Frequently Asked Questions
Do tests really work?Are tests and assessments legally defensible?
How long does it take to complete your assessments?
Can you assessments be used for both selection and development?
How are you different than a search firm?
How can we find enough candidates?
Do you offer applicant tracking?
How can we reduce turnover?
How can we decrease abenteeism?
Can you help us develop competencies?
Do you provide training as part of the development process? (e.g. ledership, interpersonal, etc.)
How can we improve the quality of our hiring?
How important is having a succession plan?
How do I retain leadership talent?
How does Select International ensure validity of its assessments?
What is the difference between a system and a tool?
Do tests really work?
Validity (accuracy) is the most important consideration in test evaluation. The
concept refers to the appropriateness, meaningfulness and usefulness of the
specific inferences made from test scores. Every reputable testing company has
validation data that demonstrates the accuracy of their tests. Performance,
however, is multi-faceted. Therefore, no single assessment or testing method is
enough. Select International firmly believes, and research demonstrates, that
multiple assessment approaches are warranted. The result is a comprehensive
assessment system - one that yields more robust results than by using a single
approach.
Are tests and assessments legally defensible?
A staffing system should keep legal challenges and EEO claims to a minimum.
When challenges do occur, the system must enable an organization to
successfully defend itself. You'll be asked to provide evidence that your
hiring process is fair, non-discriminatory and job related. Make sure your
system is designed to optimize both quality of candidates hired, and fairness
of the hiring process.
How long does it take to complete your assessments?
Select International offers a variety of computer-based, web-based and traditional employee
evaluation tools for every level of an organization. The time it takes to
complete an assessment can vary from 5 minutes to 5 hours depending on what
type of assessment it is, the delivery method and whether it is a piece of a
larger selection system. However, the objective behind every Select Assessment
is to enable an organization to not only make accurate hiring decisions but
also quick ones.
Can you assessments be used for both selection and development?
Yes. Our approach to evaluation and development is to identify the skills and
abilities needed for success in specific positions. We then comprehensively
assess against these key competency areas to develop a profile or ''footprint''
that can be used to help make hiring and promotion decisions. Most assessments
will also generate a developmental report that provides an understanding of
your internal resources to create development plans and establish future career
paths for individuals.
How are you different than a search firm?
Search firms provide applicants directly to HR or the hiring manager with
little or no evaluation of skills, abilities or motivational fit. Select
International offers a multi-level approach to selection that covers all
aspects of the hiring process. Organizations benefit from Select's focus on
assessment, providing organizations with the tools necessary to evaluate and
then select candidates on their own.
How can we find enough candidates?
Select International has a unique approach to recruiting based on opening the hiring process
to as many candidates as possible by introducing marketing to the recruiting
stage. Regardless of the recruiting technique, you should strive to create a
corporate culture that allows you to be viewed as an employer of choice.
Do you offer applicant tracking?
Yes. SelecTrak® is our powerful Web-based scoring and applicant tracking
program that comes standard with all of our assessment tools. SelecTrak® is
very flexible and allows you to export any data into easy-to-follow reports,
including Microsoft Excel. This system also integrates easily with most other
HR software and HRIS applications.
How can we reduce turnover?
Assessing candidates for job fit and skill fit is your best defense against
costly turnover and the best way to build a staff of capable, motivated people.
Early turnover can be avoided with simple and cost-effective upfront screening.
Including skills assessment as part of the hiring process, and further
assessing candidate skills and abilities using a structured interview process,
gives you the most accurate prediction of who will succeed in the job and stay
with your company over time.
How can we decrease abenteeism?
While most information relevant to absenteeism is anecdotal, there is a strong
correlation between those who score well on our assessments, specifically on
the personality sections and those who have a lower absenteeism rate.
Can you help us develop competencies?
All of Select International's assessment services are competency-based and through more than
a decade of experience and more than 200 implementations, Select International has developed
one of the most complete and well researched libraries of testing content for
all organizational levels. Our comprehensive approach begins with a competency
analysis. We get to know the specific requirements for job success in any
target position by conducting interviews with individuals who have an in-depth
understanding of those positions. The critical information is then used to
design a selection or assessment system that will have the most impact for the
organization. This competency analysis provides a company with a statement of
legal defensibility.
Do you provide training as part of the development process? (e.g. ledership,
interpersonal, etc.)
Select International does not offer training in a traditional sense, but will work with
organizations to build developmental plans for employees based on their
assessment results. Select International does offer leadership coaching and development
plans.
How can we improve the quality of our hiring?
Harvard Business School has identified the cost of a poor hire to be three to
five times an employee's annualized compensation. A comprehensive assessment
system can improve the accuracy of hiring decisions at every level of an
organization, potentially saving millions of dollars in hiring mistakes. To
determine success, a system must do one very important thing: significantly
reduce poor hires and increase quality hires. We firmly believe that a
comprehensive assessment system will yield more robust and accurate results
than using any single approach.
How important is having a succession plan?
Proactive and well-executed succession management will be the key
differentiator between companies that continue to be successful and those that
will fail to meet their objectives. Succession management relies on the
collection of objective data from multiple sources that is leveraged to make
timely and effective decisions around placement, developmental experiences and
career management. Failing to devote adequate time and resources to this issue
can lead to significant struggles for even the strongest of companies.
How do I retain leadership talent?
Organizations that demonstrate to key talent that they are valued have better
success in retaining high-potentials by focusing on career development and
helping managers build skills. The high potentials feel more of a sense of
ownership and involvement in the organization and are less likely to look
elsewhere to develop those skills.
How does Select International ensure validity of its assessments?
Validity is ensured by two separate but equally defensible methods. The first
is through assessment content (or content validity). Assessment questions are
mapped to specific competencies required on the job. The second method is
through the conducting of an empirical validation study. Job performance of
candidates hired using the assessment is compared to the candidates test scores
to determine a correlation coefficient. The higher the coefficient, the more
accurate or valid the assessment. Select International has consistently had some of the
highest validity coefficients in testing (.45-.70).
What is the difference between a system and a tool?
A system is an integrated collection of appropriate tools that can help you
make the best decisions. Examples of these tools include the following:
personality inventories, situational judgment tests, role plays, in-baskets,
cognitive ability tests, work, simulations, motivational fit assessments and
interviews. No one tool is enough, however, to really predict performance
effectively, you need to have a system and not just a tool.
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Which Golf Tournaments are the Best Tests of Player Ability?
This paper examines the concept of golf tournament validity. Applying psychometric testing theory to golf tournaments, it examines the tournament results from the entire 2004 PGA season. The study also measured the difficulty and discrimination of the tournaments, and explored the interaction between validity, difficulty, and discrimination.
