OPQ AND THE SELECTION
OF TRAINEE REFINERY
OPERATORS
QNI (BHP Billiton)
THE QNI PROBLEM
 Yabulu Expansion Project (YEP)
 Aim: to increase nickel production at QNI’s
Yabulu refinery from around 31,200 tonnes
per year to 76, 000 tonnes per year
 40-50 entry level trainee operator roles
 Requirement: Strong cultural fit, potential for
development and long term commitment to
business
THE INITIAL SITUATION
 Existing relationship with another firm of
consulting psychologists
 Used NEO personality questionnaire
 Issue: too clinical and not integrated into
overall selection data
 Used in conjunction with basic cognitive
ability tests without assessment centres,
added little value
THE PSYLUTIONS ALTERNATIVE
 We proposed a holistic methodology
integrating cognitive ability tests, OPQ and
behavioural data (assessment centres)
 Emphasised the importance of job
relevance and data integration
 Ran the process 4 times across 2 years, 4
week end-to-end projects
 Candidate numbers e.g. Jan 06, 508
applications shortlisted to 20 roles
STAGE ONE
 MatchMe! our own ATS (application tracking
system) online data collection including
biodata, education, work experience,
motivation and competency based
behavioural questions
 Shortlisted based on biodata, education,
work experience and motivation
 Our team of assessors then evaluated the
behavioural responses of those who were
shortlisted
STAGE TWO
 Shortlisted candidates invited to complete
online cognitive ability tests (verbal,
numerical and abstract reasoning)
 Presented spreadsheet of rank ordered
results to QNI for review
STAGE THREE
 Shortlisted candidates invited to complete
OPQ online
 Invited to attend assessment centres in
Townsville
STAGE FOUR
 Assessor training; balance of theory and
practical skill development
 Assessment Centre; behavioural interview,
team activity and individual problem solving
challenge
 Designed interactions based on close
consultation with QNI HR and Line
 Integration sessions included candidate
scores from cognitive ability tests, OPQ
scales and assessment centre performance
CHALLENGES
 Implementing change; from a strong
emphasis on informal interviews and family
connections to a more rigourous approach –
cultural shift
 Education process with line managers
(assessors); selling the benefit of psychometric
and behavioural data to a group of seasoned
refinery workers
 Very strong views about the type of people
who could do the job, i.e. gender, cultural
background
CHALLENGES
 Mapping OPQ scales to non-behavioural
criteria, BHP Billiton Values such as ‘respect
for others’- drawing long bows with Trusting,
Caring
 Ultimately they embraced the OPQ and
initiated discussions about individual profiles,
OPQ terminology became part of their
language
LEARNINGS
 Methodology – honed it each time to
improve predictive validity e.g. earlier
approaches included safety assessment tool
which often contradicted OPQ so
eliminated this in later iterations
 Profiling – developed benchmarks for the
more highly predictive scales e.g. detail
conscious, conscientious and rule following
 Adapted our interpersonal style to connect
with QNI staff, e.g. ‘mate’