On March 21st and 22nd of 2024, Centralina Regional Council administered an assessment center for the Town of Matthews Fire Department for their recruitment process for three open Battalion Chief positions. This process began with a nationwide search that attracted 45 applicants. Following this, Centralina conducted a preliminary interview with 17 candidates, using questions provided by the Town. A total of 11 final candidates were then chosen to participate in the Assessment Center process, with eight ultimately attending. Â
The assessment center encompassed multiple exercises assessed by individual assessors to gauge candidates’ capabilities in a standardized manner, focusing on behaviors rather than just knowledge. Candidates were required to demonstrate specific dimensions representing job-related knowledge, skills and abilities, which were evaluated by a panel of experienced assessors from neighboring jurisdictions and fire departments in our region. The Assessment Center played a crucial role in identifying skills gaps among the candidates and provided valuable insights for the Town of Matthews staff during their final review and evaluation of the candidate pool. Â
The Town of Matthews will soon form a decision based on the final report on each candidate provided by Centralina. This report entails the individual scores of each candidate based on their performance in the structured interview, situational judgement and emergency management exercises. The Town is experiencing internal growth in both the fire and police departments, and the Battalion Chief assessment center is the first of three assessment centers administered by Centralina in early 2024.Â
If you are a Centralina member government and would like to learn more about how we can help your community with an assessment center, please view our online sales sheet for more information.
