Desjardins Group

How we helped Desjardins implement the competency-based approach in their selection process.

The company

Desjardins, one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, provides banking services for individuals and corporations. It currently offers investment, insurance and payroll services across Canada. EPSI has been providing test scoring services to the company since 1992 and detailed selection services since 2003.

The issue

In 2003, Desjardins wanted to change the culture within its cooperatives from a passive model where employees acted as customer service representatives to a proactive model where they also acted as sales representatives. However, the company concluded that if it wanted to make the change group-wide, it would first have to restructure its employee selection process.

The approach

• Renewal of selection processes

In order to better guide all selection activities, EPSI used the competency model in all client-facing positions to better determine the core competencies. We provided standardized tests that assessed these key competencies. Thus, for the same job family, all candidates were required to take the same tests so that the assessment would be objective as to the core competencies of the position being filled.

• Ensuring the validity of the tests for the organization

Desjardins employees with average or excellent performance were tested to determine the results and answers that separated the best employees. EPSI then processed this information to update the scoring guides. In this way, they ensured that these answers were used to select only those candidates whose profiles best met Desjardins’ needs.

• Hosting all customized tests on its online platform

The client’s HR team was able to register candidates remotely and administer the tests to candidates across Canada.

Outcomes

A utility analysis showed that, over a 10-year period, EPSI’s contribution had generated the following results for Desjardins: