Mirror, Mirror

The witch stood before her looking glass. Slowly she uttered the words spoken by her mother and her mother before her. ?Mirror. Mirror on the wall. Who has the best test of all?? ?Oh, Geez. It?s you again! Get off my case, will you? You think all I have to do is answer your foolish questions? Huh?? ?Get a grip, Mirror. I want to buy a test that will help me select a new troll for my workshop. The last troll was a bust and I had to turn him into a side table. That?s him in the corner.? ?Very nice. I didn?t realize a troll could go so well with the Lazy Boy. Burled walnut, isn?t he?? ?Yeah, walnut. Now, give me the URL. Time?s a wastin?! I?ve got apples to poison, spells to cast, and milk to turn before nightfall.? ?OK, but I?ll need to know what you are looking for. Just what kind of test do you want?? ?Well, it?s easy enough for me to tell whether the troll has the right technical skills. I can see that in his resume and if he has the right certifications. You know, Certified in MicroSpell, NewtWork Technician, that sort of thing. I guess I need a test that predicts whether he will fit with the other trolls. Don?t get me wrong. End tables are nice, but one can only use so much furniture! And the place is starting to get so cluttered.? ?Yes, I see. Cluttered. I had wondered where all the extra trolls went. Let me ?reflect? for a moment. Yahoo, Lycos, DogPile, Northern Light, Deja News. Hummm. Well, I see a lot of tests out there pretending to predict job fit, but they are pretty generic.? ?What do you mean, ?generic??? ?Generic. General. Not specialized. One size fits all.? ?You?re starting to steam my pipes, mirror! What?s your point?? ?It?s like this, Sis. Most of these tests just tell you things like extraversion, dominance, stability, etc. They?ll give you a wide range of broad scores, but you have to translate all that junk into troll tasks.? ?So, what do you recommend, sand for brains?? the witch sneered. (The witch was not a very nice person). ?First, we need to find a test that has factors that only relate to job performance. This generic stuff is nice if you are studying freshman psych, but it?s almost worthless when you try to apply it to troll performance. Once we have the right test, we need to validate it using the trolls in your workshop. If you can relate their scores on the test with their performance on the job you have a winner!? ?Nah?that sounds too much like work. Just find me a test!? ?Look, I?m trying to tell you that there is no such thing as a test that accurately predicts performance without some kind of validation! That?s silly. Remember, the whole purpose of your troll test is to measure job fit accurately. If you don?t know what to look for, any old test scores will work. If it?s too much trouble for you to validate, you?ll soon have enough burled walnut to open a furniture store.? The witch?s gaze wandered around the proliferation of furniture. There was a troll desk here, a troll shelf there, and a troll lamp over there. She realized she had no more nooks and crannies left to put another troll. ?But validation takes time! And money, Mirror!? ?Come on, Sis. Let?s think this through. You want a test that predicts troll-fit. You think a general test will work, but the factors aren?t directly related to the work. You don?t want to take the time and money to do the work to discover which?He, He, Get it? Which? Witch! Sometimes I ?crack? me up! There?s another one! Crack me up! Ha Ha!? ?Get the point, Mirror, before I turn your lame jokes into reality.? ?Lighten up, Sis! Where was I? Oh, yes. You say you don?t want to take the time and money to do the work to discover which and how much of each factor you need for each troll task. Pay it now or pay it later, Sis. You may be a witch but I see a lot of furniture in your future!? ?Ok, I see your point. Get it? SEE your point, Mirror! Cackle. She stopped in mid cackle, ?Ok. Tell me what we need to do!? ?Sometimes, Sis, you give me the creeps. Lean close to the glass and we?ll go over the process. Man, what did you have for lunch? Phew! Step 1) Forget the generic stuff and find a test that is highly focused on troll tasks.

Step 2) Give the test to the trolls while you rate their performance.

Step 3) Send both the tests and the performance ratings to a wizard who can use his magic tools to find which factors predict which ratings.

Step 4) Use the test with each troll applicant and use the wizard?s tools to predict job fit?

?You?re sure this will work?? ?Think this through. You were ready to buy a generic test that predicted nothing except profits for the test vendor. Now you will have a test that predicts troll performance. It doesn?t take a mirror to help you ?see? the light! Oh! There I go again! You tell me, Sis! You tell me