FOI request detail

Recruitment - Competency Interviews Scoring Matrix

Request ID: FOI-2400-1920
Date published: 25 February 2020

You asked

I am aware that as part of your recruitment campaigns, for both internal and external candidates, you frequently hold competency based interviews as part of your candidate selection. I would like to request any documentation which is given to recruitment consultants, hiring managers, or any other relevant persons in relation to their grading of the answers provided by candidates. I would also like to request any documentation which provides guidance as to how the successful candidate is selected; is this purely on best scores in the competency based interview, or can this be over-ridden by other stages of the recruitment, such as lower scores in earlier assessment centres. Finally I would like to request any information relating to the use of technical questions as part of the assessment process. I understand these are a newer inclusion to the CBI - are they scored in the same manner; do they carry the same weight as a competency answer in overall scoring, etc?

We answered

TfL Ref: FOI-2400-1920

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 7 November 2019.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm we do hold the information you require. You asked:

I would like to request any documentation which is given to recruitment consultants, hiring managers, or any other relevant persons in relation to their grading of the answers provided by candidates.

Please find the attached Record of Selection Decision and Interview pack front cover. Please note the opening questions that candidates are asked are exempt from disclosure. We are not obliged to provide the questions as this is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 43(2). In this instance the section 43(2) exemption has been applied as disclosure would prejudice our commercial interests in the recruitment of paid labour. The selected questions are still in use, and may continue to be used for the next few years. Releasing this information could give candidates an unfair advantage and hinder TfL’s ability to obtain the best person for a role during recruitment.

 The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, but in this instance the public interest ensuring we are able to employ the best candidates for any roles, outweighs the general public interest in increasing transparency of our processes.

I would also like to request any documentation which provides guidance as to how the successful candidate is selected; is this purely on best scores in the competency based interview, or can this be over-ridden by other stages of the recruitment, such as lower scores in earlier assessment centres.

Please find the attached briefing document for Line Managers. It is down to the manager and role on how the technical questions are scored and weighted as each role is different.

Please note that in accordance with TfL’s obligations under Data Protection legislation some personal data has been removed, as required by section 40(2) of the FOI Act. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the legislation, specifically the first principle which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions which would make the processing ‘fair’.

This exemption to the right of access to information is an absolute exemption and not subject to an assessment of whether the public interest favours use of the exemption.

Finally I would like to request any information relating to the use of technical questions as part of the assessment process. I understand these are a newer inclusion to the CBI - are they scored in the same manner; do they carry the same weight as a competency answer in overall scoring, etc?

Please see above.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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