International Self-assessment Tools for the Employee and Spouse / Partner, Confidential Candidate Reports, Telephone Interviews, and Client Report

The International Assessment Program was designed for organizations wanting a professional assessment of global assignees, but not SRI’s formal daylong face-to-face evaluation. The International Assessment Program involves a web-based international self-assessment tool for the employee and spouse / domestic partner combined with the predictive power of structured telephone interviews. Clients receive accurate, predictive reports of assignee personal, familial and professional needs and resources for better managing assignments and vendor services.

Reality of International Moves

Most employees approach career moves focusing on the job without considering the lasting impact on their immediate relationships and family. Because people’s lives are unique, complex sets of conditions, most people have some difficulty figuring out how to manage their lives given the complications of an international move.

1. SRI’s role is to help the employee and spouse / domestic partner approach their assignment from all aspects of the international relocation likely to affect them and their family.

• Personal factors
• Family conditions
• Professional situation
• Cultural circumstances
• Cognitive and emotional flexibility
• Ability to handle the stress of change

2. The International Assessment Program counsels candidates to look realistically at their life-conditions and use the process as an opportunity to problem-solve or self-select themselves out without negative repercussions from their organizations.

3. The International Assessment Program identifies key areas, “red flags”, discusses them with the assignees, and either helps assignees to come up with solutions or deselect if they cannot reach a satisfactory, realistic resolution.

4. SRI’s written reports and verbal feedback to HR provide a map for managing assignments from pre-departure and destination support through follow-up counseling and repatriation.

International Assessment Program Objectives

• Assist the employee, spouse / partner and family to feel supported; leading to happier, well-adjusted expatriates who are more strongly identified with their organizations.


• Provide HR and hiring managers accurate, predictive information about the assignees’ personal, familial, and professional: needs, abilities and resources.

The International Assessment Program highlights personal and family issues impacting the assignee’s assignment equipping them to make more realistic decisions about accepting global assignments. Clients, on the other hand, have a more accurate understanding of personal and family readiness and employee job suitability. Better candidate selection and easier assignment management reduces the cost of failed expatriate assignments, decreasing expatriate problems, as well as negative surprises for assignees and the organization.

International Assessment Program Development

The International Assessment Program is based on four global self-assessment tools SRI developed for Dow Chemical, AT&T, Verizon, and DaimlerChrysler (International Assignment Exercise IAE). The IAE was developed to fill a gap in predictive, legally compliant global assessment tools. Not a test, the IAE guides assignees to identify their expectations and critical needs along with practical ways for dealing with them. The IAE can be used as a valid part of a legally defensible selection system.

International Assessment Program

Used for selection and assignment management, the program includes:

1. Web-based Assessments: The employee and spouse complete separate online self-assessment tools (IAE), and their confidential reports used for a family discussion.

The IAE is a readiness exercise that graphically represents the assignee’s personal and family situation – the critical areas likely to impact their living and working abroad.

International Assessment Report: Employee and spouse / partner receive confidential, self-scored, self-reports highlighting personal, family, and professional issues for them and their family. Printed reports show where they are not likely to experience problems and areas offering compelling reasons why they should reconsider their decision or not pursue an international assignment at this time.

2. Background Information Forms: Completed online by the employee and spouse.


3. Telephone Debriefing Interviews: SRI assessor / counselor conducts separate, confidential interviews with the employee and spouse. Interviews take ninety minutes to two hours with each person.


4. Written Report: With the participants’ consent, the SRI counselor generates a written client report highlighting employee and spouse / partner internal resources for building a meaningful lifestyle abroad, employee global job suitability, as well as conditions likely to impact individual and family acculturation.

SRI reports also contain detailed recommendations for assignment management and talent development.