There are over 1000 active pre-employment assessments in the selection market today, many of them the same tool branded differently. The key to your success with assessments is Choosing the Right Assessment Wisely.

Some pre-employment assessments are a good ‘preview’ into a candidate. They work well for sorting through massive amounts of applicants and narrowing the pool of potential interviewees down, yet these assessments are clearly not positioned to function as effective hiring and selection tools.

Other pre-employment assessments help you see into a person`s work style and fundamental workplace preferences, and these serve a large purpose in matching, in coaching, and in assigning new tasks. However, these assessments clearly state they are not to be used as OFCCP-compliant hiring tools.

A good pre-employment assessment serves its purpose. It supports a behavioral interviewing process to uncover a candidate’s values, motivations, habits, work styles, behaviors, and likely future performance in a role that’s been well defined. First make sure you and the client understand why a pre-employment assessment is needed.

• Has the client benchmarked the role with nine or more top performers and are they creating a top grading program to attract and hire more top performers?
• Does the client experience higher than expected turnover and are hiring costs negatively impacting profitability?
• Is the role difficult to fill, where only a certain type of person with specific traits can succeed?

Next, find out what is most important to the client in a pre-employment assessment. Is validation, distortion or the 4/5ths rule important or is it cost, speed and accessibility? Does the client need an assessment to tell them pass or fail or are they looking for an assessment that lets them see into the potential employee, and how they can develop to the next level?

KeenHire founder Margaret Graziano and her team have spent over five years analyzing over 100 top pre-employment assessment products in the marketplace and have chosen a group of assessments we are proud to recommend and endorse. Each quarter we review a new set of products and consider adding those that fit our standards into our service offerings.

As a recruiter committed to building your clients’ organizations with difference makers, you may choose to administer assessments yourself or alternatively, you may choose to outsource that part of the hiring process to a Keen Consultant.

We train KeenCertified Selection Consultants and Recruiters to understand the theory behind pre-employment testing and assessments. Our training digs deep into the psychometrics and brain activities that impact performance. If you choose to become a certified assessment provider, you will learn the fundamentals needed to select the right pre-employment assessment for your client. Additionally, you will become masterful in interpreting assessment results and making solid hiring recommendations.

In most cases, there is a particular set of pre-employment assessments that fits your client most appropriately. You’ll learn to work to understand your client, their corporate goals and hiring objectives, their hiring process and the role itself before recommending an assessment.

As a KeenCertified Selection Consultant, you’ll then work side by side with your client to train them on implementing these assessments into their hiring, selection, on-boarding, employee engagement, and employee development processes.

Just as skill testing and background checks have become commonplace, assessments will soon be the norm. Contact KeenHire to find out more about becoming KeenCertified or to discuss how KeenHire can deliver assessment solutions that increase your placements and long-term client success.

What They`re Saying
Margaret Graziano has proven to be one of the torchbearers of progressive Human Resource/Human Capital initiatives. Her insight to what Corporate America wants and needs in order to help their company grow and prosper is truly leading edge and spot on. She has wowed her contemporaries with her "Keen" insight to the marketplace and has produced products and services which will revolutionize our industry. If anyone has any questions about Margaret`s ability, just let me know. There is no one better equipped to assist you with Talent Acquisition and Talent Management issues for your firm. Do yourself a favor and get her involved with identifying and helping you solve these HR issues.

Jeff Wilson, CERS, CPC , Managing Partner/Owner , Key Corporate Services, LLC