CCP 10-27-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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.- Memo City Council Committees & Appointments Page 2 . The first round of interviews would be conducted by a staff panel, likely consisting of myself, the Deputy C1erk/HR Director and the Community Development Director/Assistant City Administrator. Based on the results of the interviews, this panel would recommend two or three candidates as finalists to proceed in the process. I propose that these two or three finalists be sent for professional management assessment. The Finance Director position is an important part of the management of the City, and I do not believe interviews and resume alone provide enough information about a candidate. These processes typically tell a lot about a person's experience and knowledge. However, in a management position it is also important to find someone with good management, leadership, organization, and personal skills. That can be very difficult to evaluate in a one-hour interview. While there is a cost for such a process, I firmly believe that money spent up-front in the hiring process is money well spent, and possibly avoids the much higher costs of a poor hiring decision. We requested quotes from two possible vendors for a management assessment process. These processes can range from moderately expensive to very expensive, depending on which firm you use and the scope of tests they use for the assessment. Personnel Decisions Inc. (PDI) recommended a full-day assessment process that would cost $2,050 per candidate. Dr. Gary Fischler & Associates quoted $495 per candidate for a more limited process. The product we . would receive from PDI would be very similar to what the Council received during the recruitment for the City Administrator position. I have worked with PDI and they provide an excellent product that would most certainly fulfill our needs. I have also worked with Dr. Gary Fischler. The assessment that he would provide would consist of some personality and cognitive tests as well as an interview. So, it would cover many of the same areas as PDI but in a more limited scope, hence the lower cost. I have seen management assessment reports for candidates in a promotion process, and they are very thorough and provide tremendous insight regarding the candidates. Since both firms are of high quality and good reputation, I would recommend the lower-cost option at this time. I am confident that the product we receive from Dr. Fischler will enhance our ability to select the best candidate for the position. Once the management assessment process is complete, the final step would be an second interview of the finalist candidates. I would like to include one or two representatives from the Council on the interview panel, if possible, in addition to two or three staff members. In addition, I would like to offer the Finance Department staff an opportunity to interact with the finalists by giving them a tour prior to the interview, giving the candidates information about the department and city, and answering their questions. They can then provide some feedback to the interview panel. .