Secure a hire
Filling a management role in banking, insurance or technology: testing whether technical competence is genuinely complemented by leadership and communication skills.
Assessment · in the canton of Zurich
Assessment in the canton of Zurich
Objectify an executive or specialist decision before it is taken — in a canton with intense competition for talent and internationally composed teams.
Working in the canton of Zurich
The canton of Zurich concentrates financial services, insurance, technology and European headquarters of international groups. Executives here often lead mixed-language teams inside structures with short decision cycles and high staff mobility. Zurich is also a tight labour market: promoting internally requires solid evidence.
Most common working languages in the canton of Zurich: German and English.
Assessment in the canton of Zurich: what we secure
Clarify a promotion or internal move
Internal mobility from headquarters to an field or production team in the canton: assessing whether the person can fill the new role before it is taken up.
Build a development plan
Defining development paths for several high potentials and linking priorities to a specific training programme or coaching.
Assessment Zurich: where we intervene
We work in the cities below and cover the whole canton of Zurich.
Assessment in other cantons
The same support, adapted to each canton's economic fabric.
Assessment Zurich: why choose SHR
An Assessment Zurich run by SHR serves a decision first: hiring, promotion, succession or a development plan. Every Assessment Zurich is built from the actual role, your culture and the local business context, not from a standard test battery.
Our Assessment Zurich combines a structured interview, role-close exercises and, where relevant, validated psychometric questionnaires, so each competency is observed from several angles and the conclusions of the Assessment Zurich are sturdier than a single interview.
Organisations that commission an Assessment Zurich receive a reasoned report, a debrief for the decision-maker and individual feedback for the person assessed. A well-run Assessment Zurich leaves something useful whatever the outcome.
The Assessment Zurich can take place on your premises, at a neutral local venue or partly online. To organise an Assessment Zurich, simply describe the role and timing and we will propose a suitable design.
How an SHR assessment works — Assessment Zurich
A serious assessment does not start with a test but with a question: which decision is it meant to inform? Hiring, promotion, succession and development reviews call for different exercises and different reports, so every design starts from the actual role.
- 01
Role definition
A conversation with leadership and HR to turn the role into four to six observable competencies, with examples of expected behaviour in your context rather than a generic framework.
- 02
Method selection
Structured interviews on real past situations, work-sample exercises close to the role (in-tray, difficult conversation, board presentation) and, where justified, validated psychometric questionnaires. Each competency is observed through at least two methods.
- 03
Assessment day
Candidates are told how the day runs and how results will be used. Observations are rated independently, then compared in an integration session to limit halo effects and first-impression bias.
- 04
Feedback
A written report and a debrief with the decision-maker, followed by individual feedback to the person assessed, who leaves with concrete development points whatever the decision.
What you receive
- A competency profile backed by observed behaviour, not impressions
- Strengths to build on and risks to watch in the first six months
- An explicit recommendation and its conditions
- A development plan ready for onboarding or coaching
What an assessment does not do
It does not predict the future with certainty and does not replace your judgement: it reduces uncertainty on specific competencies. Nor is it a way to justify a decision already taken — if that is the request, we will say so in the first conversation.
Standards we rely on
Our designs follow international guidelines on assessment centres and test use: role-based competencies, multiple methods, trained assessors and informed candidates. Recent research on predictive validity confirms that structured interviews and work-sample exercises are among the most reliable methods. Personal data is handled under Switzerland’s revised Federal Act on Data Protection, in force since 1 September 2023.
- International Taskforce on Assessment Center Guidelines (2015). Guidelines and ethical considerations for assessment center operations. Journal of Management, 41(4), 1244–1273.
- International Test Commission (2001). International Guidelines for Test Use. International Journal of Testing, 1(2), 93–114.
- Sackett, P. R., Zhang, C., Berry, C. M., & Lievens, F. (2022). Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(11), 2040–2068.
Frequently asked questions — assessment in the canton of Zurich
Do you run assessments in the canton of Zurich in English?
Yes. Interviews, simulations and feedback take place in German or English, according to the team's working language; the report can be written in either language.
Do you work outside the city of Zurich?
Yes, across the canton, including Winterthur, Dietikon, Schlieren, Opfikon, Pfäffikon and Uster. Sessions take place at your premises or in our office in Lancy.
How long does an assessment in the canton of Zurich take?
Half a day to a full day of observation depending on the level of responsibility, then analysis and feedback. The written report is delivered within about a week.
In which languages is an assessment run in the canton of Zurich?
In your team's working language: German and English are the most common in the canton of Zurich. Italian is available on request.
A personnel decision to objectify in the canton of Zurich?
Describe the situation in a few lines: we call you back to frame the request and propose a method suited to it.
SHR — Swiss Human Resources — Esplanade de Pont-Rouge 9A, 1212 Lancy (Genève), Suisse · Monday–Friday, 8am–6pm.