Barry – it appears that you were investigating other assessment tools. How’s that going? Deborah mentioned that there are different types of assessments and I’d like to highlight that statement. There are definitely tests that measure a person in a specific moment, but there are other tests that measure a person’s long-term persona and abilities.

Further to that, a valid and reliable assessment can also predict future success by comparing the individual tested against a benchmark of desired traits. That’s where you really dive deep and see how well a person will perform.

I’m glad you’re looking at multiple assessments and would encourage you to continue. How did your review of McQuaig go?

Personally, I happen to like the assessment system we are currently using because it incorporates cognitive and personality into one instrument, plus it maintains a database of candidates that continue to be used in sourcing efforts. It also has a matching functionality for promotion or development as well as crowd matching. Further, the subscription pricing makes it very affordable. After looking at several assessment offerings a few years back, we chose Affintus.

Barry

Cheers,

Keith

My issue is not whether testing is valid, but rather whether it is really predictive in hiring – especially for candidates in roles that require a fair amount of experience and seniority. My perception is that most testing will give you a data point of where someone is right now – not how they will respond in your unique role and culture.

That gap between what they bring to the table (current data on skills/cognitive intelligence/personality) does not translate well as predictive indicators of performance on a practical basis for most hiring.

My recommendation for my executive search clients, and in the workshops I lead for CEOs and key executives is to test, test, and test some more. However, I recommend the tests be used as a validation, verification, and vetting approach of what was heard-seen in the interview process, not as a decision making tool or predictor of future performance.

Thanks again for pointing out some good research on the use of testing in hiring.

Barry

Thanks for your comment! It is true that job knowledge and skills tests as well as interviews can be useful, but we are writing about a different kind of assessment: cognitive ability and personality testing which are known to be correlated with future job success. There is quite a large body of research about valid assessment as a predictor of future performance – it actually produces the highest correlation to future success.

We agree about being “overly dependent” on a single assessment and the need for a good interview as well as other kinds of content knowledge testing. We are big fans of data-driven decision making and believe that each aspect of the selection process can deliver information useful in making a selection decision, but each should be applied knowing the strengths and limitations ( or correlations) of the tests used in each step in the decision process. (“tests” here refers to each activity that either eliminates or includes an applicant during the selection process – see the fact sheet for the EEOC’s Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures available at http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/factemployment_procedures.html.

SHRM has a very useful section, too: http://www.shrm.org/LegalIssues/FederalResources/FederalStatutesRegulationsandGuidanc/Pages/Uniformguidelinesonselectionprocedures.aspx

For a good overview on the subject of assessment and how the results correlate to future success, you may find these articles useful:

Schmidt, Frank L. and Hunter, John E. 1998. The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin 12: 262-274.

Robertson, I. T. Smith, Mike. 2001. Personnel selection. Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology 74(4): 441-472.

Deborah and Brian

This is why the metaphor is broken. Doing assessments on skills and personality does not predict future performance. It can assess the precise level of the knowledge or skill at the time of the interview, but it cannot determine how the candidate will apply those skills and knowledge in your unique role in your unique environment.

I do believe skill and personality testing can play a role in validating what you heard from the interview. However, nothing should take the place of a well thought-out performance/success based interview process.

Too many companies have made the mistake of being overly dependent on testing.

Barry Deutsch
IMPACT Hiring Solutions
http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com

Cheers,

Keith

Here’s an interesting tidbit about references or “try before you buy” to keep your analogy going. As stated in a post from this summer (http://penguinhr.com/blog/?p=84) 76% of companies do check references for all the people they hire. 69% of people check out a restaurant online or with friends before eating there, but only 3% check out a hospital’s rep before undergoing voluntary surgery (we’re not talking ER here). Talk about the potential for buyer’s remorse!