Lower Turnover + Less Accidents + Better Teamwork

A pre-employment test I researched and created – “Dependability Forecaster(tm ) Test” – helped me learn a lot about people who are turnover risks, accident-prone, and rub co-workers and customers the wrong way.  Specifically, such people are impulsive.  So, you should avoid hiring impulsive people.

 Definitions:
*  Impulsive people = act before thinking.
*  Non-impulsive people = think before acting. 

You want to hire job applicants who think before acting, that is, people who are responsible, careful, prudent human beings.  

BAD JOB PERFORMANCE – IF YOU HIRE IMPULSIVE PEOPLE

If you hire impulsive people – that is, people who act before they think – you are more likely to have expensive problems, such as
-  Accidents – because they are careless

-  Interpersonal Messes – because impulsive people blurt out inconsiderate, hurtful remarks

-  Turnover – because they are disloyal and uncommitted

-  Substance Abuse – because substance abusers are impulsive people

-  Absenteeism – because they do not care that you expect them to show up

-  Lost Customers – because impulsive people fail to offer good service

-  Violations of Rules – because they think it is o.k. to break your rules

In fact, my pre-employment test research to created “Dependability Forecaster(tm ) Test” discovered a statistically significant correlation between being (a) substance abuser and (b) highly impulsive.  My test research finding means
*  substance abusers = highly impulsive people
*  when you hire highly impulsive people = you are more likely to hire
     substance abusers

You do not want to hire substance abusers, do you?

GOOD JOB PERFORMANCE – IF YOU HIRE NON-IMPULSIVE PEOPLE 

When you hire people who are not impulsive – that is, people who think before they act – your company may profit from

+  Safety – since non-impulsive people think to avoid accidents

+  Nice Relationships – with customers and co-workers

+  Retention – since non-impulsive people are more likely to be loyal

+  Less Substance Abuse – low impulsiveness does not correlate with substance abuse

+  Better Attendance – they follow rules, including showing up for work

+  Good Customer Service – because they consider their words and use good manners

+  Rule & Policy Following – because they feel rules are meant to be followed

EXAMPLES OF IMPULSIVE EMPLOYEES’ HORRIBLE MISTAKES 

You can imagine these examples of impulsive employees:

-  Delivery person – carelessly unloads a truck, dropping boxes, thus breaking
     the contents

-  Caretaker – unsafely picks-up patient, thus dropping and injuring the patient

-  Warehouse employee – injures himself by incorrectly picking up a box

-  Housekeeper or Janitor – spills dangerous chemicals

-  Kitchen Staff – ignore health rules, waste food, and violate health rules

-  Car Valets – take joyrides in clients’ cars or dent cars

-  [fill-in examples – of impulsive employees you witnessed]

1 JOB WHERE IMPULSIVE PEOPLE DO SUPERBLY WELL 

Believe it or not, impulsive people are sought after for one highly visible job.  For this position, impulsive people are the very best.

Impulsive people are the best people to select – if you are casting a reality TV show.  Why?  Because reality TV shows thrive on antics and “drama” of highly impulsive cast members. 

 You do not produce reality TV shows.  So, avoid hiring impulsive people. 

PRE-EMPLOYMENT TEST = BEST WAY TO PREDICT APPLICANT’S IMPULSIVENESS

Without pre-employment testing, most managers fail to spot impulsive job applicants.  Research proves interviewers overwhelmingly make incorrect predictions about applicants. 

Fortunately, a pre-employment test researched and designed to forecast – or predict – an applicant’s level of impulsiveness cannot be faked by a job applicant.  A built-in lie section warns you if an applicant tries to fool the test. 

 In creating pre-employment tests – for entry-level and blue-collar job applicants – I found it crucial that the test assess applicants’ dependability.  A key dependability ingredient is thinking before acting, that is, being non-impulsiveness.  So, the pre-employment test includes an impulsiveness prediction section, in addition to also predicting (1) honesty on test, (2) work ethic, (3) stealing concerns, and (4) substance abuse concerns. 

YOU CAN AVOID HIRING IMPULSIVE PEOPLE

Your management goal is to hire employees who are productive, low-turnover, safe, team players, and dependable.  Such stellar employees typically are
*  non-impulsive people – who think before they act
*  not impulsive people – who act before they think

 A pre-employment test that includes a specific impulsiveness prediction gives you the easiest, quickest and most accurate prediction of how impulsive an applicant is.  Such a pre-employment test helps help you avoid hiring trouble-making impulsive people.  So, make sure you hire applicants seem suitable on all prediction methods you use, including getting low-risk scores on the pre-employment test’s impulsiveness section.

COPYRIGHT 2009 MICHAEL MERCER, PH.D.  www.MercerSystems.com