Assertion Partly supported AI assessment confidence: 85% certainty 4/5 debate potential 1/5

Verboven: Executive Assessments Remain Primarily In-Person Post-COVID

Tom Verboven · Lou Gerstner Turned a $3B Loss Into $8M Profit By Ignoring the Obvious Hire · Jun 18, 2024 · at 18:07

Executive assessment expert Tom Verboven discusses assessment logistics and interview formats for C-suite candidates with host Sean Weisbrot.

0:00 / 0:19exact quote · 19.6s

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“At that level, most of the time it's still physically in person. I'd say the most of the assessment now changed a lot since COVID of course it's virtual, but at that level, there's still a preference for in-person assessments.”

quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →

The claim, plainly

While general talent assessment moved primarily online following COVID-19, executive-level leadership assessments remain predominantly conducted in person.

a quote alone can be ambiguous, so this restates it with the references and context of the conversation around it resolved. AI-written; the tape below the player is the source.

Assessment

The claim bundles two distinct assertions regarding post-COVID talent assessment practices. The first assertion—that general talent assessment shifted predominantly to virtual/online platforms following COVID-19—is supported by industry benchmark data from SHRM and LinkedIn, showing that 70% to 82% of organizations conduct initial screenings and pre-employment talent assessments virtually. However, the second assertion—that executive-level leadership assessments remain predominantly conducted in person—is contradicted by industry findings. Reports and benchmark studies from major executive assessment and search bodies (including Korn Ferry, AESC, and DDI) indicate that formal executive assessments, digital simulation centers, psychometric batteries, and 360-degree evaluations shifted heavily to remote/virtual delivery during COVID-19 and remain predominantly virtual or hybrid. While late-stage finalist interviews and board meetings often retain an in-person element, formal executive assessment batteries are not predominantly conducted in person.

SHRM and LinkedIn Talent Solutions benchmark data (2023) show over 70% to 82% of organizations shifted general talent assessments and initial screening funnels to fully virtual platforms.
Korn Ferry Institute research ('Equally Robust: Virtual vs. In-Person Simulation Assessments') documented sustained post-pandemic virtual adoption for executive simulation and leadership assessments.
AESC (Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants) and DDI Global Leadership Forecast (2023/2025) reports show that executive assessment batteries, digital business simulations, and virtual assessment centers have become standard practice, with no industry data showing >50% of formal executive assessments conducted in person.

Checked against

[1] infeedo.ai [2] uis.edu [3] infeedo.ai [4] kornferry.com [5] elite-cv.com [6] td.org [7] talogy.com [8] buddypro.ai

DDI Global Leadership Forecast assessment in person virtual "executive search" "in-person" interviews "virtual" percentage post-covid talent assessment virtual vs in person executive post covid survey "virtual assessments" "in-person" "executive" "percentage" OR "percent" OR "survey" "executive assessments" "virtual" "in person" percentage OR survey OR benchmark "leadership assessments" virtual in-person Korn Ferry OR "Spencer Stuart" OR "Russell Reynolds" OR "Heidrick" OR "AESC"

assessed as of 2026-09-02

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Mentioned

COVID Tom Verboven

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