Testing can be important part of the hiring process, but it's not the only part

By Amanda Kramer

A: While there's no reason to completely ignore gut feelings during the hiring process, experts say assessments and testing might help employers choose more compatible employees.

"I just think most people, when they're looking for a job, are going to tell you what you want to hear," said Hilda Camargo, vice president of sales for Profiles International Inc., an assessment company based in Texas. The firm works with nearly 35,000 business, industry and government workplaces across the nation, including sites in Wisconsin.

Camargo recommended that managers use assessments to screen candidates for a position or promotion as one-third of the hiring process. She said the test should be specific to what employers are looking for in an employee. The other two- thirds of the process, she said, should be a thorough look at the candidate's resum and a good face-to-face interview.

Profiles International offers employers a variety of online or paper-and-pen testing tools. Their exams measure everything from thinking style and behavioral traits to occupational interests.

Some of the assessments are even specific to different careers. One is a test specially designed for people interviewing for jobs where there's a fraud or theft risk; another helps employers identify job candidates who would be successful in sales positions.

"If you screen them, then you'll really get to know how they'll perform in the position," Camargo said. She's hearing from many of her clients that testing employees before hiring them, or even before promoting someone into a leadership role, helps reduce turnover costs.

If employers are going to use assessments in the workplace, it's important they meet U.S. Department of Labor criteria, which means the tests must be directly related to the job.

Although there's not a lot of litigation in this area, employment and labor attorney Linda Harfst with Cullen, Weston, Pines & Bach in Madison, said managers need to know what not to ask prospective employees.

"When you're doing hiring at any level, you have to be careful when asking questions that may lead to a disclosure of medical information," Harfst said.

Employers cannot use tests that would assess a person's mental health. In addition, tests should be avoided that might discriminate based on criteria such as gender, national origin or whether a person is disabled.

In addition to companies that sell and administer job testing, the state Department of Workforce Development also can help employers.

Rose Lynch, DWD communications director, said businesses can request a copy of "Employer's Guide to Best Practices of Testing and Assessments." This booklet is designed to help managers and human resource professionals understand valid test procedures, scoring and interpretation of assessments.

Lynch said the department regularly responds to requests from employers about job testing and helps direct them to assessments that can measure characteristics such as skill level, work values, vocational interest, performance, managerial potential and even career success.

If an employer is seeking a specific type of assessment, the DWD can also research the availability of the exam.

Dan Schroeder, coordinator of the Industrial/ Organizational Psychology program at Edgewood College, also works with clients at Edgewood's Corporate Learning Center. He said the value of assessments can be significant, but they are often only as good as the person who is trained to offer the test.

Schroeder said companies can give some tests on their own, but others should be administered by professionals who understand the exam and are able to clearly interpret its results.

"On more complex assignments and more complex testing, a more sophisticated user has to be involved," Schroeder said.

He said he regularly advises employers who are interested in using assessments. He can help build a test specific to a company, its culture and the job vacancy. For instance, Schroeder said if a company is hiring an office administrator, it would be critical to give a typing test, but a personality assessment to look at how well the individual works as an office collaborator also could be important.

While assessments are popular and becoming more formalized, it's important to remember that an interview with a job candidate - and a completed job application or work sample - are still forms of testing that are critical in the hiring process.

"Testing has gone on as long as employment decisions have been made, whether we want to score it or not," Schroeder said.

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