Selections

Vanity vs. Validity

Have you ever bought a new car or appliance because it 'looked good' only to have it break down before it should? It’s human nature to be attracted to what's on the outside, but it often doesn’t make for good decisions. It’s important to 'pop the hood' and look inside at the way it works and the quality of the parts before making a final decision or commitment.

Another area where this same mistake is often made is in hiring. Hiring managers can be fooled by a resume and an interview because candidates can present a positive image and make you believe they have all of the qualities you want. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to 'pop the hood' on your candidates to see how they work?

Psychological assessments can do just that.  Employee assessment tools play a valuable role in the selection process by pulling back some of the layers and looking inside at the individual. They're able to identify characteristics and traits that are difficult to unearth in an interview. But, just like cars and appliances, there are some psychological assessments and assessment companies that look good but don’t work well. This article discusses ways of finding the right assessments by learning how to 'pop the hood' and look underneath at the quality of their parts.

Here are 5 Tips to Help You Choose the Right Assessment:

1. Define Your Needs. Before exploring assessment options, first determine your organization's internal needs and what you want to get from the assessment(s). Seek input and involve the appropriate people. The assessment provider you choose should design your assessment to meet those goals. The assessment provider should not try to modify your needs to fit into their model.

2. Strong Foundation in Research. To get the outcomes you need, the assessment tools must be based on sound research and theory-driven content. No matter how cool the solution 'looks', pass it up if you can't talk directly with the behind-the-scenes people at the organization. A strong company will be able to tell you why they're measuring what they're measuring, what it's based on and what validity evidence exists for your industry or position. Assessments not based on strong validity will never yield the returns you're seeking.

3. Documented Job Relatedness. Whatever selection process you choose, be sure it's legally defensible. Take the appropriate steps (e.g., job analyses) to establish job relatedness between the position and your assessment tools. Using assessment tools without establishing a linkage between the job and the tool puts your organization at risk for legal challenges.

4. Data Accessibility. As the client, you are entitled to the testing information that is collected - it belongs to you. Your assessment partner should be able and willing to provide analyses, reports and data interpretation as needed. Oftentimes, a good-looking report isn't enough - you need the numbers behind it to help support your efforts.

5. Service Orientation. Your organization deserves superior customer service. With many organizations, there is the honeymoon effect - you get a lot of personalized attention and extra perks in the beginning, but the level of service drops over time. You should expect - and demand - excellent service and continuous improvement. Once the assessment is in place, the provider should monitor its performance and work with you to constantly evaluate the data. Your assessment provider should proactively search for ways to improve the services and solutions they are providing.

If you follow these simple guidelines, you'll have an assessment partner who is committed to ensuring you have the best tools to hire the best people. Making the right choice based on job relevant information will lead to better decisions every time. Don't be fooled by the outside (vanity), and take a look on the inside (validity).

If you have any questions or would like additional details on this topic, please don't hesitate to contact us.