QUESTION: SHOULD I USE ASSESSMENT TESTS IN SELECTION AND PLACEMENT OF EMPLOYEES?

Using assessment tests can help you identify the job candidates that are a best fit and would have greater probability of performing well in your company.   I am sure that you would agree that the proper screening and selection of candidates is critical to the success of your company. This success is due to the high performance of the right people in the right jobs. You gather all of the critical information in your interview.  The proper use of assessment tests can validate information that you have gathered from interviewing and reference checking.

Many businesses make rushed hiring decisions. Unfortunately many poor choices are made based solely on gut feeling. Many candidates can make a very positive presentation and may throw off the judgment of an inexperienced interviewer.

Hiring the wrong person can be very expensive. When you consider the cost of recruiting, interviewing, employee salary and benefits, lost productivity, and retraining costs the number could be from 20 to 33% of an annual salary according to some estimates.

Not all tests and assessments are the same.  There are different types of assessment tests. There are, of course, skills tests.  With regard to knowing how those skills will be used, assessments are used to measure how people differ in their motivation, values, priorities and opinions with regard to different tasks and situations. In terms of personality, the tests can give an indication of the working style favored by a candidate and how they interact with both their environment and fellow workers.

Assessment tests are best used as part of an organized process of interviewing and selection. Therefore,  you need to develop a plan for screening and selection. Your selection testing is one part of that plan.

Start with proper identification of requirements for each job. Then create job descriptions and identify recruiting sources.  Develop a strategy for screening and interviewing. Finally use an appropriate assessment tool.

Your goal is not to learn about your candidate’s experience. Your goal is to predict how he or she will perform in your company. Use of the proper assessment tool is important.  

The investment in pre-employment assessments will be money well spent. It is a small fraction of the expense created by needless voluntary and involuntary turnover.