The Importance of Utilizing Assessments in the Hiring Process

We all have felt the struggle of finding, hiring, and retaining top talent. Meeting these talent goals has become a hot topic in the employment market recently, with the pool of qualified candidates becoming harder and harder to maintain. How can we as employers ensure we are making the best possible hire for our Company? While there certainly is no magic formula or guarantee for a perfect hire every time, EctoHR, Inc. focuses on utilizing proven testing methods to improve its success rate.

Two of the main assessments we use, HireSelect and Everything DiSC, offer a chance to dive deeper with candidates. These tools have proven to save both time and money, as they offer a way to efficiently and quickly assess a candidate’s skills and abilities early on in the recruitment process. The results of these assessments also allow us to have various data points to support the choice to move forward with a candidate, and ultimately whether or not to extend an offer. Sometimes taking a candidate’s word for it regarding his or her preferences, tendencies, skills, and abilities will simply not cut it, and many hiring managers have learned this the hard way!

Below is some specific information on each of the assessments we utilize and why each is so valuable:

• HireSelect – This is a system EctoHR has adopted in the past year and currently utilizes with every single position we attempt to fill – regardless of professional level. It provides a battery of short assessments to test anything from cognitive ability and aptitude, to computer skills and typing, to personality and job match. It allows us the chance to contact and consider a large number of potentially qualified candidates in a short amount of time, and also to confirm the skills and abilities we discuss throughout the interviewing process.
• Everything DiSC – This is a personality profile that is commonly used across all industries and positions. It dives deeper into a candidate’s preferences and tendencies versus skills and abilities, and in its simplest form, will show us whether someone tends to be “questioning and skeptical,” “warm and accepting,” “fast paced and outspoken,” and/or “cautious and reflective.” Based on their answers, candidates are placed into one of four main categories and eight sub categories with regard to their personality. While there is no “perfect profile” and every Company needs employees from all categories to make up a well-rounded team, the results of these assessments can help facilitate discussions about a candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential challenges for specific roles and responsibilities, particularly in relation to current, successful employees.

While there are numerous strategies and tools used during the hiring process, EctoHR has found incredible success in utilizing these assessments, among other tools, to determine the best fit for our clients. Although time is always of the essence in filling a company’s void, making quality hiring decisions to fit both the required experience and the Company’s culture is essential.

If you are in need of some assistance in finding your next hire, or if you are simply interested in hearing more about EctoHR’s assessments, please contact a member of our team at hr@ectohr.com or 810.534.0170 today!