Candidate Assessments - What firms want to know
by Judit E. Price
In past articles I have made many references to the idea that values play an important role in career
satisfaction and who you are and what you do are intimately tied together. I suggested job
qualifications go well beyond the technical skills required for a position, and the interviewing process
with the plethora of interviews is designed to determine fit, rather than technical qualifications.
Firms are looking for personality, temperament, group interaction and a host of other factors before
making a hiring decision. I reminded career changers to make sure they understand the culture of a
target firm, because the uncertainty of your skills transfer would make compatibility factors even more
critical. Finally, I began to describe the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a well-recognized
personality assessment that helps individuals better understand who they are, and how that relates to
specific careers.
Now I would like to suggest another reason why this issue of personal values as reflected in personality,
temperament, work ethic and other characteristics are increasingly important in today's world of work.
More and more firms are adopting formal aptitude and personality type tests before hiring.
Years ago employee testing was all the rage. However, overzealous testers, societal outrage due to the
belief these tests were prejudicial and employee resistance led to a de-emphasis on candidate testing as
standard operating procedure. Some firms have always used this tool; but generally most companies opted
for more traditional approaches to hiring, especially in the 90s when hiring was increasing rapidly. So
what has changed and why is testing now again becoming in vogue?
An article in the
New York Times ("Getting to Know You is as Easy as A, B, C, or D," by Eilene
Zimmerman, November 30, 2003) describes the reasons. First, employers need a way to reduce the number
of potential candidates. Virtually every position advertised results in a flood of resumes, where any
number of people are qualified, at least from an experience perspective. Another important factor is
the cost of turnover. Hiring the wrong person can be very expensive in a number of ways including the
direct cost of replacement. In high turnover industries such as telemarketing, credit and collection
and some sales, turnover tends to be very high and the costs can be huge.
There is also a third reason. The productivity of the individual and the productivity of the
organization are not always compatible. We all have experienced the hard-working, dedicated and
productive colleague….who drives everyone crazy. In many organizations, perhaps in every organization,
there are employees whose high productivity comes at a cost to the group. The point is: for a company
or department to function optimally, there must be an organizational fit that enables the group to move
forward. That's what the term "team player" is all about. That doesn't mean we give up our
individuality. But it does mean the "team" has to succeed for the organization to succeed, and testing
can be helpful in identifying those best fitted to the dynamics of the specific culture of the group.
And the proof is in the results. Testing has contributed to lower costs, better job fit and better
group fit.
So what does it mean for you, dear readers? Well the truth is it makes the job search and the career
search tougher. It means getting that interview is far less important than it was in the past. It
means that getting the "right" interview is essential. What does that mean?
At some point every job seeker must do their own assessment and understand their own values. Start your
job search for firms that have both openings and values compatibility, not just job openings. That's
how you can tip the odds that an interview will be the "right interview."
The reason for making this up front effort is obvious. Companies that test will quickly determine the
odds of your success and will base their judgment accordingly. As a career counselor, I have found
career assessments to be extremely helpful in pointing clients in the right direction. In fact, the more
firms that adopt testing as a mandatory screening method, the more critical the need for job seekers to
determine their own personal profiles first.
About the Author:
Judit Price
Why Shouldn't We Hire You?
Effective Personal Marketing