Training and development prompts change within an organization. The goal of training is to identify areas for improvement and to develop growth opportunities that support the employees in their professional career.
For this assignment, you are required to develop a small training exercise in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. Review previous needs assessments and training observations conducted at your workplace to help identify one area for improvement that would benefit your organization. This training exercise does not need to be implemented but should include at least one deliverable that you could use during the training exercise. As you are reviewing your organization, consider employee engagement, systems and procedures, communication, resources, succession planning, and the culture within the organization. These are only suggestions for possible areas that could benefit from a training exercise.
Create an 8-10 slide PowerPoint presentation of your training exercise, with speaker notes, and include the following:
What are the overall goals for the training or the benefit to the selected organization?
What are two specific objectives for the training exercise?

What processes or procedures will change after the training has been completed?
Describe the strategies or actions involved in the training exercise to meet the established goals and objectives. What is the expected employee performance or application after the training? How will the strategies drive successful business results and improve employee performance?
How will the organization provide support to the current employees receiving this training? To new employees? How will the effectiveness of the training exercise be measured to confirm the anticipated improvement of employee performance?
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Selection Process
Interview strategy
In designing the interview process for PennyMac, a comprehensive and inclusive approach must
be adopted to bring a diversified pool of competent applicants. The interview strategy will
consist of various factors such as the time, place, format, and the employees who will be
involved in the process, as will be discussed below:
Time and Place: The interviews will be conducted during regular business hours, and keeping in
mind the convenience of both the hiring team and the candidates, the schedule will be arranged.
Job interviews will be held on-site at PennyMac’s main office to provide a warm and
professional setting. A virtual interview option will be offered for individuals unable to attend
physically.
Format: The interview will follow a structured procedure to ensure consistency and fairness. All
individuals will also answer a standard set of questions to provide equal opportunities for each
applicant. Further, each candidate will undergo a panel interview involving the hiring manager
and key stakeholders, including a senior financial analyst and a human resources department
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representative. The panel’s approach will generate different opinions and will be based on the
criteria set in the job description.
Employees Involved: The panel interviewing format will be a joint effort by the team members.
The hiring manager, the key decision-maker, provides a strategic perspective on how the
potential employee fits the organizational goals. The senior financial analyst will be responsible
for the technical aspects of the job, and the HR representative will make sure that the company
follows the guidelines and contributes to evaluating cultural fit within the organization.
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Preassessment tools
1. Technical proficiency tool: The test assesses candidates’ proficiency in the crucial
technical skills listed in the job description. The main goal is to ensure that candidates
have the right skills and knowledge to perform well on the job and complete the
assessment process fairly and objectively (Min et al., 2023). The exam is designed to
mirror the practical issues and duties integral to the Financial Analyst role at PennyMac
Financial Services. Candidates’ score on the test directly reflects their competence for the
role. This is particularly useful at the beginning of the selection process when the hiring
team can pick out the candidates who have proven they have the required level of
proficiency (The Wall Street Journal, 2022). The candidates who successfully go through
the screening will be called for a Technical Proficiency Test as part of the preassessment
phase of the process.
2. Cognitive aptitude test: According to Xie et al. (2021), cognitive aptitude tests evaluate
a candidate’s ability to learn, change, and solve problems. This test assesses the
candidate’s general cognitive skills, which can be used in different company tasks and
roles. This will lead to evaluating a wide range of skills that may not be limited to
technical competency alone (Reynolds et al., 2021). By assessing candidates’ problemsolving, critical thinking, and learning abilities, the company can find those with the
required cognitive adaptability for a challenging financial environment. It is suitable as it
would help the management examine candidates capable of solving critical financial
issues within the organization. The individuals can use the novel information from within
and outside the company to make crucial financial decisions.
Situational Questions
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1. Given a sudden market downturn, how would you adjust your financial analysis
strategies to mitigate potential risks for PennyMac Financial Services?
2. Explain a situation where you had to work with teams to accomplish a shared financial
goal. What obstacles did you encounter, and how did you solve them?
3. How would you use your understanding of industry trends and regulations to help
PennyMac maintain a competitive edge in the market?
4. In a fast-paced work environment, how do you prioritize competing demands and ensure
timely delivery of accurate financial reports?
Behavioral questions
1. Tell us about when you identified a financial inefficiency in a previous role. What steps
did you take to address it, and what impact did your solution have on the organization?
2. Share an example of a complex financial analysis project you successfully managed.
How did your analytical skills contribute to the project’s success?
3. Give an example of a scenario in which you had to explain intricate financial details to
stakeholders at various organizational levels. In what ways did you modify your message
to guarantee comprehension?
4. Have you ever had to meet a tight deadline for a financial report? How did you maintain
the quality of output?
Additional consideration
In addition to the Technical Proficiency Test in Financial Analysis, PennyMac recognizes the
importance of fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To ensure that the selection
process aligns with the company’s commitment to diversity, an additional consideration will be
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incorporated: a diversity and inclusion assessment. The Diversity and Inclusion Assessment
insights will complement the technical evaluation, providing a more holistic understanding of
candidates’ potential contributions to PennyMac Financial Services’ diverse and inclusive
workplace culture.
Sample Questions for Diversity and Inclusion Assessment:
1. How have you actively fostered diversity and inclusion in your previous work
environments?
2. Can you share an example of a project where you worked effectively in a diverse team?
How did the diversity of the team contribute to the project’s success?
3. Describe a situation where you faced a challenge related to diversity or inclusion. What
lessons did you learn from the experience?
4. In what ways do you believe diversity can positively impact the financial industry, and
how would you contribute to creating an inclusive culture at PennyMac Financial
Services?
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