nick18_in
Nikhil Gadodia
Question: What's the cheapest, easiest and quickest way to have your Company staffed by productive, dependable and honest employees?
Answer: Hire productive, dependable and honest people. Most managers do well at managing their Company's day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, all too often they do not do quite as well when they need to decide which job applicant may turn out to be a topnotch employee.
Fortunately, pre-employment testing gives managers a fast, simple, accurate and reliable method to make on-target hiring decisions.
The main purpose of screening job applicants is to predict how an applicant will behave on the job before the manager hires the person. After all, it proves to be a lot better to make this prediction before hiring a applicant, rather than after the applicant already is on the payroll.
Four methods exist to predict or forecast how an applicant will behave on the job:
1) Face to face interviews to ascertain knowledge, 2) reference checks to get behavior track record, and 3) pre-employment tests of skill in various competencies and 4) Psychometric assessment to understand Heredity and environmental influences on the individual that is bound to result in certain behaviors and attitudes.
Methods to Predict On-The-Job Performance
Extensive research conducted for the government and private businesses found most interviews and reference checks are poor predictors of actual on-the-job performance. In fact, this in-depth research by leading industrial psychologist John Hunter, Ph.D., and Frank Schmidt, Ph.D., showed most interviews and reference checks were about as useful as flipping a coin.
However, pre-employment tests and psychometric assessments proved to be the best predictors of actual on-the-job behavior. Why? Because of these four screening methods, only tests and assessments are developed with scientific research techniques to make sure they help predict how a person may behave on-the-job. In contrast, most interviews and reference checks rely chiefly on subjective, unscientific "hunches." As such, tests and psychological measures help managers in making more objective, informed hiring decisions, whereas typical interviews and reference checks provide mainly subjective "guesstimates" of an applicant's potential to do the job. Reference checks are even weaker and becoming more difficult to obtain. Many companies feel that the safest thing for them to do is say nothing other than verify employment dates and position.
What Can Pre-Employment Tests Tell You
Three traits needed to work successfully in most jobs are: 1)A = Abilities, especially mental abilities; 2)B = Behavior on the job; and 3)C = Character or integrity. As such, A+B+C = Success on the job. Pre-employment tests help evaluate job applicants in these three trait areas.
Character or Integrity Tests
Tests evaluating an applicant's character measure three key aspects of a person's integrity: 1) stealing potential, 2) substance abuse attitudes, and 3) work ethic.
As such, organizations using character tests may make predictions to hire employees who are unlikely to steal or abuse drugs. They can find out if the applicant has a good attitude toward putting in a day's work for a day's pay.
Importantly, character tests often give a "risk rating" on each applicant: low, moderate or high risk. Also, an applicant's character test responses can give the interviewer clear ideas about questions to ask each applicant about their opinions and attitudes.
Work Behavior Tests
Work behavior tests predict how an applicant may behave on-the-job in terms of the person's interpersonal skills, personality at work and motivations. For instance, a work behavior test indicates a person's interpersonal skills, such as friendliness, assertiveness and preference to work in a group. Personality sections of the test forecast how much the person follows the rules and policies, how well the person takes criticism, optimism, anxiety and how the person likes to deal with people.
Finally, a work behavior test tells a manager what motivates each applicant. For example, how much is the applicant motivated by factors like money, helping people, doing creative work, exerting power or doing research.
Mental Abilities Tests
Mental abilities tests reflect an applicant's talent at 1) reasoning, 2) handling small details, 3) workplace arithmetic, 4) vocabulary, and 5) grammar. Did you ever hire someone and later notice the person was not bright enough to learn the job? That is because the person did not possess enough mental ability to "reason" and solve workplace problems.
A great deal of work in many organizations is handling lots of small details with speed and accuracy. Mental abilities tests measure this ability. Also, an acceptable applicant often needs skill to do calculations. Problems with an employee's arithmetic may cost lots of money. The arithmetic portion of an abilities test assesses this primary ability.
Finally, when hiring people for professional or management jobs, a decent vocabulary and mastery of grammar often prove helpful. To be successful, managers and professionals must have these skills.
Legalities of Testing
Any screening method -- interviews, reference checks, or tests -- that may be legally defensible should be 1) job related, 2) valid-accurate, 3) reliable, and 4) used in a nondiscriminatory manner.
In much the same way, a legal and useful screening method should provide an accurate prediction of how an applicant would behave on-the-job (valid - accurate). If two managers both use the same screening method on an applicant, such as interviews or tests, both managers should come up with the same predictions of how the applicant would behave on-the-job (reliable). Finally, the screening method should not be used to discriminate against anyone because of the person's gender or ethnic group (nondiscriminatory in use).
Examples of Tests and What They Predict
1. Management Performance Competency – assessment tool that measures 5 Meta Performance Competencies namely Managing Change, Planning and Organizing, Interpersonal Dynamics, Result Orientation and Leadership, which are further, subdivided into 20 core competencies, on a ten-point scale. The twenty competencies are initiative, innovation, risk taking, flexibility & adaptability, planning, thinking, quality focus, oral communication, relationships, sensitivity, customer analytical focus, team work, business awareness, authority & presence, motivation, developing people, resilience, learning orientation, decision making and achievement) . Such a detailed understanding makes the strengths of the individual conspicuous and helps to identify if the candidate is capable of meeting the challenges to which his job would expose him.
2. Communication Pattern Analysis - assesses the impact of upbringing and the environmental factors that give rise to communication habits of the individual. This is one of the key assessments as it analyses if the communication pattern of the individual is sound, which is the basis of all successful endeavors. It helps to assess how far an individual will foster teamwork, build rapport utilizing his/her communication skills, which can intern be linked up to the nature of the job.
3. FITS Personality Style Assessment - mirrors the various personality styles based on heredity characteristics of the individual in terms of Thinker, Intuitor, Sensor and Feeler. Once the personality style of the individual is identified the various attributes attached to it can be studied. These attributes will help see if there is a match between the demands of the job and individual personality characteristics
4. DICE - is a self awareness profile which indicates the Dominance, Influence, Conformity and Evenness of individuals, in order to assess various aspects like drive to over come barriers, ability to persuade etc. It categorizes individuals as people oriented or task oriented, which intern reflects the style by which they will get work done. It also helps find out if an individual is ‘Active or Passive’ and one’s orientation in terms of TASK Vs PEOPLE.
5. Behavior at Work and off Work- assessment is an effective tool that helps identify the patterns and styles that one assumes both at the work place and on the personal front. It also helps identify how different or how similar are the personal and work styles of the individual, thereby demonstrating either his ability to flex or to maintain consistency
Source :: Unknown.
Answer: Hire productive, dependable and honest people. Most managers do well at managing their Company's day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, all too often they do not do quite as well when they need to decide which job applicant may turn out to be a topnotch employee.
Fortunately, pre-employment testing gives managers a fast, simple, accurate and reliable method to make on-target hiring decisions.
The main purpose of screening job applicants is to predict how an applicant will behave on the job before the manager hires the person. After all, it proves to be a lot better to make this prediction before hiring a applicant, rather than after the applicant already is on the payroll.
Four methods exist to predict or forecast how an applicant will behave on the job:
1) Face to face interviews to ascertain knowledge, 2) reference checks to get behavior track record, and 3) pre-employment tests of skill in various competencies and 4) Psychometric assessment to understand Heredity and environmental influences on the individual that is bound to result in certain behaviors and attitudes.
Methods to Predict On-The-Job Performance
Extensive research conducted for the government and private businesses found most interviews and reference checks are poor predictors of actual on-the-job performance. In fact, this in-depth research by leading industrial psychologist John Hunter, Ph.D., and Frank Schmidt, Ph.D., showed most interviews and reference checks were about as useful as flipping a coin.
However, pre-employment tests and psychometric assessments proved to be the best predictors of actual on-the-job behavior. Why? Because of these four screening methods, only tests and assessments are developed with scientific research techniques to make sure they help predict how a person may behave on-the-job. In contrast, most interviews and reference checks rely chiefly on subjective, unscientific "hunches." As such, tests and psychological measures help managers in making more objective, informed hiring decisions, whereas typical interviews and reference checks provide mainly subjective "guesstimates" of an applicant's potential to do the job. Reference checks are even weaker and becoming more difficult to obtain. Many companies feel that the safest thing for them to do is say nothing other than verify employment dates and position.
What Can Pre-Employment Tests Tell You
Three traits needed to work successfully in most jobs are: 1)A = Abilities, especially mental abilities; 2)B = Behavior on the job; and 3)C = Character or integrity. As such, A+B+C = Success on the job. Pre-employment tests help evaluate job applicants in these three trait areas.
Character or Integrity Tests
Tests evaluating an applicant's character measure three key aspects of a person's integrity: 1) stealing potential, 2) substance abuse attitudes, and 3) work ethic.
As such, organizations using character tests may make predictions to hire employees who are unlikely to steal or abuse drugs. They can find out if the applicant has a good attitude toward putting in a day's work for a day's pay.
Importantly, character tests often give a "risk rating" on each applicant: low, moderate or high risk. Also, an applicant's character test responses can give the interviewer clear ideas about questions to ask each applicant about their opinions and attitudes.
Work Behavior Tests
Work behavior tests predict how an applicant may behave on-the-job in terms of the person's interpersonal skills, personality at work and motivations. For instance, a work behavior test indicates a person's interpersonal skills, such as friendliness, assertiveness and preference to work in a group. Personality sections of the test forecast how much the person follows the rules and policies, how well the person takes criticism, optimism, anxiety and how the person likes to deal with people.
Finally, a work behavior test tells a manager what motivates each applicant. For example, how much is the applicant motivated by factors like money, helping people, doing creative work, exerting power or doing research.
Mental Abilities Tests
Mental abilities tests reflect an applicant's talent at 1) reasoning, 2) handling small details, 3) workplace arithmetic, 4) vocabulary, and 5) grammar. Did you ever hire someone and later notice the person was not bright enough to learn the job? That is because the person did not possess enough mental ability to "reason" and solve workplace problems.
A great deal of work in many organizations is handling lots of small details with speed and accuracy. Mental abilities tests measure this ability. Also, an acceptable applicant often needs skill to do calculations. Problems with an employee's arithmetic may cost lots of money. The arithmetic portion of an abilities test assesses this primary ability.
Finally, when hiring people for professional or management jobs, a decent vocabulary and mastery of grammar often prove helpful. To be successful, managers and professionals must have these skills.
Legalities of Testing
Any screening method -- interviews, reference checks, or tests -- that may be legally defensible should be 1) job related, 2) valid-accurate, 3) reliable, and 4) used in a nondiscriminatory manner.
In much the same way, a legal and useful screening method should provide an accurate prediction of how an applicant would behave on-the-job (valid - accurate). If two managers both use the same screening method on an applicant, such as interviews or tests, both managers should come up with the same predictions of how the applicant would behave on-the-job (reliable). Finally, the screening method should not be used to discriminate against anyone because of the person's gender or ethnic group (nondiscriminatory in use).
Examples of Tests and What They Predict
1. Management Performance Competency – assessment tool that measures 5 Meta Performance Competencies namely Managing Change, Planning and Organizing, Interpersonal Dynamics, Result Orientation and Leadership, which are further, subdivided into 20 core competencies, on a ten-point scale. The twenty competencies are initiative, innovation, risk taking, flexibility & adaptability, planning, thinking, quality focus, oral communication, relationships, sensitivity, customer analytical focus, team work, business awareness, authority & presence, motivation, developing people, resilience, learning orientation, decision making and achievement) . Such a detailed understanding makes the strengths of the individual conspicuous and helps to identify if the candidate is capable of meeting the challenges to which his job would expose him.
2. Communication Pattern Analysis - assesses the impact of upbringing and the environmental factors that give rise to communication habits of the individual. This is one of the key assessments as it analyses if the communication pattern of the individual is sound, which is the basis of all successful endeavors. It helps to assess how far an individual will foster teamwork, build rapport utilizing his/her communication skills, which can intern be linked up to the nature of the job.
3. FITS Personality Style Assessment - mirrors the various personality styles based on heredity characteristics of the individual in terms of Thinker, Intuitor, Sensor and Feeler. Once the personality style of the individual is identified the various attributes attached to it can be studied. These attributes will help see if there is a match between the demands of the job and individual personality characteristics
4. DICE - is a self awareness profile which indicates the Dominance, Influence, Conformity and Evenness of individuals, in order to assess various aspects like drive to over come barriers, ability to persuade etc. It categorizes individuals as people oriented or task oriented, which intern reflects the style by which they will get work done. It also helps find out if an individual is ‘Active or Passive’ and one’s orientation in terms of TASK Vs PEOPLE.
5. Behavior at Work and off Work- assessment is an effective tool that helps identify the patterns and styles that one assumes both at the work place and on the personal front. It also helps identify how different or how similar are the personal and work styles of the individual, thereby demonstrating either his ability to flex or to maintain consistency
Source :: Unknown.