How Candidate Assessments Improve Hiring Outcomes

How Candidate Assessments Improve Hiring Outcomes

How often has your company hired a candidate based on skills only to find that they just didn’t fit the position? 

I keep thinking about the results from our recent survey of 570 HR professionals. Nearly two-thirds said that when a new hire doesn’t work out, it’s not because of inadequate skills. So, what was it then? Bad cultural fit? Conflict with the boss? With co-workers? Had the skills, but not the drive, or the perseverance, or the self-motivation?

All this is so easily avoided. That’s where candidate assessments come in.

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If you’re not using candidate assessments yet, here’s why you should, and why a growing number of HR professionals are turning to these tools to help them hire and retain the right people.

It’s not a new concept. Employers have been utilizing candidate assessments (also called talent assessments or behavior assessments) for decades. They use them to know who they’re hiring, not just what skills they’re hiring.

A nice-looking resume with great references doesn’t really tell you who that person is. Skills and experience are great assets to have, and play a very important role in deciding which job candidate fits the position, but, knowing they have the skills necessary doesn’t tell you how they will perform at your company, with your culture and your customers.  

The old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover also rings true when assessing a job applicant. In this case, the resume is the cover. An employer, though, must look inside to get a full understanding of the applicant. If you’re filling a position that requires empathy, for instance, you want to make sure that the person you’re hiring has the personality to fill that position as well. A candidate assessment will allow you to choose the perfect job applicant for the position. 

Thousands of people either quit or are discharged from their job every year. It costs companies thousands, even millions, of dollars to hire and train new employees. Often this is due to placing the wrong people in a position. 

Candidate assessments can help you with making better hiring decisions, leadership development and succession planning. If you’d like to learn more about how assessments can help you make better hiring and developing decisions, we’d be happy to offer a free consultation.

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