SPAR Ondernemersassessment: GITP Talent Match
Aspiring SPAR ondernemers always take GITP’s online Talent Match, with an hbo-level minimum for the cognitive part. Here is the route from first meeting to your own store
The assessment SPAR always uses
GITP, the Dutch assessment firm, published a case about how SPAR selects new ondernemers. Candidates come from SPAR’s own pipeline (the SPAR academy and its talent community) and from outside, and “naast enkele gesprekken maken kandidaten ook altijd een online assessment (Talent Match Premium).” SPAR raised the bar while it was at it: “Het minimale cognitie niveau hebben we aangepast naar HBO werk- en denk niveau.” The stated purpose is a better conversation, “om echt het goede gesprek te kunnen voeren op basis van waardevolle inzichten.”
SPAR’s own pages call this step the ondernemersassessment and do not name GITP, which is normal for an employer. The case is GITP’s, and it carries no date.
What Talent Match contains
GITP says every Talent Match “bevat altijd een persoonlijkheidsmeting” and can add cognitive ability, work drives, or both. GITP does not publish exactly what its Premium tier adds, but a minimum cognitive level only makes sense with a cognitive part in the package, so plan for both.
- Cognitive: Connector Ability. Adaptive, in three parts (figuurreeksen, matrixen and cijferreeksen), four options per item, a clock on every item, no penalty for a wrong answer and a blank counted as wrong. Scores are T-scores against a norm group the employer picks by education level, and SPAR’s minimum is hbo. See our guides to abstract reasoning, inductive reasoning and numerical reasoning.
- Personality: Reflector Big Five. 144 statements rated on a five-point scale, reported as five factors and 24 facets. Our personality test guide covers the format.
- Possibly drives and verbal analogies. Reflector Drives compares twelve work drives; Connector Verbal Analogies is a Dutch-only verbal test. Some tiers include them.
The route to your own SPAR store
SPAR’s FAQ lists the steps for a new ondernemer in this order.
What SPAR asks of an ondernemer
- At least four years of leadership experience in food retail or hospitality.
- A private partner, if you have one, who fully backs the step and is involved in selection.
- A stable private situation.
- Own equity of 10% of the total investment, available immediately and in the bank. SPAR puts the average investment at around €750,000.
After selection: Succesvol aan de start
New ondernemers then spend about 12 weeks working in practice. SPAR sets your learning goals and picks a suitable leerbedrijf, a store where you learn, with digital training through the SPAR academy and an Opstartmanager supervising.
The SPAR traineeship
The traineeship is SPAR’s other way in, aimed at people who want their own store, with or without retail experience. SPAR asks for an hbo werk- en denkniveau, and says an hbo diploma is not necessary; some food retail experience is welcome but not required. Trainees work on the shop floor of a SPAR store and on cases from day-to-day ondernemer practice.
The assessment matters more here, not less. SPAR’s traineeship page: “Na een verdiepende kennismaking vragen we je om het ondernemersassessment te maken.” Together with the conversations, “resultaten uit de assessments” shape your traineeship programme and the leerbedrijf SPAR finds for you. At the end, a meeting with the recruitment adviser and the area manager decides whether you are ready to open your own SPAR store.
How to prepare
Treat the cognitive part as a hurdle
SPAR has set a minimum, so this is the part where a weak result can end the route. Practise figure series, matrices and number series on a clock until the item types are familiar. On Connector Ability a blank counts as wrong and a wrong answer costs nothing extra, so never leave an item empty.
Answer the questionnaire as the ondernemer you are
The case says the results are there to deepen the conversation, and the FAQ puts a bespreking straight after the assessment. Whatever your profile says, you will be asked about it.
Prepare evidence of leading a team
Four years of leadership is the entry requirement, so the conversations will probe it. Have examples ready using the STAR method: a staffing problem, a cost decision and a difficult customer.
Practise the tests
Cognitive
Personality and drives
Our GITP practice hub explains each test and how GITP scores it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do SPAR store employees take the GITP assessment?
Not as far as any public source shows. GITP’s case and SPAR’s pages describe it for franchise candidates and trainees only.
Can I fail the SPAR ondernemersassessment?
The cognitive part has a minimum, set at hbo level, so a low score can stop the route. The personality part has no right answers and feeds the conversation that follows.
Do I need an hbo diploma?
No. SPAR asks for an hbo werk- en denkniveau, a level of thinking and working, and says a diploma at that level is not necessary. The assessment is how that level is checked.