| Pre-employment tests clearly tell you if a job | | | | of (a) 'fitting in' its culture and (b) being highly |
| applicant could 'fit in' your company's culture. But, | | | | productive workers. |
| you must carry out an important step. Specifically, | | | | Again, pre-employment test benchmark scores |
| pre-employment tests first need to be | | | | revealed that company's culture was |
| benchmarked for each job in your company. For | | | | ultra-perfectionistic. In every job, the best |
| instance, let's say you want to hire great sales | | | | employees' benchmark test scores included - |
| reps. Start by having some of your sales reps | | | | * high test scores on Following Rules, Fact-Focus, |
| take the pre-employment test. Use this to find | | | | and Handling Small Details scales |
| the "benchmark" or typical test scores of your | | | | * low test scores on Flexibility and Emotion-Focus |
| best sales reps. Then, test applicants. Applicants | | | | scales |
| who gets test scores similar to your best sales | | | | Clearly, this company's culture relied on employees |
| reps have a good likelihood of -a. being productive | | | | being obsessive-compulsive. |
| workersb. 'fitting in' your company's culture | | | | When that company hired applicants who got |
| EXAMPLES of PRE-EMPLOYMENT TEST | | | | pre-employment test scores similar to its best |
| BENCHMARKS REVEALING ORGANIZATIONAL | | | | employees, it hired winners - productive |
| CULTURE | | | | employees who 'fit in' the company's culture. But, |
| The pre-employment tests I created are used by | | | | when it hired employees who got test scores |
| many companies. So, in my consulting work, I | | | | different than its best employees, they failed |
| conduct huge numbers of benchmarking studies | | | | on-the-job. |
| to help companies hire the best. The benchmark | | | | WARNING: 3 WAYS APPLICANTS TRICK YOU |
| research uses two pre-employment tests: | | | | IN JOB INTERVIEWS |
| 1. Behavior Test - to forecast 5 personality traits, | | | | The problem with interviewing job applicants is |
| 3 interpersonal styles, and 5 motivators | | | | this: Most interviewers make mistaken judgments |
| 2. Cognitive Ability Test - to forecast 5 mental | | | | about applicants they interview. Research backs |
| abilities or brainpower | | | | up this assertion. Here are conniving ways |
| Here are examples of pre-employment test | | | | applicants trick interviewers: |
| benchmarks revealing companies' cultures. | | | | 1. Trained how to job-hunt - so applicant knows |
| 1st Example = Friendly, Service-Focused | | | | good answers to your interview questions |
| Company Culture | | | | 2. Study your company - so they act like they |
| One company using pre-employment tests from | | | | have what you want |
| me benchmarked many of its jobs. In every job, | | | | 3. Charm - so interviewer gets 'carried away' with |
| the company's best employees got these test | | | | appealing applicant |
| scores: | | | | OOPS: 8 WAYS MANAGERS HIRE THE WRONG |
| * high scores on test's Friendliness, Teamwork, | | | | PERSON |
| Optimism, and Helping People scales | | | | Plus, interviewers and hiring managers make |
| * low scores on test's Aggressiveness, Rigidity, | | | | many dumb mistakes - resulting in mistakenly |
| and Power Motivation scales | | | | thinking a lousy applicant is a good applicant. Here |
| The benchmarks clearly reveal that company's | | | | are five ways interviewers make dumb mistakes: |
| corporate culture. | | | | 1. Gives away 'good' answers - tells applicant what |
| The test helps that company consistently hire | | | | interviewer is looking for |
| productive employees who 'fit in' its friendly | | | | 2. Blabbermouth - talks too much - tells applicant |
| service culture. | | | | what interviewer wants to hear |
| 2nd Example = Knowledge-Driven Company | | | | 3. Desperate - interviewer wants to hire someone |
| Culture | | | | NOW |
| Another company sells cutting-edge technology. | | | | 3. Lazy - hiring manager too lazy to find more and |
| Its growth potential is huge - but only if it hires | | | | better applicants |
| the right sales reps. | | | | 5. Bullheaded - 'wants to hire whom s/he wants |
| In the benchmarking study, I found the | | | | to hire' - despite warning signs |
| company's finest sales reps consistently got - | | | | Interviewers also make three dumb mistakes |
| * high scores on test's Learning Motivation and | | | | when it comes to pre-employment testing: |
| Problem-Solving Ability scales | | | | 6. Wrong Norms - uses national norms - rather |
| * low scores on test's Money Motivation and | | | | than company customized benchmarks |
| Creativity Motivation scales | | | | 7. Fails to Test Applicant - thus does not have |
| The test's benchmark scores stunned the | | | | most accurate, revealing evaluation |
| company's VP-Sales. He mistakenly thought his | | | | 8. Ignores Test - bets against company's |
| best sales reps were creative and pay motivated. | | | | custom-tailored benchmark scores |
| But, actually, the best ones excelled at (a) learning | | | | PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTS MAKE IT EASY TO |
| about the technology plus (b) intelligently | | | | HIRE EMPLOYEES WHO 'FIT IN' YOUR |
| problem-solving ways the technology would help | | | | COMPANY'S CULTURE |
| prospective client operate more profitably. | | | | Fact: Each time you hire someone you are betting. |
| Wow. The pre-employment test benchmark | | | | You bet your career and your company's financial |
| scores were an eye-opener - and much different | | | | success. |
| than test scores of commission-driven | | | | Pre-employment tests using customized |
| salespeople. | | | | benchmarks for your company's jobs make your |
| These pre-employment tests enabled that | | | | bets easier, cheaper, faster, and more likely to |
| company to peer into applicants' minds - to reveal | | | | succeed. Tests objectively tell you if an applicant |
| which applicants would 'fit in' its knowledge-driven | | | | (a) 'fits in' your organizational culture and (b) has |
| culture. | | | | work-related qualities similar to your good |
| 3rd Example = Perfectionistic, | | | | employees. Job interviews seldom tell you these |
| Obsessive-Compulsive Company Culture | | | | important, profit-impacting insights. |
| Another pre-employment test client of mine also | | | | You get such profit-improving insights from |
| had me test its best employees in many jobs, so | | | | correctly researched, benchmarked |
| it could hire applicants with the highest probability | | | | pre-employment tests. |