| 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 |
Q
& A - Using Assessments