Nobody likes hearing “I told you so!” It is never pleasant to admit that you were wrong while somebody else knew better, especially when that mistake cost your organization a good chunk of change. We all know a bad hire is very costly and the hiring process is supposed to mitigate that risk.
But what if you were on the other side, the one who knows when something won’t work before it happens? Wouldn’t that feel fantastic? Skipping around your office singing “I know more than you do!” – Okay maybe you shouldn’t actually do that, but it would definitely be fun.
A cognitive assessment test can provide you with that feeling as mental capacity is a strong indicator of whether someone will be able to do the job. Workable says “These kinds of tests are much more accurate predictors of job performance than interviews or experience.”
Here are some things that cognitive assessments could have “told you so” in the hiring process:
They are slow to learn company information, processes, and technology
If your new hire is having difficulty getting up to speed on how your company operates, this may be an indicator that they are not very mentally agile. The onboarding process involves absorbing a lot of information in a short period of time and if their sponge isn’t porous enough, it will just push the water around instead of soaking it in. Cognitive tests work like those paper towel commercials where they test how much each sheet can absorb, allowing you to compare your candidates in the same way.
They are making a lot of mistakes on the job
Whether it takes them one minute or one hour to complete a task, neither are useful if they are done incorrectly. Obviously you would prefer to get more done in less time but quality is important. Cognitive assessments will measure how many questions they are able to answer correctly, providing you with insight into not only how quickly they can work, but how accurately.
They are not able to problem solve quickly
In any customer facing role, it essential to be able to think on your feet and come up with solutions quickly. This skill is greatly appreciated by managers and teammates as well. Cognitive assessments that are timed will test a candidate’s ability to answer under pressure which demonstrates whether they will be able to do the same in your organization.
Even if you don’t get to rub your knowledge in the faces of others, when you use cognitive assessments to test candidates in the hiring process, you can still smirk to yourself whenever they uncover a red flag. Others may not know it, but they will be thanking you later.
For more information on how to use cognitive assessments for hiring, check out our blog.