5 Job Assessment Practices You Should Follow This Year

The most important asset of your business is your people—from the person who answers the phone to the one who closes the big deals. So, it makes sense to believe that people will make or break a business—right? And if this is the case, it's critical to hire the best people for the right roles within your organization.

But, how can you be sure this happens consistently? Two words; Job Assessment.

While nothing is foolproof with hiring assessments, you can certainly increase your odds for success by using a hiring assessment in your interview process. Mike Poskey, psychometric testing industry veteran, explains the concept and reveals the benefits of using pre-employment assessment tools. He gives best​-practice tips on hiring assessments about how to objectively determine if a candidate will be a good fit for a certain job, management style, and company culture.

Q: What is a job assessment?

A: A job assessment is a brief evaluation that an employer administers to candidates early in the interview process. The purpose of using a hiring assessment is to uncover motivations, personality, decision-making process, and blind spots. These "soft skill" competencies are key indicators of the ability to execute job duties and be successful at a certain job.

Q: Why are job assessments important?

A: Job assessments are vital as they are an objective evaluation of the candidate and they creates a level playing field for all candidates. The results of an objective job assessment will allow the interviewer to answer these questions:

1. Can they do the job?

2. Will they do the job?

3. Are they a good fit for our culture?

Q: Why should job assessments be part of the selection process for every business?

A: Implementing a job assessment not only helps determine job fit but is also instrumental in building teams. Utilizing job assessments will help increase sales and customer satisfaction, and reduce risky behavior such as theft and on-the-job accidents—which may lead to work​ers compensation claims. Of course, all of these factors combined will have a positive effect on your bottom line.

Q: What are the top 5 job assessment best practices?

1. Validate or establish success norms: Identify top, average, and weak performers based on predetermined employment criteria. This will establish a benchmark to compare all candidates against.

2. Be consistent ​in the point at which you administer the assessment in the process: The EOC requires pre-employment assessments to be administered early in the interview process. We recommend after the initial screening and before the first face-to-face meeting.

3. Train all users involved in the hiring process: It's important to ensure everyone is on the same page and adheres to the timing, as well as know​s what to say, what not to say, and how to interpret the results.

4. Pair assessment with behavioral interview questions: This allows you to understand how the behaviors, identified in the pre-employment assessment, are manifested in on the job situations.

5. Pair assessment with candidate evaluation form: Everyone involved in the hiring process should use the same evaluation form to measure core competencies needed for a job title. This is the best way to objectively identify the top candidate. You can download a free template here.

ZERORISK HR is a leader in hiring assessments and uses emotional intelligence tools to help companies around the world hire, develop, and retain top talent. Try the ZERORISK Assessment for free to see for yourself.

Additional Reading

• ZERORISK Hiring System

• Best Practices in Hiring

• Popular Tests for Pre-Employment