| Q. |
I have heard that testing is not legal.
Is that true? |
| A. |
That is clearly not true. In fact, proper use of good assessments
can provide the most effective documentation of objective and nondiscriminatory
hiring practices. In general, 4th,
5th, and 6th Generation instruments are well validated for business
applications. Most legal issues occur when those instruments are
used inconsistently or improperly. It is important to consult with
individuals who are knowledgeable in such applications. Too often
companies have failed to gain the benefits of new assessment technology
because of conservative but uninformed advice. In today's competitive
world, businesses can no longer afford not to explore every possible
competitive advantage. (Legal
Issues with Assessments) |
| Q. |
Won't some people be offended by being
asked to complete a test? |
| A. |
Certainly, but if some people are offended by a company's sincere
and professional efforts to ensure the success of their employees
through effective job matching, it is a small price to pay for the
overall benefits to all employees in the company |
| Q. |
Aren't there some people who just
don't do well on tests? |
| A. |
The inherent concept in the newest assessment technology is
that all people are good at something, but no one is good at everything.
That includes testing. In general, most people are anxious about
taking any kind of assessment. This reaction has been conditioned
by years in school, where passing or failing a test determined
an individual's class standing. Other tests such as driving tests
or medical tests also contributed to this attitude. This is why
it is important to explain the purpose of any test or assessment
to all candidates before it is given. Many of the latest instruments
provide preliminary messages that do exactly that and put the
candidate at ease, whether the instrument is delivered on the
Internet or on paper.
It is important to recognize that people with poor skills will
seldom be enthusiastic when asked to take a test to measure those
skills. People with performance problems will not be enthusiastic
about completing an assessment to see how their abilities match
a particular job. That is exactly why assessments are a vital
part of today's business world. Effective assessment instruments
can identify the critical areas that people do not want to reveal,
but that the business must know in order to make the best decision. |
| Q. |
Our selection process is rather long now.
How can we find time to fit in any tests? |
| A. |
The use of good assessments tends to collapse the time needed
for selection decisions, not make it longer. Using a 30 minute instrument
such as these enables an employer to effectively screen out unsuitable
candidates before spending substantial amounts of interviewing time
with them. By focusing the selection efforts on those candidates
that are most likely to succeed, employers can not only make faster
decisions but more accurate decisions. By accelerating the hiring
decision, employers also become more competitive at capturing talent
in their job market. |
| |
|
| Q. |
We use recruiters for our key positions.
Finding good people is their job. Why should we use testing? |
| A. |
Professional recruiters can offer significant advantages in
seeking candidates for many positions, but it is important to
remember these caveats:
- Recruiters get paid for filling positions.
- Recruiters do not get paid for screening out candidates.
- The worst recruiter using good assessments will make fewer mistakes
than the best recruiter who does not use assessments.
By incorporating good assessments into the recruiting process,
you gain the benefits of recruiting professionals and at the same
time, gain insurance against them making a mistake that costs
you money. |
| Q. |
We use a customized interview system that
seems to be effective. Do we also need testing? |
| A. |
Customized interview systems, behavioral event-based interviewing,
targeted interviewing, and competency-based interviewing are all
sound methods for identifying potentially successful job candidates.
Several systems use bio-data surveys to profile successful employees
and then attempt to match interviewees to that profile. These programs
can be an effective part of an employer's hiring process, however,
they lack the objective measurement of current assessments. As more
people become involved with the interviewing, the system becomes
more vulnerable to the subjective differences of each individual
interviewer. The process also requires a substantial amount of interviewing
time to accomplish the screening that newer instruments can do in
a matter of minutes. These instruments even provide behavioral interview
questions based on the individual characteristics of the candidates.
By screening candidates before in-depth interviews, the process
is made much more efficient. |
| Q. |
We use an industrial psychologist.
Why should we consider assessments? |
| A. |
Industrial psychologists play an important role by supplying
a professional psychological opinion as a supplement to many decision-making
processes. This can be quite expensive however. It often makes
sense to use an inexpensive assessment tool, such as FirstViewTM,
to screen out unsuitable candidates before incurring the expense
of the psychologist.
Several things must also be clear about the role of the psychologist:
- The use of an industrial psychologist to supply information
used for a hiring
or placement decision in no way limits the exposure of the client
company to federal and state regulations (e.g. If that information
can be shown to be discriminatory, the decision can be shown to
be discriminatory.).
- The psychologist's summary information is only as good as the
assessments used
to obtain the initial data. (i.e. A psychologist using First or
Second Generation tools cannot provide Fifth or Sixth Generation
quality information.). |
| Q. |
I want to use assessments to help us hire
better people. What is the best way to do that? |
| A. |
The best answer to that question depends upon many factors, such
as the nature of the employer, the population of job candidates,
the current market conditions, and many more. |
| Q. |
Can we use assessments with our
current employees? |
| A. |
Of course, you can use assessments in many ways with existing
employees. Good assessment information can help solve performance
problems and improve working relationships dramatically. You may
also use them selectively; it is not necessary to test as comprehensively
as in a hiring situation. See the training and development section |
