 520  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1080/14330237.2022.2075543