“Formal and Informal Testing:

There are many vendors that offer formal testing in the areas of:

-          Aptitude: measures an individual’s aptitude or ability to solve problems, digest and apply information, learn new skills, think critically, or apply mechanical skills.

-          Personality: Designed to identify behavioral patterns.

-          Skills: Such as math, verbal, data entry, typing.

-          Psychological: Some firms conduct a full battery of psychological tests on candidates.

If you decide to purchase any formal tests that you are specifically going to use to screen-out candidates, be sure that you receive in writing from the vendor selling the test that the test is validated for the specific purpose for which you want to use it.  Also, identify what support the test vendor will provide to you for you to legally defend a test if it is challenged.  As an example, if you are going to use a specific test to screen-out candidates for a Payroll Clerk position, be sure that you receive in writing from the vendor that the test is validated for that specific position.  Otherwise, the test may have an adverse impact on a particular protected class such as minorities, people over age 40, etc.  Preferably if you use any formal testing with candidates, the tests will simply be one of many tools that you will be using to assess the acceptability of a candidate.

In truth, any informal tool (e.g., a question, a ranking, etc.) that you use to screen-out a candidate becomes a test through which you run the risk of violating EEO laws that are designed to prevent an adverse impact (discriminatory impact) on a protected class.“

Using these tests will allow for the best results to come out of the interviews.  Without properly assessing candidates, it is far more likely that the best candidates will not be hired.   

Many interviewers have a few favorite questions and unofficial tests that they believe are keys to vetting a candidate. (e.g., a Question = “What would you write on your epitaph?” Tests: a firm handshake; or a manager who walked candidates to their cars and made a decision about the candidates based on the cleanliness of the inside of their vehicles.)  Unfortunately, these clever questions and tests are not supported by statistical evidence that proves the conclusions that the manager believes they prove.  There is no empirical evidence that concludes with any degree of certainty that the cleanliness of an applicant’s car is directly related to the quality of his/her work.  That is not to say that this hypothesis cannot be proven to be true.  However, the interviewer would need to statistically validate his/her conclusions, rather than creating a homegrown test.

RECOMMENDATION: Use a structured interview process that utilizes work-related interview questions, rather than a free-form and unstructured process.  Also, forget any personally concocted questions (trick or clever questions), tests, or systems for making “go” or “no go” decisions.  Stick to the responsibilities and goals of the open position and you will have plenty of material with which to assess a candidate.

By doing this in the employee review, employee performance evaluation, and the overall job evaluation process as well, the hiring success and promotion success of your company will vastly benefit.  Also, the interview process will become much more organized and objective.