How Employee Assessment Tools Can Save You From Bad Hiring Decisions

by | Nov 15, 2016

exec_coach_blog_oct_14Using Personality Assessments

The right employees will help drive your business forward. Hiring is one of the most critical activities in which business owners engage and one of the most feared, and personality assessments can be an appropriate tool. New employees cost money; it takes time and resources to recruit, interview, and train new employees. Applying a personality assessment can help you hit the ball out of the park on the first pitch and not lose out on that investment; conversely, making a wrong choice is disruptive and far more costly than any employee assessment tools.

Depending on the applicant’s cooperation, an assessment adds a couple of days to the hiring process. A DiSC assessment (e.g., dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness) will identify predictable personality styles in individuals, which we all have to varying degrees. The reports provide invaluable insight into probable work performance, communication styles, and how this person might respond to stressful situations and pressure as well as the most effective ways to communicate with this individual for maximum performance.

Looking at the results, ask yourself these questions:

  • How does this person fit with our current staff?
  • What might I need to do in order to help this person integrate into the organization?
  • How can I help others include this individual in their work flow?
  • What adjustments are required by my current team for this person to be a good fit?
  • How to Handle Skeptical Applicants

Potential applicants might express apprehension at the idea of a personality assessment. They may ask themselves, “What will this survey reveal about me? Will it expose my weaknesses? Will I lose the job if I perform poorly? Will I lose the opportunity if I refuse?”

To alleviate their anxiety about DiSC, you can explain that this is just one of a number of employee assessment tools that you use to improve team dynamics and performance and that there are no right or wrong answers. DiSC is simply a word survey that predicts with high accuracy how a person might react to differing situations and circumstances, and that you have found it advantageous to establishing good teamwork.

Understanding the Results

It takes discipline to ensure that, as a leader, you avoid bias. Apply the results and focus on understanding rather than judging or measuring. The objective of DiSC reports is to facilitate communication, and ensure that the person you hire becomes a contributing member of your team. A certified DiSC administrator should be consulted to help you interpret and apply the results of a profile.

If a candidate refuses to take an assessment, I wouldn’t necessarily turn them away; however, it would make me wonder about their potential for future cooperation.

Consult Your Current Team

I’ve found it helpful to anonymously share profiles with whom the potential new hire would be working, and say, “Here are some profiles of the folks you’ll be working with. Knowing this, how do you approach problem solving and planning? How would your outlook for your job be affected?” We then discuss what the results mean and how they can best work with their teammates, which also presents an excellent opportunity for coaching your team.

DiSC allows individuals to discover more about their communication styles and strengths. The same is true for employers. When using employee assessment tools such as DiSC to understand potential hires, you can find the right fit for your organization and the right people to help move your vision forward.

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