Sorting through job applications for an open position can be overwhelming, especially in a healthy economy. There are fewer people looking for a new job, and you’re facing a time crunch to find the golden needle in a haystack. It’s important to keep in mind during this process that finding the right person is more important than just finding someone to fill the position.
“The executives who ignited the transformations from good to great did not first figure out where to drive the bus and then get people to take it there. No, they first got the right people on the bus – and the wrong people off the bus – and then figured out where to drive it.”
— JIM COLLINS, AUTHOR OF GOOD TO GREAT.
This cannot be emphasized enough, because you will only do yourself and your organization a disservice to hire the wrong person. Bad hires not only waste valuable time and resources due to time and money wasted, but they are also a distraction to the rest of the company that is supporting them to get them up to speed. If you truly care about your business and want to find that rockstar for the position that will catapult your company to the next level, then you should seriously consider incorporating talent assessment into your hiring process.
So how do you find the top talent from all your job applicants?
Talent assessment fits in with your normal hiring process, but adds a step at the end to fully vet the applicant. With a thorough assessment plan, you will have a clear understanding of how this applicant compares to the rest of the population and other applicants. Standardized psychological assessments are widely used and effective for screening new hires.
Here are some of the assessments we utilize at Ark Applications, and what areas they measure:
NEO PI-3: Normal personality test that measures the big five personality domains (sometimes we use the NEO-3 four factor version when testing for emotional stability may be a problem).
Test of General Reasoning Ability (TOGRA): Used to asses reasoning and problem solving skills, can provide insight to the cognitive ability of the applicant.
Working Styles Assessment (WSA): Business personality test that matches a candidate's working styles with those that are important for the position.
Work Values Inventory (WVI): Measures the values a person has and can be related to the working values for an organization.
Self-Directed Search (SDS): A career assessment inventory which evaluates possible careers based upon a person’s interests and stated abilities.
As you can see, each of these tests helps to provide a robust understanding of your potential new hire. You now know how smart they are, how emotionally stable they are, how their personality will fit with the position, how their values fit with your corporate culture, and how their interests fit the position they are applying for.
By using talent assessment in your company, it will benefit from a more satisfied and effective new hire - which means better work output and lower turnover for your company.
Yes, there are some delays in finding someone to fill a position due to being more selective. However, as you can see, the benefits have a much longer lasting impact on the company.
Would you like to learn more about how our talent assessment program can help you with finding the best new hire? Contact us today for your free consultation!
