Talent Hiring: The increasing importance of employment assessments in tech organisations

Interviewing is one way to get to know the candidates to decide whether they are the right fit for the job and work culture. But a couple of hour-long meetings aren’t really enough time to peel back the layers and see the true person. As we all know, it’s easy to spin negatives into positives on a resume and even in person. Still, interviews are an essential selection tool and should represent about 30% of your overall hiring decision. But what about that other 70%?

Good question. That boils down to several other selection tools.

First, you examine the candidate’s work experience and skills; then the potential for learning and growing in the job and organization. Some of that is done in the interview, but we also suggest testing for those hard skills that you require in the job. For example, if you are hiring an accountant, you might want to test some basic accounting tasks to ensure the candidate knows the difference between a debit and a credit. You might also consider a cognitive assessment to determine general mental aptitude.

Do they have the cognitive wherewithal to work through problems and take logical action?

All of that should make up another 25% of your overall decision. You might look at social media (5%), background and drug testing (5%); this is where you make sure they truly have the certifications, education, and licenses you might require. In addition, 5% goes to reference checking, and a pre-employment behavior/personality assessment (30%).

How does a good Behavioral/Personality test benefit the hiring process?

Employment Behavioral/personality testing is a great way to complement the interview process. First, because it really does compliment the process; it doesn’t replace it. When you’re dealing with people and human behavior, it’s complex, so the more you know, the better off you’ll be.

In this context, assessment tools like the Omnia assessment provide data insight into your candidate's innate behaviors, which you can use to determine the fit and future potential. For example, if you are hiring a salesperson, you want to make sure your candidate has the best innate talent for the job. Omnia’s pre-employment personality test can tell you the level of assertiveness your sales candidate has. A high level of assertiveness is the key behavioral trait found in most successful salespeople. Highly assertive people have the drive and competitive spirit of pushing past obstacles and closing deals repeatedly.

If you hire someone with a high level of caution, they might “go after” only the low-hanging fruit or take orders rather than make them. There is also a higher-than-average chance the employee will burn out quickly. It takes a lot of energy to work against your natural “grain.”

Knowing in advance if your candidates have the basic competitiveness for sales is the first step towards hiring the best candidate.

Omnia’s personality assessment measures four behavioral traits - assertiveness, communication & thinking style, pace & agility, and need for structure. Before the hire, you'll know if your candidate has the natural analytical aptitude to work as your bookkeeper or the strong attention to detail you want for your order entry CSR. Looking for a bold leader who can brush off criticism and make decisions with limited information? The Omnia assessment can give you that insight. And best of all, you can use this data for employee development throughout the employee’s entire professional journey within your organization. A behavioral assessment can be used for employee engagement, motivation, and workforce optimization.

Of course, there’s a catch. The candidate must be willing to use those innate talents for good; (and not ignore that last phone call the Friday before a long weekend); which speaks of work ethic and integrity. The right candidate has all the right ingredients to be successful. By using a personality assessment, a cognitive aptitude test, skills tests, and a well-thought-out interview, you’ll have all the pieces you need to make the best decisions for your team, department, and company.

Using various tools to help make your next hiring decision, you increase your hiring odds and zero in more easily on the best candidate. When deciding who you want to work with you, availing yourself of as many tools and as much information as possible is the best way to hire successfully.

<About the author: Sunil Mehta is the Country Manager - India, Middle East & Central Africa of Quint Consulting Services. TalSuccess, a brand of Quint Consulting services (Quint), launched Omnia’s Assessment Center; a global leader in behavioral talent assessment framework in India recently.)