In today’s competitive job market, organizations strive to hire individuals who not only possess the necessary qualifications but also fit well within their organizational culture. Pre-employment talent measurement, through the use of psychometric assessments, plays a crucial role in selecting candidates who are likely to succeed in the job and identifying those who may not be a good fit. This article outlines best practices for implementing psychometric assessments of personality, cognitive ability, motivation, attitude, and behavioral tendencies, with the aim of enhancing the hiring process and organizational outcomes.
Define Job-Relevant Competencies
To begin, organizations must clearly define the competencies and characteristics that contribute to success in the targeted job roles. By working closely with subject matter experts, job analysis, and performance data, the key knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes required for the job can be identified. This information serves as the foundation for selecting appropriate psychometric assessments.
Obviously, this foundational work is critical to ensure an effective hiring program – but it can seem daunting to most organizations. Your assessment vendor should not only have I/O psychologists on staff to ensure that their assessments function properly, but those experts should be ready and eager to help you determine job-relevant competencies for assessment – no matter the size of your organization or the number of annual hires.
Select Reliable, Valid and Fair Assessments
Choose psychometric assessments that have been rigorously tested for reliability, validity and fairness. Reliability ensures consistency and accuracy of measurement, while validity confirms the assessment’s ability to predict job performance. Fairness means that the assessments function the same way for everyone, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, age, geographic location, disability status, etc. Look for well-established assessments that have undergone thorough scientific scrutiny and demonstrate evidence of predictive validity for the targeted job roles as well as reliability and fairness.
Can Do and Will Do: Combine Multiple Assessment Constructs
Decades of research into work performance have demonstrated that there are two clear determinants of an individual’s work performance – what they Can Do and what they Will Do. Can Do is generally thought of as ability, while Will Do includes constructs like attitude, motivation, work ethic, etc. An employee with lots of Can Do (e.g., problem-solving ability, etc.) may lack Will Do (e.g., lack of motivation, poor work ethic, low level of integrity) and thus not succeed on the job. Conversely, an employee with lots of Will Do (highly motivated, great work ethic, high integrity) but lacking in Can Do (e.g., ability, communications skills, etc.) is also likely to fail on the job.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of candidates, it is advisable to employ a combination of assessment constructs. This may include personality dimensions, cognitive ability, situational judgment tests, integrity, etc. Each method provides unique insights into different aspects of a candidate’s suitability for the job, reducing reliance on any single construct. Combining multiple constructs into a single, job-specific, assessment can help ensure that your new hires both Can and Will do the job!
Customize Assessments to the Job
Tailor the assessments to the specific requirements of the job. Different job roles demand distinct combinations of traits and skills. Ensure that the assessments align with the job competencies identified in the initial stage. This targeted approach enhances the predictive power of the assessments, leading to more accurate hiring decisions.
Maintain Legal Compliance
Adhere to legal and ethical guidelines throughout the assessment process. Familiarize yourself with relevant legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines. Avoid assessments that may discriminate against protected groups and ensure fair and unbiased selection processes. If you have questions in this area, or questions regarding making reasonable testing accommodations for job candidates, your assessment provider should be ready to provide answers.
Monitor the Program Effectiveness
Periodically review the effectiveness of your talent measurement process. Collect data on employee performance and compare it with assessment results. Analyze the relationship between assessment scores and job success metrics to ensure the assessments remain predictive. Make adjustments as necessary to refine the selection process. In the assessment industry, we call this a validation study. Again, this may sound somewhat daunting, but your assessment provider should have I/O psychologists on staff that are ready to enable this review for your organization.
Provide Feedback to Candidates
Offer candidates meaningful feedback on their assessment results whenever possible. This fosters transparency and demonstrates a commitment to candidate development. While it may not be feasible to provide detailed feedback to every candidate, consider offering general insights or resources that can help individuals enhance their self-awareness.
Conclusion
Psychometric assessments serve as invaluable tools in identifying the most suitable candidates for job roles, enhancing the hiring process, and improving organizational outcomes. By following the best practices outlined in this article – from defining job-relevant competencies to conducting program reviews – organizations can ensure a more objective, reliable, and fair selection process that aligns with their goals. Pre-employment talent measurement, when implemented effectively, lays the foundation for building high-performing teams and driving organizational success.