Employee testing should support hiring process

April 03, 2008

Suzanne DeVries (suzanne@diamondstaffing.com) is president and founder of Diamond Staffing Solutions, one of the jewelry industry's leading placement firms. Diamond Staffing Solutions is an official American Gem Society sustaining member.

By Suzanne DeVries

Evaluating potential hires through employee testing, which includes tools such as aptitude tests, personality tests and skill tests, can be an excellent way to help determine whether or not someone is right for the job before you hire them.

Employee testing, however, requires a significant investment of time, resources and even emotions, as candidates who you really like might produce test results that fall short of your expectations.

Remember, employee testing is just one part of the hiring process and should only be used to support other aspects, such as resumé screening and evaluation, thorough interviews, reference and background checks, etc.

If you are committed to using employee testing to better evaluate your candidates, here are some key considerations that will help maximize your testing experience:

Decide what you want to measure. Ask yourself: "What am I hoping to learn about this person that I cannot get from an interview?" This will guide you toward the type of test you should use.

"Test" the test. Take the test yourself and administer it to your staff. This will give you a good idea of its accuracy.

Do your homework on the numerous companies that are certified to conduct employee testing. Research them thoroughly to decide which one is the best option for the needs of your store and your budget.

Weigh the results carefully. Decide prior to engaging an employee-testing service how much credence you are going to give the results, particularly if they come back differently than you expected.

Keep an open mind. What if the testing results suggest it would be a mistake to hire a candidate who you liked and had planned to hire prior to the test?

In this scenario, think long and hard on all aspects of the evaluation process before deciding not to hire someone based solely on the test results. Remember, there is always an element of error in all of these tests.

Only invest in employee tests for candidates you are seriously considering hiring. And don't let testing replace due diligence, such as background and credit checking. In fact, you should invest in background and credit checking regardless of whether or not you invest in employee testing.

Testing isn't foolproof. Even when using testing, hiring mistakes can still happen, which is why it is important not to put undue weight on testing results. Instead, consider testing as just one element of your candidate evaluation process.

Remember, before testing for potential employees was developed, hiring managers relied on their instincts and judged candidates on their experience, skills, accomplishments, knowledge and the value they could potentially bring to the team. In fact, many of us in the jewelry industry were hired and have been successful based on these very principles.

Keeping all of these factors in mind when evaluating a candidate's test results will ensure that employee testing remains a useful, credible tool that strengthens and supports your overall evaluation process without trying to replace it.

Editor's note: This article first appeared in the March 2008 issue of National Jeweler.