MightyRecruiterBefore you assess the job candidate, you’ll be better off assessing the job itself. Analyze the position and determine the actual skills needed to fulfill it. Rather than someone with the ability to hunt down new business, you might actually need someone with the ability to sell your products or services and properly manage a variety of projects once the sale has been made. If you aren’t sure of what the job is yourself, how are you going to know when you’ve found a candidate who is most likely capable of performing it?
Personality Scores and Personality Skills Aren’t the Same
Something else to think about when it comes to adding personnel assessments in the interview process is that personality scores and personality skills aren’t one and the same. Look at it like this: If you were to gather a group of people who have the same job and the skills necessary to perform that job, you’re likely to notice they don’t all share the same personality. Something else that often causes assessment problems is personality skills and scores often have the same name, such as ïteamwork,ï ïanalysisï and ïdrive.ï Confusing scores with skills and vice versa is likely to result in the dismissal of perfectly qualified job candidates and the hiring of poorly qualified candidates instead.
Utilize Assessments to Improve Interviews
It’s best to give personnel assessments before interviewing a candidate in order that you can use the results to better focus the interview. While an individual might be seeking a position in project management, her or his assessment could reveal skills that are better suited for sales. Just because the individual interviews well doesn’t necessarily mean he or she will be able to perform a job well, which personnel assessments in the interview process can reveal. Imagine the shared frustration between you and your new employee had you hired her or him for the wrong position.
Additional Tools to Use as Hiring Predictors
In addition to the traditional interview and personnel assessments, there are other ways to better gauge whether an applicant is well suited for the job in question. Supplemental hiring predictors include exercises, tests and simulations. When it comes to simulations, you want to have them set up so that the individual can demonstrate her or his skills rather than tell you about those skills. It’s one thing to tell a person how to cook a fantastic meal, but it’s something else entirely to cook that meal yourself.
Know How Candidates Prepare for and View Assessments
Because adding personnel assessments in the interview process has become quite commonplace, many candidates have come to expect them, and for that reason they’ve started to research methods on ïpassingï them. While it’s not possible to cheat on a personnel assessment (mainly because there are no right or wrong answers), there might get cases in which a candidate attempts to tell you what you want to hear. That being said, a majority of candidates are more comfortable being honest and admitting their thoughts when they only have to answer to a piece of paper rather than another person. This information can help you to be wary of candidates who seem a bit too perfect as well as those who might seem a little hesitant during an interview about the answers provided on their assessments.
Be Wary of Your Own Overconfidence
Something else to take into consideration when it comes to personnel assessments in the interview process is the fact that executives and those who think they are able to spot good talent when they see it are usually the worst at actually making good hiring decisions. The reason for this is simple overconfidence in one’s career achievements. If you’re a small business owner or simply don’t have access to an in-house human resources expert, it’s especially important that you properly utilize personnel assessments. For more useful tips on properly using personnel assessments in the interview process and making all-star hires while bringing out the best in your business, be sure to check out the additional articles and tools found here on Mighty Recruiter.