We often hear terms such as assessment before hiring, skill testing and even interview with used ones about each other. While they may have similar high -level goals, such as identifying an appropriate candidate, they are basically different methods of achieving these goals. It is important to know the difference because each evaluation method will produce completely different output. Furthermore, in some cases it may make sense to combine one or more of these methods.
One of the best discussions I’ve heard of this topic was on a podcast called Hire up Hosted of John P. Beck, Jr. The episode got the title Assessments became simple, human, smart and highlighted Dr. Scott HamiltonManaging Director of Hamilton & Associates Consulting.
Dr. Hamilton differs between each candidate evaluation method with ease and clarity. It is worth listening to the whole episode, but otherwise I have summarized some of the main points of this article and also added my own thoughts.
Skill test
Skill testing is about understanding whether someone can do something or know something. It can be a simple task, a number of complex tasks or detectable knowledge. It is possible to test for almost any skill because you can simply see people performing tasks.
Dr. Hamilton gives the simplest examples: “If anyone will have to weld metal, you will see them welding metal”.
This is why resume and interviews themselves are bad methods of validation of skills. They are focused on what candidates Assertion They can do, not what they can actually Do. Instead it is Far more convincing To see how people are doing. Literally. In addition, it is far simpler.
Skill testing is context -dependent and therefore subjective character. But it is also capable of being objectively assessed, which means it can be looked after/fail. Confusing, right?
Let’s take a writing test as an example. The writing style you test depends entirely on the job. It can be anything from creative writing to technical writing. So the test is tailored. At the same time, it is usually objective to determine if a candidate worked well. To use Dr. Hamilton’s welding example either knows how to weld metal or they don’t.
The opposite usually applies to the assessment of prior employment.
Assessment before hiring: What is it?
Assessment of pre-employment is focused on predicting how people will behave In certain scenarios, not what they can do. They explore key personality traits based on an understanding of that Someone’s personality can predict their behavior. Most personality assessments are based on Five-factor modelwho claims there are five personality superiors:
- Openness for experience
- Conscientiousness
- Extra version
- Pleasures
- Neurotism
Therefore, if we get an understanding of someone’s personality, and especially these five supertraits, we will have a good chance to know how they will respond in different situations. Unlike skill testing, that doesn’t mean anyone can do the job. But it can shed light over how They will do the job.
Assessment before hiring: Does personality change?
Now here is the difficult part. While taught skills, many people believe that personality is directed. However, that is not entirely true. Surveys have shown that Personality can and do, change Over time. While most not change in a basic way, It is possible to change behavior and habitsAccording to Carol Dweck. And it is precisely these behaviors that are relevant to how someone will do in a job, not their personality in themselves. Therefore, two people with different personalities can work well in the same role.
Whether we believe that personality is fixed or not, It’s not something that can be measured in binary terms such as pass/failureAs an Excel test. That’s who we are and if we subscribe to the theory that personality changes over time is who is who is At the time of assessment. This means that the result of a personality assessment cannot be seen as “good” or “bad” isolated, it can only indicate potential fitness of a specific job. Conversely, someone can be good at excel.
In addition, if used incorrectly, Personality assessments can be harmful to the hiring process. Therefore, have assessments before hiring that test personality needs must be validated. On the other hand, skill testing is by nature tailor -made.
What does all this mean?
This is where it will be interesting. Let’s start with the dictionary:
- ONE sample means “a procedure intended to establish quality, performance or reliability of something, especially before it is taken into widespread use”.
- To assess means to “evaluate or estimate the nature, ability or quality of”.
- One interview means “a meeting with people face to face, especially for consultation”.
Interview
Tests and assessments sound pretty similar. They are ways to measure ability or quality. On the other hand, an interview is a discussion. Technology also makes it possible to perform One -way interviews using videowhich essentially discussions without interaction in real time. And yet, the most commonly used method of taking employment decisions is interview. For some reason the notion that skills and behavior can be evaluated Without Skill test or assessments – but through a discussion – have become the norm.
Maybe it’s because of a lack of resources. Maybe we trust our intuition more than third -party methods. Or maybe it’s a lack of attention. But it doesn’t make much sense because Interviews do not predict performance. They typically focus on understanding what someone was doing in the past or discussing what they claim to be able to do without proof.
Can interviews nevertheless play a valuable role in the hiring process? Interviews should be used to get to know a preferred candidate after Their skills and behaviors are validated. Only candidates who have already demonstrated that they can do they have to be interviewed. It would allow for a much more valuable interview experience and a much better use of everyone’s time. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case.
Can we combine skill testing, assessment and interview with prior employment?
A strong hiring process will combine reliable insight into a candidate’s ability to do the job and Their expected behavior with human interaction of high quality. In theory, this can involve a skill test, a form of assessment before hiring and an interview. It depends a lot on the type of role and the candidate experiences that the company wants to deliver.
Hiring is not a “one size fits all” efforts. Each situation is different. But understanding what each evaluation method can achieve, and more importantly, what it will not achieve will go to great lengths to help companies build employment processes.
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