Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM DECEMBER 2018 62 I n a recent article, "Relentless Recruiting", I briefly touched on personality testing of prospective candidates. I received several calls wanting more information regarding this part of the article, so I've decided to expand on the subject here. How many of you have had a candidate in front of you during the interview process who seemed to be the best thing since sliced bread? You hired them, only to discover that within a few weeks they turned into a different person. We have all had this happen to us, and we wondered what we missed in the interview. Candidates, especially service technicians, will come prepared with tales attesting to their ability to perform under pressure. While we hope these stories are true, they may not be the entire story. Perhaps they can meet deadlines and goals but are quick to anger when experiencing stress. Or their IQ is off the charts but their emotional intelligence is lacking. Testing prospective candidates will help you spot these weaknesses and strengths in their aptitude, personality and skills and hire accordingly. There are many different types of pre-employment tests, but they generally fall into three categories: Aptitude, Personality and Skills. • Aptitude Tests — Aptitude tests measure critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to learn, digest and apply new information. In essence, these cognitive aptitude tests seek to assess an applicant's general intelligence or brainpower. • Personality Tests — Personality tests seek to answer the questions: Will the candidate be comfortable in this role? Does the candidate have the traits to succeed in this position? There are no right or wrong answers on personality tests. Instead, these tests measure the extent to which people possess relatively permanent behavioral traits. These traits can help employers predict job fit by determining if a candidate's behavioral tendencies are a good match for both the position and the company culture. Personality tests can measure many different traits, but the most prominent personality test framework uses what is called the "Big Five." These are the five elements of a personality that consistently emerge in observational research: agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, openness (to experience), and stress tolerance. The concept of personality traits is now fairly widely accepted, and is superseding an older thinking about personality types that categorized people into one of two distinct types, introvert or extrovert, thinker or feeler, Type A or Type B. The traits model is gaining acceptance in personality research because of growing evidence that suggests a strict dichotomy between two distinct types does not sufficiently describe the nuances of human personality. • Skills Tests — Skills tests measure job-related competencies that range from broad skills like verbal, math, and communication, to narrow skills like typing and computer fluency. These are skills that candidates have picked up through their education and career histories – skills that do not necessarily reflect basic aptitude but instead reflect acquired knowledge – what the applicant already knows how to do based on previous experience. General skills tests that measure job readiness skills such as literacy, numeracy and attention to detail can be effective predictors of job performance for a wide variety of entry-level positions. Many skills tests, however, measure more specific acquired competencies such as typing speed or knowledge of specific software applications. It is important to realize that such micro-skills tests are not designed to predict long-term job performance, as most aptitude and personality tests are. Rather, these tests are intended only as an indicator of a person's current skill level in key job-related competencies. If you decide to start testing your candidates, you should remember that it is'nt a magic bullet for hiring the perfect employee. There is no perfect employee! That is, except for the one you imagine, which is usually a person similar to you. This leads to the important question: Would you hire you? Using a candidate testing process will give you more tools and insights to make the hiring process more successful and less stressful. If used correctly, it will guide you to hire the right candidate with the right skills for the right position. If you have questions or comments, I can be reached at tigertom@tigermechanical.net or 480-862-9213. Thomas J Kissane, Chief Business Officer and Field Engineer Trainer, Tiger Mechanical Services S E R V I C E D E P A R T M E N T RO PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTING CAN LEAD TO SUCCESSFUL HIRING

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