More Tests?!: It’s Not Just Interviews Anymore

Jasmine Flowers August 3, 2007

You walk into a company for an interview. You go through a few interviews with different managers; you receive accolades from your interviewers, and are told that you will be contacted within 2 days for the next round. Within 48 hours you receive an email stating that your next round is a series of tests that you must pass (regardless of your interview scores or performance) in order to even be considered for the position.

Recently, one of my friends went through an interview process for a company and was surprised with an aptitude test as part of the process. The entire job offer rested on the ability to pass a sequence of tests. The numerous interviews conducted at the beginning of the process became irrelevant to the offer process. I was shocked when I heard this because I have never had to take a test to get a job. I have been through several interview rounds and case studies with numerous people but never a test. So, I did a little research and I learned that more companies are starting to utilize pre-employment tests to determine a person’s personality, skills and fit within the culture. “Since 1999, the number of Fortune 500 companies requiring job applicants to take personality assessment tests has jumped to about 40% from 25%”, according to Career-Intelligence. It is believed that these tests will increase the likelihood of hiring top performers and improve retention rates.

According to an article on careeractivist.com, “companies are afraid to make mistakes in the hiring process.” Since when does a test solely determine a person’s personality and skills? The world of recruiting has become quite the challenge these days so maybe just an interview is no longer enough to determine a candidate’s fit. In my opinion, what remains constant is that the best way to gauge a candidate’s personality is to have interaction with them and create opportunities for them to interact with others in the organization. Take them out to lunch with the team, be thorough in your due diligence of their previous work experience and performance, and if that’s not enough give them a case study or a simulation to complete as part of the interview process. My point is that there are other means in which to measure a candidate’s skills, future performance, and compatibility with an organizations culture. Let’s not rely on just the numbers.

Posted in Hodes QTrac, HR Consulting, Human Resources, Recruiting, Recruiting Consulting, Retention, Sourcing