The partnership between ABN AMRO Clearing Bank and Starcheck exemplifies how a structured, objective, and in-depth selection process can help attract and develop international talent. By investing in assessments and a strategic partnership, ABN AMRO Clearing Bank attracts top international talent and strengthens its position as a world leader in clearing. Read the interview with Angelica Verwijmeren about selection, development, and the partnership with Starcheck.
With Angelica Verwijmeren of ABN AMRO Clearing Bank.
“I am working as Global HR Director at ABN AMRO Clearing Bank. I am responsible for the global HR strategy and lead the HR teams in different countries. My main responsibilities include developing and rolling out HR policies, ensuring a consistent HR approach across the organization, and being part of Clearing’s Global Management Team.”
Angelica Verwijmeren – Global HR Director
“ABN AMRO Clearing Bank is a world leader in clearing services and acts as an intermediary in exchange transactions. Although we are a subsidiary of ABN AMRO Bank, we operate independently with our own management team, IT system, and commercial activities. We strongly focus on risk management and handle some 6 billion transactions annually through more than 50 exchanges worldwide. Our IT-driven approach and international presence make us unique.”
“Besides the challenging roles and international environment, our graduate program offers many opportunities for personal and professional growth. The fact that the program is intensive and competitive makes it especially attractive to talented candidates. Moreover, candidates appreciate our focus on objectivity, managerial commitment, and quality in the selection process.”
“One of the biggest challenges is our brand awareness outside Europe. In regions such as the US and Asia, ABN AMRO Clearing Bank is less well known, which makes it harder to attract top talent. Also, in Europe, we are often seen as a traditional bank. However, we are more of an IT company with a banking license. This position makes it sometimes more difficult to attract candidates with an appropriate profile.”
“We also have to deal with competition in the labor market, differences in working conditions, and talent retention abroad. In the U.S., for example, attracting the top of the market is challenging. At the same time, in Asia, employees leave faster than desired due to fewer career opportunities (and salary growth).”
“Starcheck plays a crucial role in our selection process. Together, we have developed structured and objective assessment programs that help select graduate and C-level talent. These programs include multiple steps, such as CV selection, online ability tests, personality questionnaires, and live assessment days. It helps us select the right people and ensures consistency in our global HR policies.”
The program is both comprehensive and intensive. After CV selection, candidates complete a series of online ability tests, which are used to create a shortlist. Those who advance from this stage must fill out additional psychological questionnaires and be invited to a live assessment day. On this assessment day, candidates participate in case studies, group assignments, and interviews. Our managers, whom Starcheck has trained, serve as assessors and interviewers during this process.
“The latter is important because managers get to know the candidates better (and vice versa) and learn how to select and interview objectively. The process ends with an evaluation session supervised by Starcheck, where we carefully analyze the results and decide who we make an offer to and who we don’t.”
“A big advantage is objectivity. By using assessments, we avoid biases and can make informed decisions. In addition, the process provides great insight into candidates’ personalities and motivations, which helps to place them in the right positions in the organization. The involvement of managers is also a plus; they develop their selection skills and get a better picture of potential team members. Finally, the graduate program has built a strong reputation through this approach, which helps us attract top international talent.”
“For these positions, we use assessments that go deeper into personality, motivations, and potential pitfalls. These assessments help us get an objective picture of candidates and avoid internal biases. This is also valuable for internal applications. If an internal candidate is not selected, we can better substantiate the decision and potentially minimize the impact of a rejection. After the assessment, we discuss the results with the candidates, which gives them insight into their strengths and development areas.”
“Starcheck provides the assessment tools, guides our managers, and provides a structured process. A Starcheck psychologist conducts the assessments for managerial and C-level positions and discusses the findings with hiring managers and HR. Starcheck’s expertise and the quality of the assessments ensure that we make decisions with high predictive value. So far, we have never regretted our choices based on these assessments.”
“Invest in an objective and structured selection process. A good candidate experience is important; a professional selection process contributes to this. The use of assessments also helps to get the right people in the right place and prevents decisions from being made purely on gut feeling. In addition, involving (hiring) managers in the process gives them valuable insights and strengthens commitment. Finally, be transparent and have a strong employer branding strategy. It helps to attract talent, even in markets where you are less well known.”
“I am thrilled with Starcheck. They offer high-quality assessments and collaborate with us strategically. Their process serves not only as a selection tool but also supports talent development. This partnership has enabled us to maintain consistency and quality, even in a complex international environment.”
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