The idea behind hiring assessments is to distinguish a person’s qualifications during the hiring process. Employers use assessments as tools to narrow down those candidates being considered for a specific job. The assessment is completed by the candidate, either in person or online, and reveals underlying qualities that are otherwise difficult to portray on their resume or during the interview. In some cases, if someone has already been offered a position, the assessment may be administered to evaluate his or her potential for future development.
It’s important to remember that different types of assessments are designed to serve different purposes. Employers must be selective when choosing their assessment tools in order to avoid wasting time, money, and effort. The first step in choosing an assessment is to determine the type of information you want to derive from assessment results. Employers can select from any number of different assessment types including personality inventories, interest inventories, integrity tests, skills testing, aptitude tests, and ability testing. Some companies use several different assessments together depending on what they’re trying to find out about a particular candidate and the job they’re hiring for.
When using any of these assessments, employers must pay careful attention to the assessment’s validity and reliability. Not all assessments are created equal. In fact, assessments that don’t make the grade can negatively impact your hiring practices. Even aspects that seem miniscule, like the way a question is worded, can have an influence on the results. Having biased or poorly worded questions can ruin the validity of an entire test and make the results worthless. Using a proven, valid assessment is a great way to avoid any biases or unvalidated frameworks.
Having a dynamic assessment that provides deep insights into an individual’s traits can be a blessing for hiring managers by assessing not only job fit but also potential for development. When you know an individual’s strengths and areas of development, you can create a meaningful development program. This helps keep employees engaged and developing over the longer-term, supporting retention and high levels of employee satisfaction.
When employers assess all new hires and existing employees, they can build a more diverse and robust workforce. High-performing companies use assessment data to not only create development plans but also build high-performing teams. When using assessments in the proper way, companies can see long-term value across hiring, retention, and development.
Both professional aptitude and personal assessments are powerful tools that go much deeper than a resume or an interview can. Using validated assessments can provide insight into a candidate’s work style and how they will fit into your company’s culture. Talexes offers assessment products that help hiring identify candidates with the necessary skill set, cultural fit, and development potential needed for success. Explore our assessments and learn more.
