Using Psychometric Assessments in the Hiring Process

There are many benefits of pre-employment assessments; some are obvious benefits and some are not. Here are some ways that pre-employment assessments can help you make better hiring decisions.

§         Assessments are objective

We all know that interviews can be flawed. During an interview, what we choose to ask and follow-up on can set the candidate up for a favorable or unfavorable interview. Additionally, evaluating an interview can be quite subjective. What is considered a good response? A great response? Using a pre-employment assessment can help corroborate or debunk your intuition during the interview process. If the assessment tool is valid, it can provide an unbiased, outside perspective that can be used along with the interview evaluations.

§         Assessments save you money

Ironically, most people view assessments as an expense. True, the assessments are not free, but what is the cost of a wrong hire in your organization? Consider the amount of time and money spent in the interview process, the amount spent in training, the amount spent on wages and benefits, the lost revenue because of poor performance, and the cost of retraining a new hire, not to mention the cost of missing out on a better candidate who is now with another company. Would you be willing to spend some money upfront to minimize the likelihood of a wrong hire? Pre-employment assessments can actually save you money by helping you choose the best candidate for the job. Moreover, by making a good hire, you can improve productivity and reduce turnover.

§         Assessments can help you identify areas to probe in the interview

When conducted prior to an interview, a pre-employment assessment can identify areas to probe. Combining this information with good behavioral interviewing skills can vastly improve your hiring process. For example, if assessment results indicate that a candidate is low in decisiveness, the interviewer could devote part of the interview to asking about the last few specific decisions the candidate made. How did they make them? What were the results? What would they do differently in the future? Pre-employment assessment data makes your interview more effective and efficient.

§         Assessments can help you predict success

When a model has been developed by comparing the best current employees against the less effective employees on an assessment, certain characteristics can emerge as predictors of success within the organization. New candidates can then be compared to the model, adding more data to the hiring decision and helping you identify people that will perform like your best people.

What types of assessments should you be using? There are many types of assessments on the market, but at PRADCO, we separate ourselves from other assessment companies by ensuring our assessments meet the following standards:

§         Sophisticated, yet simple to use

PRADCO assessments are sophisticated enough so as not to be transparent, yet simple enough to be user-friendly. We provide forced-choice measures so we can assess the actual behavioral competencies of your candidates, rather than yes/no assessments that detail what your candidates would like you to believe. Additionally, we offer internet-based testing to provide quicker and easier-to-use results than many paper-and-pencil tests.  Furthermore, we believe your candidate’s time is valuable. As compared to tests that take hours to complete, PRADCO’s indexes can all be completed in 15-20 minutes.

§         Behaviorally-based

PRADCO assessments are based on behaviors, as opposed to personality. Our reasoning for this is simple. Behaviors can be changed; while personality is more ingrained.

§         Industry-specific

Skill sets differ from industry to industry, and the assessments should as well. PRADCO offers different indexes for sales, management, hourly, retail, driving, teaching, police, fire, etc. positions. Be leery of any company that tells you that their single test can be used in any type of position or industry.

§         Validated

PRADCO assessments are validated for use with your specific population. We can provide supporting documentation to show how this validation has been completed. Moreover, our assessments compare your candidates against a logical and relevant norm group.

So, while there are costs involved with assessment, most feel it is money well spent to identify people who will stay with the company, perform well, and fit the company culture.

-Sam Maniar, Ph.D.

Dr. Maniar is a Management Psychologist with PRADCO. PRADCO strengthens organizations by helping leaders select, develop, and retain people who fit their culture and contribute to its success.  To find out more about PRADCO or its services, visit http://www.pradco.com or contact Sam at smaniar@pradco.com.