Choosing the Right Selection System For Your Business

EQ, IQ, Validity, Ipsative, Normative, Psychometric, Type Indicator, Core Character Traits …evaluating the various assessment tools on the market can easily become confusing. They range from icebreaking tools, like “What kind of dog are you?” to sophisticated performance-predicting psychological evaluations rooted in science and statistical analysis. So how do you know which one is right for your business?

The following 10 point checklist will help you make the right choice for your business as you assess the assessors.

1. Determine your requirements: A good assessment company will work with you like an extension of your business team and will help shed light on hidden opportunities within your business. Understanding how the profile you chose will fit within your overall recruitment and selection strategy is the first step to picking the right tool. A good attraction and screening system will help you to increase your applicant flow while decreasing your workload. Good selection tools can be validated and will help you to identify the core character traits of your top performers so that you can attract, select and develop more of them.

2. Leverage the data and put science in your business growth: If you are using a normative assessment tool as part of your selection process, you have made the first critical step in putting science and predictability into your business growth. The most supportive profiling companies look to build real partnerships with their clients and will help you to use the results of your selection system to build a more successful business. Look for an assessment provider that can provide you with an ideal candidate model and that can integrate your performance measures into your selection process. This will allows you to focus your selection efforts on candidates that are statistically most likely to perform in a given role.

3. Normative or Ipsative? Ipsative scores are found in any test or assessment in which the person responding is forced to choose between a few different options or give either a yes/no or true/false response. These tools are only useful as the basis for discussion. A normative tool on the other hand, will ask the person scoring the assessment to rate each response on a scale typically from one to five.

The numeric data collected from an assessment like this can be used to develop norms that can be compared across individuals or for employee selection, training and development.

4. Can the tool be used as a selection tool? Make sure your profile partner is committed to continuous improvement. If a tool does not predict performance it cannot be used as a selection tool. If the tool can not be validated it can not be used as a selection tool. The best profiling companies proactively validate their performance predictions and continuously refine their understanding of what ideal performance looks like for each client they serve.

5. Does the profile provide development suggestions and feedback that can be used in training and development? The best assessments are packed with relevant information and suggestions for further discussion. An effective tool can help you launch coaching and training relationships and will provide valuable insight into your peoples strengths and growth opportunities. Complete with interview suggestions, matching, mentoring suggestions, and coaching points. A good tool can be a real asset in your work as a leader, manager or coach.

6. What will you need the tool to assess? One size does not fit all. Measuring job-specific factors rather than general variables helps make the assessment more relevant and easier to interpret. The reality is that the core character traits common amongst top performing insurance sales reps are different than the traits commonly found amongst high performing administrators or truck drivers. Look for a selection tool that focuses on the strengths relevant to the role that is important to you.

7. Is the profile fair and free from bias? Make sure that the profile you are using meets relevant anti-discrimination laws as well as privacy legislation. Responsible profiling companies regularly conduct research consistent with local legislation and work to demonstrate that their profiles do not discriminate against minority groups when used in the selection, promotion or succession planning process.

8. Is the profile available in a variety of languages? This is of particular importance to organizations looking to create a standardized, high volume recruitment system that can serve each local office regardless of location. If you are working with the head office in Nebraska and the company you are working with has offices in Mumbai, an assessment tool that can be completed in Hindi and instantly read in English, Spanish and a variety of other languages can help you build a pro-active recruiting culture.

9. Will the profile detect deliberate distortion? A good tool cannot be fooled. Some test will incorporate so-called lie scales as they identify those subjects who try to fool the assessment and present themselves in a more favourable light.

10. Does the assessment company provide a high level of customer service and support? Ask for and check references. Work with your profiling partner to establish the ideal attraction, screening, selection and development system. Some companies will even go so far as to help you develop a carrier centre on your web site. This improves the experience for the job seeker and allows your best applicants to quickly complete their assessment on-line without leaving your web site. A solid relationship with your profile partner will ultimately help you to grow your business, expand your applicant pool, make better hiring decisions and put science in your organizational development.

The bottom line is to trust your gut and make sure that the people you are talking to are people that are focused on service, and are people that you can build a real partnership with.