18th Nov 2007
Assessment in Hiring
In keeping with Anne’s post on three words to describe you (a popular interview question), I’ve been reading about the issue of formalized assessment in hiring. Personnel Testing in the Workplace reviews some of the basics, which include the prevalence of testing in the past 20 years for hiring (because of the high cost of replacing workers if they are a “bad fit”), sorts of tests, and then gives these tips for assessments:
To ensure the appropriate and successful use of testing in personnel selection, consider these five key factors:
1. Ensure that any test chosen for use has evidence-based support.
2. Test only for personal factors that are directly applicable to the job and organizational demands.
3. Advise all candidates upfront that testing is part of the selection process and obtain written acknowledgement of the candidates’ willingness to participate.
4. Take a multi-faceted approach. Use test results as one factor in the selection process only. Do not make personnel selections based entirely on test results.
5. Use test results as a basis for further candidate questions in a subsequent interview. Because test questions can sometimes be misconstrued, additional questioning will give you the opportunity to further validate the test results.
Most of my own concerns about testing have to do with design and limits of the test (1 and 2). As I said previously, it’s totally fair for someone to want me to take a basic copyediting test or a writing test in my content area, but often tests that are actually free samples, poorly constructed, and not a very good assessment tool.
Any experience with assessment in hiring?
Via Workplace News
Remember that one I took when interviewing at The Cobbie Shop? I don’t think I passed.
BTW The Right to Privacy by Alderman and Kennedy has an interesting chapter or two on this subject.
Oh, that test is a prime example of weird and invasive pre-employment testing! I had forgotten about that. Barely anyone ever passed that.