Selection

Assessments are commonly used for selection. Some assessments for selection are designed to measure technical skill while others will measure cognitive capabilities, culture fit, personality factors, behavior, interests, etc. Choosing the right assessment for the purpose is very important. Hagemann says when her organization conducts assessment for selection for their clients, the goal is to understand the person as if we’ve known them for 10 years and then to provide that information to the client in a way that is easy for them to analyze. When a candidate is appropriately assessed, the assessor can give the employer a wealth of information that will be key to the hiring decision and key to the individual’s growth and development once in the new position.

Organizations that implement assessment for selection can gain a long-term benefit as well as a short-term benefit. By assessing all senior leaders within the organization, they can over time create a “bank” of leader profiles and compare these profiles with long-term leader performance in the organization to determine key success factors within this specific organization. Once the key success factors are determined within the organization, incoming candidates can be assessed against this data.

For example, if it is determined that a moderate amount of “dominance” is necessary to be successful in this organization but that a high level of dominance is generally a misfit, then recruiters both internal and external can measure an individual’s level of dominance and determine a potential misfit before a hiring mistake is made. There is typically a range set and organizations hire within the range. Most organizations go outside the range from time to time for a candidate whom they want to take a risk with; however, we’ve found that there is a high failure rate when hiring outside the range for a given organization. For the purpose of this book, we’ll call leader “failure” as turning over the position within the first 18 months due to anything other than medical leave or family emergency.

Assessment for selection when it comes to leadership positions is often reserved for the final three to five candidates. Assessment is an investment, so most organizations do the best they can to filter candidates before getting to this phase. Once the final candidates are in the pipeline, assessment for selection is implemented and employers are provided the data for assistance in the decision to hire.

As with all parts of the interview process, a candidate should never be weeded out based on only one piece of the puzzle. Assessment is only one piece and should be considered along with all the other pieces including the interviews, references, résumé, etc. Once the entire puzzle is put together, you should have a very good idea of who the candidate is and what he or she has to offer the organization. Legally, here’s the detail:

Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it is “unlawful for an employer to refuse to hire any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his… employment, because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

With regards to pre-employment testing, Section 703(h) of the Act provides that “notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, it shall not be an unlawful practice for an employer… to give and to act upon the results of any professionally developed ability test provided that such test… is not designed, intended or used to discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.” Obviously, Title VII does not prohibit employers from the use of intelligence, skills or integrity tests in the workplace. However, the statute is brought into play when: (1) an employer uses tests to intentionally discriminate against protected groups or (2) the tests have an adverse impact on minorities and are not job-related for the position.¹

So what does all this mean? Well, basically, we need to make sure that our assessments do not discriminate and we need to make sure that what they measure includes a person’s fit for the position. For example, a personality assessment can be used for a leadership position; however, it needs to be mapped to the leadership competencies or specific elements of the job description. For example, if an organization is hiring a leader to be over a high-stress area, one of the necessary components for success is “self-control.” Therefore, it would be acceptable to evaluate “selfcontrol” in the assessment because it directly maps to the position requirements.

Again, assessment is the great demographic equalizer because an employer may filter a younger person out because of the stereotype that younger men and women may have less “selfcontrol” than older men and women; however, a valid and reliable assessment can show the employer which is the better candidate in this area regardless of age. And, with the current demographic shifts, making sure that the chosen assessment tools include ability and aptitude for technology (cognitive aptitude) will be increasingly important.

Once an employer has determined that assessment for selection will be a part of the interview process, it is time to determine which assessments are best. Recruiting firms will generally have assessments that they use, and when using a recruiting firm, all the employer needs to do is provide the information so that the recruiter can map their assessment to the position(s). If the organization is doing the work internally or hiring another outside firm to help, there are a few things to consider:

1.   Assessors must be qualified. Ensure that the assessors are appropriately credentialed for this work.

2.   The assessments must be valid. Do they measure what they are supposed to measure?

3.   The assessments must be reliable. Do they measure what they are supposed to measure consistently over time?

Choosing the appropriate assessments can be a challenge because there are literally thousands to choose from. We do, however, have some that are often used, that are reliable and valid, and that we recommend for selection. Here is an overview:

Intelligence Assessments:

•   Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—III (WAIS-III). Based on years of research with the WAIS, this short version has the same reliability and validity as the original. It is an intelligent test used to determine IQ in the areas of verbal and perceptual reasoning. IQ scores are assigned based on how the client’s results compare to his or her age group.

•   Thurstone Test of Mental Alertness (Thurstone TMA™). This is a timed test used to determine the client’s ability to think on his or her feet and the rate at which he or she will be able to come up to speed with new information. The client’s results are compared to other professionals in similar positions, resulting in a percentile score.

Professional Ability:

•   Raven’s Progressive Matrices. Raven’s is a leading global nonverbal measure of mental ability, helping identify individuals with advanced observation and clear thinking skills who can handle the complexity and ambiguity of the modern workplace.

•   Watson-Glaser II Critical Thinking Appraisal. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is the definitive instrument used by major corporations and consultants to measure critical thinking in high-potential candidates, new managers, future leaders, and all professionals.

•   Advanced Numerical Reasoning Appraisal (ANRA). The ANRA measures higher-level numerical reasoning skills and is the equivalent of Watson-Glaser “with numbers.”

Personality Assessments:

•   The California Psychological Inventory™ (CPI™) Assessment. The exceptional history, validity, and reliability of the CPI Assessment make it one of the most respected assessments in the world. Its 3 Structural Scales, 20 Folk Scales, and 13 Special Purpose Scales provide a detailed portrait of an individual’s professional and personal styles. Built on more than 50 years of research, the CPI™ 434 tool offers rich descriptive commentary for the administrator in such useful areas as interpersonal style, approach to leadership, motivation, and approach to structure and rules, as well as a number of personal characteristics.

•   The CPI 260® Assessment. The CPI 260 Assessment objectively describes individuals the way others see them. It builds on the exceptional history, validity, and reliability of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) Assessment, transforming this trusted resource into a leadership development tool for today’s organizations. Its 260 items measure more than two dozen scales in such areas as dealing with others, self-management, motivation, thinking style, personal characteristics, and work-related characteristics.

•   The Hogan Leadership Suite. The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) is a measure of normal personality and is used to predict job performance. The HPI is an ideal tool to help you strengthen your employee selection, leadership development, succession planning, and talent management processes. The HPI was the first inventory of normal personality based on the Five-Factor Model and developed specifically for the business community.

Behavior Assessment:

•   The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation– Behavior (FIRO-B) Assessment. The FIRO-B Assessment helps people understand their own behavior and that of others in interpersonal situations. For more than 40 years, it has been used around the world to clarify human interactions in both business and personal situations. It explores three basic interpersonal needs (Inclusion, Control, and Affection) along two dimensions (Expressed and Wanted). Requiring only 15 minutes to complete 54 items, the FIRO-B tool quickly sets the stage for self-understanding.

This is certainly not a comprehensive list. It is just a list that we are comfortable promoting based on our extensive experience with assessment tools. There are over 2,700 assessments published, so please just do your homework and work with assessment experts to choose the best tool for your purposes.