Personality assessments and psychometrics used in the hiring process can assist leaders in understanding who candidates really are and what tendencies they will likely display once on board. Over time, when employed consistently, patterns often emerge between existing high and low performers, giving leaders the confidence to rely even more heavily on these assessments in the decision-making process for new hires.
Amen. And that last paragraph says it all. The ugly truth is that some of these diagnostic tools are about as vague as newspaper horoscopes. Their findings sound authoritative, but they are interchangeable. The best of them are a good place to start and a lousy place to finish.
The purpose of using assessments in the hiring process is to separate the 'green' M&M's from the 'red' M&M's in the available talent pool so that hiring managers can increase their odds of hiring a 'good' candidate. There will always be some red M&M's mixed in with green M&M's as no assessment or hiring practice is perfect. In all my years doing employee selection, we never tried to interpret test scores. We would set cut-scores at the lowest point possible to reduce adverse impact and gave hiring managers the okay to hire anyone from the qualified talent pool. I think this approach aligns with today's post. Like with anything, a good idea can be poorly executed.
I have found Patrick Lencioni's model of virtues to be helpful. In one of his business fables he discusses the importance of being a team player. The traits/virtues he looks for are hunger, humility, and smarts (Lencioni. THE IDEAL TEAM PLAYER. LENCIONI). I have begun looking for these traits, and have found most managers, I respect, have them. In myself, when I merely worry about/focus on these three; it makes a world of difference.
Amen. And that last paragraph says it all. The ugly truth is that some of these diagnostic tools are about as vague as newspaper horoscopes. Their findings sound authoritative, but they are interchangeable. The best of them are a good place to start and a lousy place to finish.
The purpose of using assessments in the hiring process is to separate the 'green' M&M's from the 'red' M&M's in the available talent pool so that hiring managers can increase their odds of hiring a 'good' candidate. There will always be some red M&M's mixed in with green M&M's as no assessment or hiring practice is perfect. In all my years doing employee selection, we never tried to interpret test scores. We would set cut-scores at the lowest point possible to reduce adverse impact and gave hiring managers the okay to hire anyone from the qualified talent pool. I think this approach aligns with today's post. Like with anything, a good idea can be poorly executed.
Good morning,
Good points are made.
I have found Patrick Lencioni's model of virtues to be helpful. In one of his business fables he discusses the importance of being a team player. The traits/virtues he looks for are hunger, humility, and smarts (Lencioni. THE IDEAL TEAM PLAYER. LENCIONI). I have begun looking for these traits, and have found most managers, I respect, have them. In myself, when I merely worry about/focus on these three; it makes a world of difference.
Thank you for your time.