Do you ever wonder what the Disney Princesses would be like in real life? As a millennial woman who grew up with every conceivable Disney cartoon on VHS, I certainly do. Some princesses seem to have a real world life cut out for them. Belle would be a great librarian or book publisher, and Mulan could easily become a high-ranking military official. Others don’t have skills or personality traits that are apparent in today’s society, such as Sleeping Beauty (did she actually do any of the cooking and cleaning while she lived with the fairies?). Some people might say that Cinderella, with all of her experience taking care of her family’s manor and lazy step-family, might make a great maid or caretaker, but I envision something a little different for her. I think Cinderella would make a great HR professional.
Don’t quite see it? She is fantastic at conflict resolution – how many arguments does she solve or mitigate between her stepsisters, or between loyal dog Bruno and the mean old cat Lucifer? She recruits a loyal workforce of mice, birds, and other types of adorable-only-in-cartoons animals, and actively engages with them to make sure they are proactive, happy workers (seriously, have you ever met a group of mice that were willing or able to create and tailor a ballgown in a single afternoon?). But perhaps most importantly, whether it comes to glass slippers, princes, or to your next employee, Cinderella understands the importance of finding the perfect fit.
Finding the right individual for a specific job function that will mesh well with the rest of your organization can be a daunting task, but it is a major part of most HCM professionals’ careers. While Cinderella had her animals, fairy godmother, and an Archduke to help her find her perfect fits, recruiters and hiring managers can often feel on their own. However, there is a way to make your own magic: assessment tools.
Using assessments consistently throughout the hiring process allows hiring managers to use objective data to make better informed hiring decisions. Assessments can evaluate a candidate’s proficiency in key skills, job functions, leadership potential, as well as help determine whether the candidate will fit in the organization’s culture and values.
Want to find your organization’s perfect fit? Keep these elements in mind when using assessments:
- Establish a clear competency framework against which to assess candidates:
In order to effectively measure a candidate’s worth, you have to know what you’re looking for. Establish what elements you are looking for in each role, and what the acceptable assessment results are for those elements. - Use assessments consistently throughout the hiring process for every candidate:
The system will only work if it is implemented the same way for every candidate; otherwise, the data you collect will have gaps, and will not be truly objective. The decisions you make based on incomplete data will not be as strong as the decisions you make based upon complete data sets collected correctly. - Provide a variety of assessment types to help you understand multiple aspects of an individual candidate:
Assessments are not a one-size-fits-all process; different types will be needed to measure different elements of a potential employee in order to get a more holistic view. For example, one assessment could measure a candidate’s ability to perform key job functions, while another evaluates the candidate’s business values and compatibility with the organizational culture.
How else are Best-in-Class hiring organizations using assessments to make better hiring decisions? Discover their secrets by reading “Assessments 2013: Finding the Perfect Match,” and make your own hiring magic today! Just try not to shout bippidty-boppidty-boo.