Splitting Assessment into its Stages

Assessments take many shapes and sizes, buy I think the word tends to lead us towards written tests or maybe interviews. If you really think about it, assessment really begins as soon as you have been given the assignment. You generally have an idea of the talent you are looking for, and know you are making decisions based on inputs…that’s assessment 🙂

When companies ask us to look and revamp their recruiting process, we allow assessment to umbrella across the process, not simply as a step.

Here are some general places where you use assessment (and may not even know it) and you have the opportunity to define for your clients which one you used to assess appropriate experience or competence.

Visual Screen – you look at a profile or they answer questions you send/provide

Verbal Screen – you ask high level ?s and listen

Interview – structured probing and deep dive ?s

Back door reference – you ask someone else about the candidate

Public Access – third parties publicly verify what you need (webpage, white papers)

Reference Checks – you ask someone they have you to ask

Tests – measure specific traits or skills

Benchmark – you measure them against competition and compare

There are 8 different types listed here. They all use varying processes, and in some cases you use one more than once, we typically use screen and interviews in varying degrees. But that’s only three types.

Map the experiences you need, the competencies needed in the job, the desired education and skills, and then match them to these 8 types. In some cases you will use two types of assessment to verify one thing, like having two people asking the same question.

Next time you start hunting, think about these assessments. It will change your outcome, reduce the time you spend searching, and get you better quality of hire.