Good academic background doesn’t guarantee professional skills

Psychometric assessment is one of the things used to firstly identify a prospective job applicant's attitude. It is an international model.

Earlier we would make fresh hiring based on a candidate's academic background. During the interview process, however, it was revealed that there were some things lacking and perhaps the candidate was not a good fit for us. This isn't to say whether a candidate was good or bad. It is more that not everyone will fit in with the mindset we have as a bank, our values and the customer service we wish to provide. This cannot be gauged on academic background alone.

For instance, let's say you secured a CGPA of 3.8 and graduated from the University of Dhaka. Does that make you suitable for Brac Bank? That question needs to be properly answered.

These matters did not come to light based on the kind of questions we asked in interviews or the assessment tools we previously used. As a result, two to three years after taking the job, many people left, for another job or abroad. Perhaps they didn't like banking or they didn't like the kind of assignments they got. This can lead to a huge loss for the bank. It can also often be seen that sometimes the recruits are more interested in going abroad than working here.

We, thus, conduct a final psychometric assessment during the final interview at our bank after the initial two stages of interviews and examinations. This helps us find answers to crucial questions, such as whether these prospective recruits would be able to do networking.

There are indeed many brilliant pupils who, however, are not a good fit for Brac. Going back to our core values for instance, there are many who will not fit with Brac Bank because, while we deal with small-medium entrepreneur financing, they want to deal with bigger businesses. So, we focus on identifying candidates with the requisite leadership skills, attitude and the right ambition.

Based on our experience, we now see that some people are very picky about where they want to work or in which location. Many say they will not work outside Dhaka, or they will not do this or that. Things have indeed changed a lot. We started working for Tk3,000, while the starting salary demand now touches Tk70,000. Through a process, we try to match the demands of the candidates with the demands of the bank.

But, there are so many factors we consider when hiring someone. Some of the candidates have very high demands. Some are very sound academically, but this may lead them to become arrogant. Some, while good in academics, cannot do fieldwork well.

Now we can see that many who secured a CGPA of 2.5, got the same job that someone with a CGPA of 3.8 did not get. Many think that because they have done so well in their studies and secured good grades, they will just walk into the job market and be hired. But this is no longer the case. Academic success no longer guarantees a job. We understand that the beginning of our work life is also when we start learning again. This is the mentality that needs to be fostered.

Selim RF Hussain is a managing director of Brac Bank.