Businesses spend time and money to ensure that their physical systems are working to their peak performance. This is an investment that is seen to have a bottom-line impact for the day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, too many businesses fail to apply this same process to their greatest business asset—their employees.
A recent study by McKinsey & Company revealed that “A” performers tend to be 50-100% more productive than “C” performers. Clearly, identifying the “A” performers can enhance an organization’s performance. So, how does an employer identify the “A” performers, and once identified, how does an employer retain them?
The answer to these two questions is simple: Assessments
Assessments, or testing, have long been an effective, yet underutilized, tool to help employers make the most of their employees. To effectively manage any part of a business, a leader needs to have as much information as possible. Assessments allow you to evaluate and develop individual performance throughout the organization. It should be used as a tool to encourage your best performers to maintain their high level of performance and to motivate poor performers to do better.
Benefits of using assessments as part of an ongoing results management process include:
- Provides objective analysis for promotion or compensation considerations
- Asset allocation – making sure the right people are in the right jobs
- Identification of training/development needs to reach maximum effectiveness
- Identification of employees who have the potential for advancement or who might be better suited in other areas of the organization
- Reduced turnover costs – identifying problem areas before it is too late
Assessments
To effectively manage its human capital, an organization needs to have as much information as possible. Unfortunately, the employee selection and management process is too often clouded by subjectivity and incomplete information to be as effective as it could be.
Testing applicants and employees can clear the air by providing the following benefits:
- Reveals an individual’s true talents
- Clear basis for comparison with other candidates
- Comparison of abilities with those required by the job
- Questions to ask in an interview
- Introduces objectivity into the selection process
- Evidence of due diligence in the event of litigation
- Ability to benchmark successful performers
- Basis for developing specific training and development programs
- Insight for managers to know how to best manage subordinates
How To Choose a Test
There are literally hundreds of tests available that an employer may use. Excluding the specific skills tests and honesty/integrity tests, most employers that use testing want to know about an individual’s mental abilities and personality traits. And, they want to know how a person’s scores compare to the requirements of the job.
So, how do you choose a test that is right for you? Consider the following:
What Is Measured
Mental skills or intelligence testing alone is an inadequate predictor of successful job performance. An analysis of an individual’s personality without insight into how that person learns and processes information is incomplete. Since both are needed, you should choose an instrument that combines mental and personality measurement in one tool.
How Results Are Presented
Most tests provide single score or pass/fail scoring. While easy to interpret, such scoring systems can be difficult to link directly to job requirements, and often lead to over-reliance on test results and subject users to compliance and litigation concerns. Choose a test that provides scores on a scale that can be related to the Normal Distribution (Bell Curve) and that easily relates scores to the job requirements, preferably by means of a benchmark of successful performers.
The Assessments:
Executive Achiever
Full Achiever, plus Leadership and Competency analysis, for upper level professional and management jobs.
The Executive Achiever combines a battery of assessments, but has been specifically customized for Executive applications. It encompasses aptitudes and behaviors essential in senior management, based on your organization’s objectives and people who are successful in executive level positions in other organizations. (Takes about 60 minutes to complete).
Achiever
Measures six mental aptitudes, ten personality dimensions and two validity scales for professional, sales, management, supervision and administration jobs.
The Achiever encompasses aptitudes and behaviors required in a job. The Achiever report can be based on your organization’s job description, people who are successful within that job for you now or successful people in the same job in other companies in our industrial data base.
Candidate Resources, Inc. has designed the Achiever questionnaire to be compiled by an individual to derive a numerical score in six Mental Aptitudes and ten Personality (i.e., Behavioral) Dimensions. It is then possible to compare a person’s scores in both mental aptitudes and personality (i.e., behavioral) traits to people who have proven successful in a job category.
The Achiever report is utilized in the selection and/or training process to develop effectiveness, productivity and job satisfaction.
Sales Achiever
Full Achiever in sales language, for inside or outside sales.
The Sales Achiever is basically the same as Candidate Resource’s regular Achiever, but has been specifically customized for sales applications. It encompasses aptitudes and behaviors essential in sales, based on your organization’s sales objectives and people who are successful in sales in other organizations.
Guardian
For hourly jobs; measures ability to learn, math, numerical perception, personality and direct admissions of theft, drug or alcohol problems as they relate to the job.
The Guardian asks direct admission questions concerning an applicant’s history, as related to the job, regarding job-related theft, alcohol and drug usage, and provides a risk factor for the individual.
The Guardian further measures an individual’s ability to perform simple math functions, i.e., addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as may be required on the job.
Scoreboard
For entry level and hourly jobs; measures personality and direct admissions of theft, drug or alcohol problems as they relate to the job.
Performer
For entry level and hourly jobs; measures ability to learn, numerical perception ten personality dimensions and direct admissions of theft, drug or alcohol problems as they relate to the job.
The Performer is an assessment which can be completed directly on a PC, allowing the interviewer to score the responses and produce the report. It also can be completed on paper with the interviewer scoring and producing the report via the Internet.
Best Hire
For basic, entry level positions. Provides feedback regarding reliability and dependability as well as job fit.
Best Hire offers employers a solution for selecting the best candidates for job openings. Through Best Hire, candidates are assessed to determine whether they are dependable workers, and whether they will be a fit for positions that are available.
Contact LMI San Diego to get assistance in conducting effective assessments of your team and organization, so that you know where you stand-and to plan where you are going.