The background
P&O Nedlloyd has a fleet of 156 vessels ready to ship almost anything and everything from 217 ports around the world. Textile from India, coffee from Brazil or wine from Australia, the list is endless and so is the responsibility.
Only the most motivated, well-prepared people can keep up with the container shipping management life style, having to change their location whenever needed, and to cope with every demand of the task. That is one of the reasons why Nedlloyd takes its recruitment and retention very seriously.
To pick future leaders, P&O Nedlloyd likes to hire only the very best graduates and submit them to a very challenging five year graduate scheme – the Management Potential Programme. In this programme, graduates are asked to perform in diversified roles, through five different locations, which can be anywhere from Hong Kong to the United States of America.
Every year, hundreds of candidates apply for the programme, but only the few who demonstrate the best fit are chosen. The first stage of the sifting is done by looking at the applicants' details and CV and seeing which ones will be better suited to the role by their motivation or experience. From these hundreds of applicants, the best are invited for an interview and only a few are selected.
A great deal is demanded from those offered a place on the programme, explained Peter O' Riley, P&O Nedlloyd Global Development Manager: "It's really a very important role they have to play here and only the most motivated ones can do it. They need to feel comfortable in interacting with different people from diverse cultures, but they would also need to be able to spend a significant part of their time alone and in a location that may be strange to them. They also need to be able to undertake a wide range of roles within a number of different functions and all in a professional manner."
The challenge
P&O Nedlloyd believed it necessary to add some objectivity to the selection process. The company felt that some more grounded facts should be added to supplement the impressions gained at the initial interview, which could be biased by inevitable subjectivity of the interviewers. The company contacted a number of companies that run assessment centres to see what processes might be included to add objectivity to the selection process.
"From the proposals we received, I chose SHL's, because I felt it best understood our needs. While other companies were trying to convince us to adopt their largely ready-made solutions, SHL arrived with a 'clean sheet' ready to co-develop a personalised solution from our needs," commented Peter O' Riley.
The solution
This year, over 300 candidates submitted their CV's to join the P&O Nedlloyd Management Potential Programme. After the initial sifting and one competency-based interview, SHL designed an assessment centre for the ten strongest candidates. A presentation exercise, group exercises, a Motivational Questionnaire, an Occupational Personality Questionnaire and the Management and Graduate Item Bank were included in the Assessment Centre. All these tools were chosen to best fit P&O Nedlloyd's key competencies, as defined by the company.
"I was impressed with SHL's organisation, especially with its flexibility. SHL’s team was able to fit in with our arrangements, no matter how demanding. Also, they were able to meet our time table and set up the whole process very quickly," highlighted O' Riley.
The results
From all the applicants, ten were submitted to the SHL assessment centre. After all exercises, three were singled out and recommended for final interview. Peter O' Riley concluded: "I was impressed with the quality of the three finalists. Now we have a better grounded opinion on each candidate's suitability. The performance of the candidates on the assessment centre is really reassuring and it is good to know that when needed they will be able to deliver.
"All the candidates also felt comfortable with the exercises. They all thought it was very professionally handled and actually enjoyed the experience. They especially welcomed the personalised feedback," O' Riley added.