Based on Behavior:
the guide to hiring
the right person
An Exploratory Paper
July 30, 2014
This paper is being submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for election to Fellow
in the American College of Medical Practice Executives.
Introduction
This exploratory paper will describe and detail the integral parts of the hiring
process. It will describe the types of tools and assessments used to predict behavior, what
they provide, and how to properly use them in hiring decisions. It will also include the
data and research behind best practices for using background and drug screens in hiring
decisions.
Hiring Process
The first step in the hiring process is to post a position. There are several avenues
for this but the most popular, cost effective and fruitful are: CareerBuilder, Monster,
LinkedIn, and Indeed. Depending on the level of the position to be filled, a professional
recruiter or headhunting firm are also options. The key to a good job posting is a
thorough and accurate job description. The job description should be thought of as a
“snapshot” of a job. The job description needs to communicate clearly and concisely
what responsibilities and tasks the job entails. It should indicate the key qualifications of
the job, the basic requirements, specific credentials or skills, and the attributes that
underlie superior performance (Eiseman 2012).
Once resumes are reviewed, the interview process can begin. The telephone
interview or candidate phone screen allows the employer to determine if the candidate's
qualifications, experience, workplace preferences and salary needs are congruent with the
position and organization. The telephone interview saves employee time and eliminates
unlikely candidates (Beaver 2010).
In an in person interview, it should follow the 80-20 paradigm. The candidate
should speak for 80 percent of the time and the interviewer 20 percent (Beaver 2010).
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An interviewer should look for an individual’s ability to self-assess and articulate how he
or she could make a positive contribution by virtue of their emotional intelligence. The
interviewer should also be looking for compatible communication and work styles. The
key to a good interview will always lie in the ability to assess potential talent. More new
hires fail due to personality-culture mismatch than technical skills mismatch. This is
where behavioral testing comes in (Eiseman 2012).
Assessments
Many businesses are trying to find ways to increase their chances of hiring or
promoting the right person for the right job at the right time. Consultants and industry
experts are increasingly turning to behavioral assessments. The cost, in expense and
heightened anxiety levels, of hiring or promoting the wrong person is rising relentlessly.
Behavioral assessments look at an individual’s behavior style based on his personality
and the situations in which he may find himself. Assessments provide an objective, nonjudgmental analysis developed through research and repeated validation with the purpose
of helping people understand behavioral styles and personality types (Eiseman 2012). For
a prospective employee, hearing the expression “behavioral assessment” during the hiring
process can be scary. Often, people’s habits and manners are so ingrained, it is nearly
impossible to comprehend what the result would be, which creates a fear of behavioral
assessment.
Types of assessments
Intelligence tests: These will test the cognitive ability of a job applicant and are the best
single predictors of job performance (Warden 2013). However, these should be used
along with other tests.
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Work-related or skills test: These job-specific questions are specific to certain skills
required for the job such as Excel Spreadsheets or PowerPoint presentations and are
likely to predict job success if created and used properly (Warden 2013).
Simulations: These are role-play tests which ask the candidate to play out a situation or a
scenario that relates to the work they will be doing (Warden 2013).
Emotional Intelligence Assessments: These assessments measure the ability of a person to
perceive, control, and evaluate emotions of others as well as their own (Warden 2013).
Personality assessments: These types of tests are useful in certain situations, but they
should not be used to make hiring decisions unless they have been validated specifically
for hiring. They do not predict job performance but research has found them to be useful
in understanding people (Warden 2013).
Most behavioral assessments measure four traits: dominance (how they solve
problems), influence (how they influence others), steadiness (how they pace themselves
in their environment), and compliance (how they comply with rules and regulations set
by others) (Warden 2013). Typical behavioral assessments consist of a series of multiplechoice questions. There are no right or wrong responses in these assessments; just items
that make the subject think about which response reflects him or her most or least
accurately. Studies have shown that behavioral assessments, when properly done, reflect
accurately at least 80 percent of a person’s normal behavior (Eiseman 2012).
The main reason why a behavioral assessment should be used is an important
one— money. The fee for a behavioral assessment of candidates is a fraction of the cost
of employee turnover, which is one of the biggest ''invisible costs” for any company. On
average, it can run anywhere from $40,000 to $50,000 to replace an employee (Jervis
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2007). Thus, through the proper use of behavioral assessments, companies are able to
reduce employee turnover by finding the best talent for the position.
Benefits of Assessments
Behavioral assessment is an excellent tool for skill development. It can identify
employees’ skills and match them with jobs into which they can grow. Assessments
prepare people to assume key positions in the near or distant future. The idea is to assess
personality and talent and then provide the coaching or mentoring to develop it.
61 percent of new employees at companies that use behavioral assessment tools become
top performers within 14 months versus just 7 percent of new hires who were hired by
companies that did not use such tools (Eiseman 2012). According to a recent study in the
Harvard Business Review, when companies used job analysis and behavioral assessment
surveys as part of their hiring practice, employee turnover was reduced by as much as 50
percent (Warden 2013).
There are several additional benefits to utilizing behavioral assessments:
 Match people with jobs where they will be successful
 Improve employee retention and reduce unwanted turnover costs
 Help determine which individuals are the best fit for promotion
and leadership roles
 Coach for improved performance
 Improve morale and communications
 Improve selling skills
 Improve evaluation and coaching effectiveness to identify an
individual’s strengths and weaknesses
 Develop training programs that are customized to an employee’s
needs
Because behavioral assessment software uses benchmark data from across the
industry, it can analyze job candidates to see if they are a good fit for a particular
position. This helps to make sure each candidate is placed in the most appropriate
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environment, resulting in reduced turnover. A behavioral assessment can be an excellent
tool for managing interviews. Just knowing a particular job candidate’s personality and
temperament allows the interviewer to control the discussion in order to bring out the best
of the individual. This makes for a smoother and more productive interview. Third-party
recruiters can improve the service they provide through behavioral assessments by
presenting their best and most specifically selected candidates for open jobs.
One thing noticeably lacking in many healthcare environments is leadership.
Good leaders are hard to find. A behavioral assessment is helpful in this area by
identifying the traits good leaders are known to have. For example, a recruiter or hiring
manager could be looking to fill a staff position only to find one of the candidates would
make an excellent executive.
Another rationale for behavioral assessments is that an increasing number of job
duties today can be classified as intangible, meaning ones that call more for
troubleshooting and project work than what might be referred to as routine daily work
(Eiseman 2012). Such tasks call for a better trained workforce and if the selection method
includes behavioral assessments, it can help in finding someone who is a team player and
focused on the goals of the business (Leonard 2011). It is not surprising to note that
service, manufacturing, and technology businesses are among the heaviest users of
behavioral assessments, particularly among employees paid by the hour, where turnover
can be the highest (Leonard 2011). The presence of these assessments in the healthcare
industry is rapidly growing.
Once a candidate's behavioral assessment is received, results can be evaluated and
compared against those of other employees who have taken the same assessment. The
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differences between the profiles will let the organization know prior to hiring someone
what areas to watch and benchmark as well helping to identify key areas of common
ground.
Behavioral assessments can vary greatly in terms of areas covered, time needed to
take them, and cost. They range from a basic small set of queries to complete online to
intensive assessments that require a phone conversation with the person asking a
multitude of questions. It is up to the employer to determine how much money and effort
he or she wants to expend on a behavioral assessment in order to select the one that best
meets his or her position and needs. The cost to not develop employees, to promote the
wrong individual or hire the wrong person can be up to four times an employee’s annual
salary and benefits (Eiseman 2012). Because these costs are generally hidden, their
impact is often never addressed. They are just accepted as a cost of doing business. 80
percent of turnover could be blamed on mistakes made during the employee selection and
hiring process (Leonard 2011). Every employee a company hires is a considerable
investment.
Most information on employment applications is predictably subjective.
Resumes present only positive information; some of it exaggerated. Stricter EEOC
regulations and the threat of lawsuits for discrimination make it difficult to obtain
complete or balanced information from an applicant’s previous employers. Even former
employers willing to comment on an applicant rarely give the real reasons that person left
the former organization. Experienced interviewers can often obtain additional
information, but many applicants are skilled at being interviewed and can mask their true
personality.
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Without a doubt, poor hiring practices affect profitability. It is imperative to have
people who are competent and have the correct behavioral fit so that production in a
specific area of expertise is seamless and without issue. Behavioral assessment testing is
the most objective, economical way of obtaining necessary information for predicting an
applicant’s probability of success in any position (Warden 2013). Obviously, behavioral
assessments are not to be taken as gospel. A computerized behavioral analysis is not able
to properly deal with subjective information as human beings can (Jervis 2007). One
should use behavioral assessments for what they are worth, but should not base the entire
hiring decision on them.
Drug Testing
Drug testing is the evaluation of a urine, blood or other type of biological sample
to determine if the subject has been using the drug(s) in question (Ainsley 2013). The pre
employment drug screening test has become a requirement for many companies. The
majority of all Fortune 500 companies do employee drug testing (Willis 2013). The US
Department of Labor has estimated that drug use in the workplace costs employers up to
$100 billion dollars annually in lost work time, accidents, health care costs and workers
compensation costs (Willis 2013). Pre employment drug testing helps the employer to
develop a healthier and more productive workforce and improve profits. When former
U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed Executive Order 12564, Drug-free Federal
Workplace, employee drug screening became legal in the workplace (Sanders 2014). This
executive order laid the ground for the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, which required
all employers that received federal contracts or grants to conduct employee drug
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screening (Sanders 2014). The trend then moved into the mainstream corporate culture.
Each state has different regulations regarding the testing.
Types of Drug Tests
The most common form of drug testing is to analyze a sample of urine for
traces of drugs (Ainsley 2013). A positive test result only indicates that a drug was used
sometime in the recent past; it does not tell whether or not the person was under the
influence when giving the sample. Researchers have begun studying the testing of hair
and saliva to detect alcohol and other drug use. Early results suggest that testing saliva
may be a valid testing method. The accuracy, reliability, and interpretation of hair testing
have not yet been determined (Sanders 2014).
A breath test is currently the most common method of testing for alcohol (Willis
2013). The results tell if the individual is under the influence of alcohol at the time the
breath sample is taken. Alcohol stays in the body for a relatively short period of time;
therefore, unless a person is under the influence at the time the specimen is collected, a
breath test for alcohol will not detect abuse off the job (which can affect on-the-job
performance). A urine test for alcohol is accurate but is not used because it correlates
poorly with blood levels when usual collection procedures are used. A blood test
measures the actual amount of alcohol or other drugs in the blood at the time of the test.
Unlike the urine test, the results tell whether or not the person was under the influence at
the time the test was done (Willis 2013).
Employers may use a standard five-panel test of "street drugs" that includes
marijuana (THC), cocaine, PCP, opiates (e.g., heroin, codeine, morphine) and
amphetamines (e.g., methamphetamine). A "Ten-Screen" test can be used which expands
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to include these five prescription drugs that are legal to possess and use- barbituates
(Phenobarbital etc), mathaqualone (Qualuudes), benzodiazepines (tranquilizers such as
Valium, Librium, Xanax) and Methadone (Ainsley 2013).
Protocol for Testing
It is important that the correct procedure for drug testing is followed and that a
candidate's rights are not violated. Employers should have a written drug testing policy
that requires job applicants to be drug-free. Written notice of testing must be given
before the applicant may be tested. Many drug and alcohol testing laws require that job
applicants be notified in advance that they may be tested and under what conditions
(Sanders 2014). This may be done through the employment application form or on a
specific form given out at the first interview. The written notice details the type of drug
testing that will be carried out and lists the over-the-counter medications that may
produce a positive result. In accordance with certain state laws, the applicant may need to
be given a conditional job offer letter that indicates that the offer is conditional upon
completion of a drug test with a negative result. The same testing program should be
implemented for all applicants in a particular job category or there could be implications
of discrimination (Sanders 2014).
It is important to be sure that the drug testing occurs at a reputable and certified
laboratory. Any credible drug screening program will involve a two-step process. Initial
(immunoassay) and confirmatory (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry [GC-MS])
testing are the methods most commonly utilized to test for drugs (Willis 2013). Using a
combination of both tests allows a high level of sensitivity and specificity, meaning there
is an extremely low chance for false positives or false negatives. During the laboratory
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evaluation, strict chain-of-custody practices and standards are followed to prevent
adulteration of the sample. This legal procedure requires documentation of each person
who handles the specimen through the entire phase of testing. Certain laboratory
procedures may require direct visual observation while the specimen is being voided.
The immunoassay is performed first and is often used as a screening method
(Willis 2013). If the immunoassay is negative, no further action is required, and the
results are reported as negative. If the result is positive, the physician will usually contact
the applicant to find out if there is a medical explanation for the result. However the
chances of a false positive are virtually nil. The more specific GC/MS is used as a
confirmatory test on a separate portion of the biological sample to identify individual
drug substances or metabolites and quantify the amount of the substance. Confirmatory
tests, such as GC-MS, should always be utilized prior to reporting positive drug test
results (Sanders 2014). Most drug testing programs use an independent physician to
review all test results. If the positive test is confirmed the candidate should have the right
to pay for re-testing of their sample by another laboratory of their choice and samples of
all positive tests are kept for that reason. If an applicant tests positive, she or he is usually
denied employment. Some employers will allow the applicant to reapply after a period of
time (e.g., 3 months). There can also be a test result that is "negative" but shows an
abnormal result that indicates an attempt by the candidate to alter the results such as
drinking excessive water to dilute the sample. These results are examined further and
another sample may be required.
Test results are usually available within 24 to 48 hours. Some employers use
instant test kits similar to a home pregnancy test. These tests are considered accurate for
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immediate screening but are not effective in the event of a positive result because that
requires laboratory confirmation and keeping of the sample for retesting.
Normally, employers pay for drug tests. Sometimes employers require the
employee to pay for the test, and if the results are negative, the employer reimburses the
employee. If employees are expected to pay, this should be stated in the written policy.
The cost of a drug test at a certified laboratory will vary depending on the services
provided and the geographic location (Willis 2013). While the cost may be slightly higher
than with a noncertified laboratory, the added security and accuracy will protect the
employer in a court of law should a test result be challenged.
Background checks
Employers, prompted by the widespread availability of information on the
Internet as well as security issues highlighted by the September 11th attacks, are intent on
scrutinizing potential employees to avoid potential risks. The days when employers just
verified resumes and education history are long gone. Credit history, driving records,
medical records, military records and court records are an open book. Some potential
employers may even interview an applicant’s neighbors and former co-workers in the
course of a background check (Grabbe 2014). Background checks are administered by a
government agencies or private companies and can be expensive depending on the
information requested.
Background checks are usually requested by employers on job candidates for
preemployment screening, especially on candidates seeking a position that requires high
security or a position of trust, such as in a school, hospital, financial institution, airport,
and government (Komando 2013). They may also be conducted as a way to further
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differentiate potential employees and pick the one the employer feels is best suited for the
position. Employers have an obligation to make sure their work environment is safe for
all employees.
An employer must ask an applicant’s permission to conduct a background check
on a form separate from an application or other paperwork. If a potential employer wants
to talk to friends, associates or neighbors, they must get a separate consent for what is
known as an investigative consumer report. In addition, if an employer wants to see
medical records, an applicant must give specific consent (Komando 2013).
Once consent is given, employers have broad latitude to inquire into the
applicant’s background. According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer
rights organization, areas of inquiry can include:
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Driving records
Vehicle registration
Credit records
Criminal records
Social Security Number
Education records
Court records
Workers' compensation
Bankruptcy
Character references
Neighbor interviews
Medical records
Property ownership
Military records
State licensing records
Drug test records
Past employers
Personal references
Incarceration records
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Most employer background checks focus on employment history, educational
background, credit history, motor vehicle history and criminal background (Ward 2013).
Online sites advertise nationwide criminal records checks, but the truth is there is no
central, national repository of criminal records. Over 10,000 state and federal courthouses
exist in the United States, located throughout approximately 3,000 jurisdictions, each
with its own records file. The most relevant, up-to-date resources for criminal records are
the county courthouses (Hillenbrand 2014). Therefore, most employers check records in
the county, or counties, where an applicant lived, worked or attended school.
Criminal Background Checks
National Crime Information Center
The FBI and state law enforcement agencies have access to an FBI-maintained
national computer database called the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), a
computerized index of criminal justice data that includes criminal record histories,
fugitives, missing persons and arrests. It is a misconception that a background check uses
information from the NCIC --- in fact, it is illegal for private investigators, private
employers and background check companies to access the NCIC database without legal
authorization (Hillenbrand 2014).
County Courts
An employer or third-party background screener will physically visit each
relevant county courthouse for a job applicant --- these relevant counties are the ones in
which a person lived, worked or attended school. At a minimum, an employer typically
searches the current county of residence or the last county where the applicant spent a
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significant amount of time (Anderson 2013). Some company policies require a criminal
records search for the last three counties where applicants resided.
Types of Criminal Records
States have varying restrictions on the type of criminal records that can be
included in an employment background report, as well as how far back an employer can
research such records (Anderson 2013). For example, some states limit the reporting of a
conviction to seven years from the date of conviction, end of parole or release from
prison. Additionally, some states only allow inquiries about felonies. Others prohibit
arrest-only records and some limit the use of sealed records. In the case of an arrest that
did not lead to a conviction, employment checks can continue including the arrest record
for up to seven years, per § 605 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act:
Except as authorized under subsection (b) of this section, no consumer reporting
agency may make any consumer report containing . . . Civil suits, civil judgments,
and records of arrest that from date of entry, antedate the report by more than
seven years or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever is
the longer period.
Subsection (b) provides for an exception if the report is in connection with "the
employment of any individual at an annual salary which equals, or which may
reasonably be expected to equal $75,000, or more".
Some proposals for decreasing potential harm to innocent applicants include:
Federal Courts
Federal courts are separate from state or county courts. They operate under their
own sets of regulations and have their own courthouses, clerks and judges. An employer
or background screener typically checks the Public Access to Court Electronic Records
(PACER) database by name for federal criminal records (Komando 2013). Unfortunately,
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not every federal district court is online with PACER, which means there cannot be a true
nationwide federal records search using this system.
Sex Offender Registries
Employers and background screeners will also research applicants' names in state
sexual offender registries. A more comprehensive, nationwide sex offender search is
through the United States Department of Justice's Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender
Public Website, which contains sex offender registries for states, U.S. territories, the
District of Columbia and participating tribes. Because this is a cooperative and not
required effort, a search does not include every state or district sex offender registry
(Larson 2013).
Legality of Criminal Background Checks
Many employers understandably want to perform a criminal background check on
potential employees. It is possible for employers to lawfully ask about criminal
convictions on applications or to administer a criminal background check. However, it is
not “open season” on criminal background checks, and one should be careful when
conducting this kind of inquiry.
As to federal law, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has
provided guidance for employers’ use of criminal background checks. The purpose of
this guidance is to ensure that the use of criminal background checks does not result in
discrimination. That is, the use of criminal background checks (1) must not result in
disproportionately excluding people of a particular race, national origin, color, religion,
or sex; and (2) must be “job related for the positions(s) in question and consistent with
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business necessity” within the meaning of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
(Larson 2013).
The EEOC recommends a two-step process. First, the EEOC recommends using a
“‘targeted’ screen of criminal records” that considers three factors: the nature of the
crime, the time elapsed, and the nature of the job. Second, the EEOC recommends using
individualized assessment for the people who are screened out to ensure that qualified
applicants were not mistakenly screened out “based on incorrect, incomplete, or
irrelevant information.” This second step also allows individuals to correct any errors that
exist in their records (Larson 2013). The EEOC has also stated, however, that an
individualized assessment may not be necessary as long as the employer “can
demonstrate that its targeted screen is always job related and consistent with business
necessity.” That is, the screen must be very closely related (have “a demonstrably tight
nexus”) to the job. Nevertheless, the EEOC has also stated that individualized assessment
can help an employer avoid liability in case the employer is unable to demonstrate that its
screen is always job related and in line with business necessity. Therefore, conducting an
individualized assessment is wise (Larson 2013).
When reviewing the results of a criminal background check to make a hiring
decision, one should consider the amount of time that has elapsed since any conviction,
whether the applicant has been in some way rehabilitated, and whether the particular job
for which the applicant has applied has a tight nexus to the type of conviction(s) for
which are being screened. It is also a good idea to have written job descriptions that detail
each position’s essential requirements in order to help determine whether such a nexus
exists.
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Other Types of Background Screenings
Credit Reports
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), businesses must obtain an
employee's written consent before seeking an employee's credit report (Ward 2013). If
the applicant is not hired based on information in the credit report, the applicant must be
provided a copy of the report and advised of his or her right to challenge the report under
the FCRA. Pre-employment credit reports do not include a credit score. The inquiry will
show up on an individual’s credit report as a "soft inquiry" and does not affect the
individual's credit score (Grabbe 2014).
Lie Detector Tests
The Employee Polygraph Protection Act prohibits most private employers from
using lie detector tests, either for pre-employment screening or during the course of
employment (Ward 2013). The law includes a list of exceptions that apply to businesses
that provide armored car services, alarm or guard services, or those that manufacture,
distribute, or dispense pharmaceuticals. Even though there is no federal law specifically
prohibiting an employer from using a written honesty test on job applicants, these tests
frequently violate federal and state laws that protect against discrimination and violations
of privacy (Anderson 2013).
Medical Records
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers cannot discriminate based
on a physical or mental impairment or request an employee's medical records. Businesses
can, however, inquire about an applicant's ability to perform specific job duties
(Anderson 2013).
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Bankruptcies
Bankruptcies are a matter of public record and may appear on an individual's
credit report. The Federal Bankruptcy Act prohibits employers from discriminating
against applicants because they have filed for bankruptcy (Anderson 2013).
Military Service
Military service records may be released only under limited circumstances and
consent is generally required. The military may, however, disclose name, rank, salary,
duty assignments, awards and duty status without the service member's consent (Larson
2013).
School Records
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and similar state laws,
educational records such as transcripts, recommendations and financial information are
confidential and will not be released by the school without a student's consent (Anderson
2013).
Workers' Compensation Records
Workers' compensation appeals are a matter of public record. Information from a
workers' compensation appeal may be used in a hiring decision if the employer can show
the applicant's injury might interfere with his ability to perform required duties (Larson
2013).
Employers can either find out all of this information out on their own or hire a
third party to gather the data and provide a report to them. Such third parties are
companies known as consumer reporting agencies. Many have been established for a
number of years, while others have sprung up as more information has become available
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on the Internet.
An employer's need to know about potential employees is driven by a number of
factors, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. It is estimated that 30 to 40
percent of all information given on resumes and job applications is false or misleading
(Ward 2013). One study showed that half of all reference checks done on prospective
employees differed between what the job applicant provided and what the source reported
(Ward 2013).
"The goal of a company is to find out as much as they can about the skills and
behaviors an applicant will bring to an organization," says Mary Massad, vice president
of human resource development for Administaff, a personnel management company. "An
employer is basically trying to establish whether you will be a good fit for the
organization and what type of risk you might pose to that organization." These checks
are often used by employers as a means of judging a job candidate's past mistakes,
character, fitness, and to identify potential hiring risks for safety and security reasons.
However, these checks may sometimes be used for illegal purposes, such as employment
discrimination, identity theft, and violation of privacy.
Due to the sensitivity of the information contained in consumer reports and
certain records, there are a variety of important laws regulating the dissemination and
legal use of this information. Most notably, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
regulates the use of information collected and reported by third party agencies as it
pertains to adverse decisions, notification to the applicant, and destruction and
safekeeping of records. The Fair Credit Reporting Act put national standards in place for
background checks (Ward 2013). However, these standards only apply to companies that
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hire a consumer-reporting agency to do the background check. If a company does the
background check in house, it is exempt from the provisions of this act (Anderson 2013).
If a consumer report is used as a factor in an adverse hiring decision, the applicant must
be presented with a "pre-adverse action disclosure," a copy of the FCRA summary of
rights, and a "notification of adverse action letter” (Ward 2013). Individuals are entitled
to know the source of any information used against them including a credit reporting
company. Background screeners should furnish the applicant with a copy of the report
before it is given to the employer so that any inaccuracies can be addressed.
Conclusion
Most organizations have set standards, policies, and procedures to optimize the
work environment, but when it comes to the evaluation, development and selection
process, it is often a rushed process. Some look just to get a warm body in and hope it
works out. If these same standards, or lack thereof, were applied throughout an
organization, it would spell immediate disaster. The most critical pieces of the puzzle
include the people who keep it all together and their ability to add success or failure to an
organization’s productivity. This means managers face more challenging responsibilities
directly related to poor hiring practices and not identifying people who will be successful
in the position being filled.
In challenging economic times, businesses must look for every advantage to
become and stay profitable. Regardless of the economy, there is always a need to get
employees to perform more effectively, promote from within and fill vacancies. During
difficult times, the number of applicants can be tremendous. Utilizing assessments is even
more critical at these times because of the tighter economic environment. There are fewer
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dollars to be allocated and the evaluation, promotion and hiring cycle is a costly process.
Implementing employee development and selection using behavioral assessments can
help management identify an ideal candidate. The amount of time, energy and resources
allocated to employee development shows, without a doubt, that this is an area where
effectiveness needs to be maximized. In the employee development and selection
process, it is money well spent to utilize behavioral assessment. The best way to hire
good employees or promote them into positions of competence is by using a systematic
process, including job analysis and behavioral assessment surveys, background screens
and drug testing. This will ensure that prospects and employees are matched to the job at
three levels: appearance/presence, skills/experience, and attitudes/beliefs.
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References
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Anderson, J. (2013). Should You Background Screen an Employee?
http://businessknowledgesource.com/blogs/legal_issue_in_checking_the_background_of
_employees_021265.html
Beaver, A. (2010). Crucial Tips for a Successful Interview.
http://www.timesjobs.com/candidate/careerresources/htmls/interviews
Eiseman, M. (2012). Using Behavioral Assessments in Hiring, Promotions.
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