3 Tests To Hire The Best

Question: What's the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to have profitable, productive, and honest employees?

Answer: Hire profitable, productive, honest people! Unfortunately, managers often hire underachievers or losers. Fortunately, pre-employment tests give managers a simple-to-use, quick, customizable way to hire the best.

Only 1 Reason to Screen Applicants

The sole reason to assess applicants is to predict - or forecast - how an applicant will behave on-the-job BEFORE you hire the person. It proves crucial to prediction this before hiring an applicant, rather than finding out the expensive way after you put the person on your payroll.

The main methods used to predict if an applicant will succeed on-the-job are

1. Interviews

2. Reference Checks

3. Pre-employment Tests

Alarming Research

Large-scale research discovered most interviewers and reference checks make lousy predictions of actual on-the-job performance. Interviews and reference checks often are about as useful as flipping a coin!

On the bright side, pre-employment tests prove to be the best forecasters of actual on-the-job performance. Reason: Tests are developed with scientific research techniques so they objectively predict how an applicant will act on-the-job. In contrast, interviews and reference checks typically offer only subjective "guesstimates" of an applicant's work potential.

3 Types of Tests

Traits required for job success boil down to A + B + C:

A = Abilities - mental abilities or brainpower to do the job

B = Behavior - interpersonal skills, personality and motivations needed to succeed

C = Character - work ethic, trustworthiness, and no substance abuse

As such, A + B + C = Success on-the-job. Importantly, you can use tests to predict an applicant's Abilities, Behavior, and Character.

A = Abilities Tests

Did you ever hire someone and, later, horrifyingly discover the person had the IQ of tire pressure? That person did not have brainpower to (a) learn the job or (b) solve problems on-the-job. Abilities tests help you avoid hiring people who lack brainpower to learn and do the job. Five abilities tests tell you how well the applicant handles

1. Problem-Solving

2. Vocabulary

3. Arithmetic

4. Grammar, Spelling, & Word Use

5. Small Details

B = Behavior Tests

Each job requires crucial behaviors. For example, my research shows superstar sales reps often are money motivated, optimistic, and assertive. Many jobs require teamwork, friendliness, and customer service. To help you, behavior tests forecast applicants'

1. Interpersonal Skills

2. Personality

3. Motivations

For instance, a behavior test predicts three interpersonal skills: (a) friendliness, (b) assertiveness, and (c) teamwork. Five personality traits assessed include (a) energy level (b) optimism, (c) objectivity, (d) procedure-following, and (e) desire to focus on feelings or facts. Motivations uncover if an applicant strives to do a good job to (a) make lots of money, (b) provide customer service, (c) do creative work, (d) exert power or control, or (e) increase knowledge.

C = Character Tests

Did you ever hire someone who had a lousy work ethic? Stole from your company? Abused alcohol or drugs? That cost you loads of money and time! Character tests help managers avoid hiring problem employees. Such tests predict an applicant's attitudes on work-related character:

1. Work Ethic

2. Trustworthiness

3. Substance Abuse

When you hire a "good apple" -- and avoid hiring a "bad apple" - you make a big difference in productivity and profits.

Customize Tests You Use

It is highly recommended you customize abilities and behavior tests for each job in your company. Do this by conducting a benchmarking study.

Example: Let's say you want to hire profitable, productive sales reps. Start by testing some of your current sales reps. Statistically pinpoint your superstar sales reps' typical test scores. Then, when you test applicants, you quickly will see if the applicant scores similar to - or different than - your superstar sales reps.

You, of course, would prefer to hire applicants (1) whose test scores are similar to your superstars' test scores - plus also (2) impress you in interviews and other assessments. However, you would avoid hiring an applicant whose test scores are much different than your superstars' test scores.

6 Steps to Hire the Best

You can hire the best using pre-employment tests by following these steps:

Step 1: Find a skilled testing expert with strong professional credentials and expertise. Just as you only want a skilled surgeon to perform surgery on you, you only want a skilled testing professional to help you, usually someone with a Ph.D. in testing.

Step 2: List jobs for which your company will profit if you hire highly productive employees.

Step 3: With your testing expert's help, find tests that are (a) job-related, (b) valid, (c) reliable, and (d) customizable for jobs listed in Step 2.

Step 4: Customize the tests with your testing expert's guidance. Statistically uncover test scores of your superstar employees in each job listed in Step 2.

Step 5: Test applicants - and show preference for hiring applicants who score similar to your company's most profitable, productive, superstar employees.

Step 6: Benefit from increasing profits and productivity when you hire the best.

© Copyright 2005 Michael Mercer, Ph.D.

Michael Mercer, Ph.D., is a testing expert, conference speaker, and founder of The Mercer Group, Inc. in Barrington, Illinois. Dr. Mercer developed the widely used "Abilities & Behavior Forecaster?" Tests. He authored five books, including "Hire the Best -- & Avoid the Rest?." You can subscribe to Dr. Mercer's free E-Newsletter at http://www.mercersystems.com. You can contact him at (847) 382-0690

Latest News


Lehman Deal Spins Off Part of Private Equity Unit Into Independent ...
New York Times, United States - 7 hours ago
Under the deal, the private equity firm’s current management, led by Charles Ayres, will purchase the firm’s most recent fund — a $3.3 billion pool of ...
Lehman Said to Weigh Sale of Merchant-Banking Fund to Managers Bloomberg
Lehman to spin out private equity arm: WSJ MarketWatch
South African billionaire to invest in Lehman buyout arm Wealth Bulletin
Emailwire - RTT News
all 68 news articles

Globe and Mail

Wal-Mart disappoints analysts, Walgreen chops management team
Bizjournals.com, NC - 15 hours ago
(NYSE:WAG) announced plans to offer early retirement and severance programs to some 1000 corporate and field management employees, or 9 percent of those ...
Video: Jan 8: Stocks Boosted by Mortgage Deal AssociatedPress
Retailers report dismal December sales Connecticut Post
Wal-Mart’s Bleak December May Herald More Pain in ‘09 Bloomberg
Reuters - Bloomberg
all 2,088 news articles

Information Builders Partners With Tagetik to Deliver Corporate ...
MSNBC - 6 hours ago
"Customers often require two solutions, an executive dashboard and an operational system to manage their performance management requirements," said Gerald ...

WNCT

Walgreen will cut 1000 management jobs in 2009
The Associated Press - 12 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Drugstore operator Walgreen Co. said Thursday it will cut 1000 jobs by mid-year, or about 9 percent of corporate management, through a ...
Walgreen to cut about 1000 corporate and field management jobs RTT News
Walgreens Announces Reduction in Corporate and Field Management ... WELT ONLINE
Walgreens to cut 1000 salaried posts Chicago Tribune
MSN Money
all 282 news articles

Search Engine Optimization Inc. Announces New Addition to Senior ...
MSNBC - 8 hours ago
"We are very fortunate to have Ed join our senior management team," said Garry Grant, CEO of SEO Inc. "Ed has the ideal blend of leadership, ...

Z-Wave Alliance Showcases Brand-New Energy Management, Home ...
MSNBC - 2 hours ago
Alliance member companies will showcase for the first time new, affordable energy management, home security and home control solutions in the Alliance booth ...

Uptown men's shelter will stay open under new management
Chicago Tribune, United States - 2 hours ago
Johnson declined to elaborate on the funding and management changes, but said, "We are very satisfied with the outcome of what has happened. ...

Brookfield Asset Management 2008 Year End Conference Call ...
MSNBC - 18 hours ago
You are invited to participate in Brookfield Asset Management's 2008 Year End Conference Call & Webcast on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 11:00 am (ET) to ...
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP 2008 Year End Conference ... MSNBC
all 2 news articles

Gary Berntsen Thinks CIA Needs 'Leadership Not Management'
FOXNews - Jan 7, 2009
CIA COVERT OFFICER : Actually, we need leadership, not management at CIA. That person who's going to be in charge of CIA is in charge of our fight, ...
Video: Analyst Weighs in on Obama's CIA Pick AssociatedPress
Obama's intel picks short on direct experience The Associated Press
Obama Is Under Fire Over Panetta Selection Washington Post
GovExec.com - Foreign Policy (subscription)
all 2,591 news articles

Microsoft Touts Power Management in Windows 7
Redmond Channel Partner, CA - 9 hours ago
Improved power management got briefly mentioned among the expected benefits of Windows 7 on Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show. ...
Hacking Windows 7 beta problems Computerworld
Microsoft releases Windows Server 2008 R2 beta VNUNet.com
Windows 7 Server Beta – Exclusively 64-bit to Support 256 Logical ... Softpedia
all 1,075 news articles

Resources