Leanne King
Business Crusader by day, gardener and general crafty person by night - committed to writing something. Proud U.S.A.F. Veteran.

You may have heard that interviewing is a two-way street, at least that’s a phrase that is commonly shared between interviewers and interviewees. Each side is integral to the success of the process and each has some level of control over the results. But… What if interviewing was a three-way street in that a third party provided additional constructive and valid results to provide clarity to both the employer and the potential employee?

Enter, the assessment.

Assessments come in all shapes and sizes and can be tailored to a specific organization and/or benchmarked to a specific industry. Imagine interviewing a candidate that you think is a perfect fit and low and behold about 35 days in you’re wondering what you saw in this person. (Been there, done that.)

Go ahead raise your hand, you know you’ve been there - we all have.

A well designed and relevant pre-hire assessment can measure fit for the position based on internal and external benchmarks. These same assessments can offer insight on future capacity and ensure that personal interests align with changing job requirements.

Assessments aren’t just for employers, you know. Candidates should be equally interested in the results because they could be thinking they want a job in healthcare and realize they are short on compassion and don’t really enjoy meeting new people.

Just because someone wants to be in certain job, doesn’t necessarily make it the right job for them. Assessments can offer reflective counsel and heighten self-awareness. Assessments are wonderful opportunities to exchange in confident (and neutral) dialog for the sake of improving communication, building a high-performing team and creating a lasting succession plan for leadership.

Many moons ago, after completing 10 years on active duty, I took all sorts of personality tests. Measuring my likes and dislikes, tendencies to be creative, drive to socialize, propensity to lead – what I remember most is that I am a “finisher.” I like to get things done! If you’re a fan of Strengths Finders – this translates to Achiever. The Achiever theme “works hard and possess a great deal of stamina.” If you have a position that requires things to get done – you are looking for an Achiever. This is but one example, of one data point, of one assessment.

If you’re concerned about cost – complete a needs assessment first. Ask yourself (and your team) what are we trying to build, what are the characteristics we value, what traits do we need to create success? The needs of the organization will help drive you towards the right assessment tool. Remember there is no one-size fits all assessment – explore your options and select the tool(s) that will drive your business.

Interested in learning more about the various assessments that SeeKing HR is an authorized facilitator for and what we can offer? Contact us, we’d love to chat! #YourMove