Hiring assessments are a powerful tool for determining a person’s strengths and weaknesses as they relate to job performance. But perhaps just as importantly, assessments for hiring can also be used to determine whether a person will be a good fit with company’s culture. More specifically, an assessment can help determine whether a person will work well with their future boss. All of this is essential to making a good hire.
Mark Murphy, author of Hiring for Attitude, once told Forbes that of a group of 20,000 new hires, 46% failed within 18 months. Of the people who failed, 89% failed for attitude-related reasons. Those reasons included lack of coachability, low emotional intelligence, poor motivation, and bad temperament.
All of those issues are issues that can be caught with hiring assessments.
Assessments lead to better hiring decisions by asking applicants a series of standard questions that relate not to their resume but their personal attitudes and character. Assessments look past interview skills and fancy colleges to discover what makes a person tick. When successful teams in your organization are assessed, you’ll likely find patterns of good attitudes, strong moral compasses, and generally positive outlooks, all factors that contribute to a strong workplace culture. You might find distinct personality differences, but as long as different personalities complement each other well or are well understood, very different people can still work together effectively.
Many hiring managers make the mistake of trusting first impressions. They think that if a boss and a potential hire have a pleasant conversation, that means they’ll be able to work well together. Assessments cut through this kind of thinking, making it clear whether two people will see eye to eye or have difficulty communicating effectively.
Hiring assessments should be a consistent part of your HR arsenal. Using hiring assessments on a consistent basis will lead to smarter hiring decisions, less employee turnover, and a stronger company culture. All of that will lead to more motivated workers and a stronger bottom line. The benefits simply can’t be denied – assessments are the way of the future, and they’re here to stay.
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