We are strong proponents of using assessments for hiring – it is the backbone of our system. Yet, many people still have some hesitancy in completing the assessments. CareerJournal.com offers up Why Wasn’t I Interviewed After Taking Personality Quiz? which is a Q&A article about whether or not to complete the assessments.
This mindset is almost unbelievable to me. From the article:
Answer: Being asked to take a pre-employment personality test often puts candidates between a rock and a hard place. If you refuse, you won’t move further along in the hiring process. If you agree and take the test, you may be screened out without further contact with the company.
This type of thinking frustrates me. I realize the author is attempting to couch the question in common terms, but the article dances around the obvious point. Assessments objectively measure how well a candidate will fit to the job’s requirements.
Most candidates believe they are a strong fit for the position regardless of whether that thought is true. The power of the assessment lies in its objective ability to measure the candidate’s fit to the position. I cannot stress enough the term “objective.” People are not objective, assessments are.
Pre-employment tests come in many forms, but all are designed to assess characteristics and values that employers believe lead to success at their companies.
Exactly. The word “believe” is a bit loaded, but the point is true. As a candidate, I would think it valuable that a company takes its hiring seriously enough to invest in extra steps to hire the right person. I would be disappointed to sell myself into a position that was a mismatch to my abilities. That is frustrating for the employee and the employer.