Whether you work for a Fortune 500 company or you’re an entrepreneur putting your heart and soul into a new venture, the people you hire can make or break the success of your company. What can you do to mitigate some of the risk of hiring the wrong individuals?
Assessments are invaluable tools that can provide a snapshot into important information about candidates and current employees, such as their predicted behaviors, emotional intelligence, soft skills and capacity to perform necessary tasks. Possessing this information can help in various stages of the employee experience, from hiring to development to future leadership opportunities.
Behavioral Assessments
One common type of assessment used during the selection process is the study of behaviors. A behavioral assessment can show how people act in their natural (at home) versus adapted (at work) state, based on a series of questions that provide a detailed account of the person’s behavioral makeup.
These assessments help determine how well a person might fit into a specific role. For example, let’s say you are looking to fill a customer service position, where a worker needs to be personable and enjoy talking with others all day. It takes a much different behavior style to excel in this role compared to filing a CPA role. Each type of job requires different skill sets, and behavioral assessments can help you determine the right person for the right role.
Other Assessments
Behaviors are just one area in which you can assess workers or job candidates. Assessments that measure motivators can measure the “why” behind the behavioral “how.” Knowing what drives people to wake up every morning and do what they do can be a great indicator of whether or not they will be successful in a specific role or within your company’s culture.
Many companies look to assessments to measure the capabilities and capacity of current employees for the purposes of advancement. Might a person who excels in sales eventually translate into being a great sales director? Using assessments that measure competencies and acumen can uncover whether or not someone has the skills and capacity to handle the rigors of a job that may exceed the scope of his or her current position.
Assessments that measure emotional intelligence can be great tools to use in development or conflict resolution. By uncovering a person’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to their emotional intelligence, you can create development plans to help a person overcome workplace conflicts.
Regardless of where in the employee life cycle an employee is, assessments can help deliver meaningful measurement and evaluation of his or her ability to perform certain job descriptions. They are a must for any company that understands the importance of its people.
