Talent scan gives candidates insight and perspective
How do you know what someone needs to get back to work? At UW, Utrecht's Work Development Company, this starts with the Talent Scan. With these questionnaires and tests, consultants and candidates get a broad and concrete picture of talents, possibilities, interests and any obstacles to work.
Sarah van Zon, occupational psychologist at UW, is involved in research and advice in the field of reintegration and fitness for work. She sees every day how valuable it is to have a good picture of candidates: "With the Talent Scan, we can start the guidance process much more concretely. We see more quickly where someone's strengths lie, what support someone needs and which obstacles may need to be solved first."
Tailor-made for UW and the municipality of Utrecht
UW has already used various tests from NOA and, together with NOA, has developed the Talent Scan and tailored it to UW's working methods and the services of the municipality of Utrecht.
At the end of 2024, the first group of candidates made the Talent Scan. And since September, three groups of about ten people have been making the Talent Scan every week. This has therefore become a permanent part of the process that UW goes through with candidates.
The Talent Scan maps out various aspects. For example, capacities, characteristics and interests are examined, but also mental well-being. For example, various factors that influence a person's functioning are looked at broadly. Three profiles can be chosen to match different levels (standard/low/high). For candidates who have little or no command of the Dutch language and/or have hardly any education, there is a visual interest test instead of a language test, for example.
The capacity test is an important part of the Talent Scan. This provides insight into the working and thinking level of a candidate and thus helps to better determine which approach and guidance is appropriate.
A more focused first conversation
The Talent Scan is taken by the consultant and then discussed together with the candidate and work coach of the municipality. The results provide concrete starting points for further development of the customer journey.
That makes the first conversation more focused. It is more quickly clear where the bottlenecks are and what the guidance can focus on. Is someone ready to actively look for work? What support is needed for this? Or are there other things that require attention before someone can take the step to work?
Not an exam, but a way to get to know someone better
Making a Talent Scan can be quite exciting for candidates. Sarah: "Sometimes we hear that people feel like they are taking an exam and are afraid that they have not done well enough. We always explain that it is not a test but that it is about getting to know someone better in terms of opportunities and possibilities.
And it is precisely discussing the results that often yields something beautiful. Not only do bottlenecks become visible, but also the strengths of someone.
"People recognize themselves in the results. They experience that they are seen and that they are looked at what they can do. They can get to work on that in concrete terms. It offers perspective and sets something in motion. And that's the most important thing."
Working together on the step to work
With the Talent Scan, the candidate, UW and the work coach get a more complete picture of the candidate and the guidance can better match what someone needs. In this way, the Talent Scan helps to make use of talents and opportunities and to identify obstacles in time.
The goal remains clear: to guide people from benefits to suitable work. The Talent Scan is not an end in itself, but a practical tool to take the right first steps together with the candidate.
