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82% of organizations require work samples or assessments as part of the hiring process according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). 78% of human resources professionals indicated that assessments have improved their quality of hire. So, it’s not unusual for pre-employment assessments to be a part of the hiring process.
If you’re using pre-employment assessments for hiring, it’s important to be sure that you’re using them properly. I was reminded of this recently in an article from The Wall Street Journal titled “How Flunking a Personality Test Can Cost You Your Dream Job”. The article talks about what a personality test might indicate about a candidate’s “fit” for the job.
When organizations make the decision to use a pre-employment assessment, they need to identify the purpose for doing so. For example, an organization might administer an assessment to candidates applying for an administrative position to see how proficient they are in Microsoft Excel. Typically, the assessment is directly related to the job.
Organizations can do personality assessments but again, they should identify the goal for doing so. And be able to defend it should they be challenged on the use of a personality assessment. But we’ll leave that discussion for our friendly legal counsel. There are three criteria that organizations should look for when considering a pre-employment assessment of any kind.
- Validity means that the assessment measures what it’s supposed to measure. If we use the example above with the administrative position and Microsoft Excel, the assessment should measure proficiency in that program. Not Word. Not PowerPoint. The assessment is valid for measuring proficiency in Excel.
- Reliability means that the assessment should yield consistent results. If I’m applying for an administrative role and I take the Excel assessment twice, I should receive similar results (not necessarily exact, but close).
- Valid for Intended Use means that the assessment has been validated for the way it is being used. In this case, the pre-employment assessment should be validated for hiring and selection because that’s how it’s being used. There are wonderful assessments in the market, but that doesn’t mean they are all validated for selection.
I want to take a moment to emphasize the last point about pre-employment assessments being validated for its intended use. You might be familiar with an assessment called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It’s a popular assessment often used in personal and professional development. It’s not validated for hiring and selection. So, it wouldn’t be appropriate to have discussions like “We need a few more INTJs around the office.”.
Organizations should definitely consider using pre-employment assessments in their hiring and selection process. They can bring tremendous value. But use them the right way. And if there are other assessments that the organization likes for professional development – great! – use them too. Again, using assessments the right way will bring the best results.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby after speaking at the HR Technology Conference in Las Vegas, NV
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