Published on Wednesday, Feb 06, 2008
Candidate assessment tests have become the new benchmark in recruitment!
Multi-faceted assessment tools that measure all kinds of skill sets and personality profiles - right from simple ability tests to intricate evaluations for top executives. There are online testing and computerised scoring facilities too. These cogniti ve tests appraise candidates’ knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and personality, thus hinting at their employability.
While pre-hire tests do help streamline and improve recruitment, can they be considered the sole determining factor in hiring decisions as is becoming the norm?
This validity is coming under question, more so because some candidates do well on psychometric tests, but when hired, their performance does not live up to the mark.
Multi-faceted assessment tools that measure all kinds of skill sets and personality profiles - right from simple ability tests to intricate evaluations for top executives. There are online testing and computerised scoring facilities too. These cogniti ve tests appraise candidates’ knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and personality, thus hinting at their employability.
While pre-hire tests do help streamline and improve recruitment, can they be considered the sole determining factor in hiring decisions as is becoming the norm?
This validity is coming under question, more so because some candidates do well on psychometric tests, but when hired, their performance does not live up to the mark.
Get a grip on assessment tests
For obtaining a more objective candidate appraisal, it is imperative to first establish clarity. Clearly defining the position to be filled, its specific needs and kind of performance one wants to predict will help the assessment be more relevant to the job requirement.
Towards this end, proper job analysis and profiling techniques can highlight the job demands and key competencies that should be addressed and met.
For instance, success in different jobs differs on varied parameters ranging from reliability, adaptability, teamwork, customer service, work ethics, and motivation for problem solving, decision-making and leadership skills or even specialist knowledge. Accordingly, a variety of assessment tests are available that can appraise ‘person-job fit’, ‘interest inventory’, ‘task preferences’, ‘work environment preferences’ and even ‘personal honesty assessment’.
Therefore, being swayed by an integrity test alone makes a poor hiring choice when the job necessitates not only sound work ethics but also supervisory and interpersonal skills.
Little wonder then that there turns out to be no correlation between test results and on-the-job behaviour.
Apart from running tests that reflect actual job requirements, hiring managers should diligently choose validated instruments that are administered, scored and evaluated by qualified professionals to add objectivity and legitimacy to the selection process.
One should select accepted assessment tests as they accurately indicate, if not, totally predict who would be able to perform the job. Also, one needs to understand the test well, administer it in accordance with professional guidelines and interpret the answers properly to avoid wasting valuable time and resources.
For obtaining a more objective candidate appraisal, it is imperative to first establish clarity. Clearly defining the position to be filled, its specific needs and kind of performance one wants to predict will help the assessment be more relevant to the job requirement.
Towards this end, proper job analysis and profiling techniques can highlight the job demands and key competencies that should be addressed and met.
For instance, success in different jobs differs on varied parameters ranging from reliability, adaptability, teamwork, customer service, work ethics, and motivation for problem solving, decision-making and leadership skills or even specialist knowledge. Accordingly, a variety of assessment tests are available that can appraise ‘person-job fit’, ‘interest inventory’, ‘task preferences’, ‘work environment preferences’ and even ‘personal honesty assessment’.
Therefore, being swayed by an integrity test alone makes a poor hiring choice when the job necessitates not only sound work ethics but also supervisory and interpersonal skills.
Little wonder then that there turns out to be no correlation between test results and on-the-job behaviour.
Apart from running tests that reflect actual job requirements, hiring managers should diligently choose validated instruments that are administered, scored and evaluated by qualified professionals to add objectivity and legitimacy to the selection process.
One should select accepted assessment tests as they accurately indicate, if not, totally predict who would be able to perform the job. Also, one needs to understand the test well, administer it in accordance with professional guidelines and interpret the answers properly to avoid wasting valuable time and resources.
Measuring employability – the effective way
Assessment tests have great potential and can effectively screen talent, but they cannot completely replace other traditional recruitment methods. Utilising them in isolation will not get the right person for the job.
Balanced hiring policies alone can effectively predict future employee behaviour. In fact, experts reckon that pre-hire tests should form only one-third of the recruitment process. So, using them in conjunction with other selection methods will give a well-rounded view of the candidates.
Combining tests with other valid assessments like background checking, qualification screening and reference checking increases efficacy. Structured interview formats with behavioural questioning designed to identify specific skills and how they have been applied demonstrates a reasonable measure of performance.
As top organisational psychologist, Ben Dattner observes, “Testing, when used in combination with behavioural interviews, can substantially increase the “hit rate” in terms of the success of new hires.”
Also, job-specific skill testing is feasible through job simulations where candidates have to perform specific tasks related to their job in a ‘real’ work environment. This makes it easier to truly establish an individual’s capacity, as they have to demonstrate the skills they claim to possess.
The challenge is to determine which combination of tools will have the greatest impact, given your company’s particular needs, so as to capture the best combination of skills, training, education and personality in a candidate who will put in best efforts at the job.
Moreover, when recruiters do not overly depend on the results of assessment tests at the expense of other methods, it will lead to more successful hire rates!
Assessment tests have great potential and can effectively screen talent, but they cannot completely replace other traditional recruitment methods. Utilising them in isolation will not get the right person for the job.
Balanced hiring policies alone can effectively predict future employee behaviour. In fact, experts reckon that pre-hire tests should form only one-third of the recruitment process. So, using them in conjunction with other selection methods will give a well-rounded view of the candidates.
Combining tests with other valid assessments like background checking, qualification screening and reference checking increases efficacy. Structured interview formats with behavioural questioning designed to identify specific skills and how they have been applied demonstrates a reasonable measure of performance.
As top organisational psychologist, Ben Dattner observes, “Testing, when used in combination with behavioural interviews, can substantially increase the “hit rate” in terms of the success of new hires.”
Also, job-specific skill testing is feasible through job simulations where candidates have to perform specific tasks related to their job in a ‘real’ work environment. This makes it easier to truly establish an individual’s capacity, as they have to demonstrate the skills they claim to possess.
The challenge is to determine which combination of tools will have the greatest impact, given your company’s particular needs, so as to capture the best combination of skills, training, education and personality in a candidate who will put in best efforts at the job.
Moreover, when recruiters do not overly depend on the results of assessment tests at the expense of other methods, it will lead to more successful hire rates!
PAYAL CHANANIA
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