Chances are your candidates may be nervous about having to take a hiring assessment or job simulation. The belief is that, from a candidate perspective, they’re no longer working with a person that they can justify a particular answer to a question they’re asked, or get into further detail about their employment history or skills. The idea that the candidate is now working “against” a program that will determine whether or not they’re able to continue interviewing for a job can be enough to stress out even the best prospects. And there are countless reasons why a candidate feels this way.
Is There a “Bad” Personality in Personality Assessment?
The most common reason a candidate would be worried about dealing with assessments is the idea that there are “bad” personalities out there ” and if they don’t meet the criteria for a “good” personality, they may get tossed aside. This concern is entirely understandable: nobody wants to miss out on a job because they think their personality is bad. And it’s not like a candidate can study for a personality test the way they might study for an exam at school. What scares the candidate even more is that they don’t know what defines “bad” ” there are some obvious characteristics, but how can a candidate break through to become a “good” personality in the eyes of the company, especially when they’re restricted to a set group of questions and answers? In the eyes of the candidate it’s a fluid, gray area of the hiring process ” that’s what makes it so intimidating.
Design a Hiring Process to Mitigate Concerns
Your talent acquisition goals are to find and hire the best candidates possible, effectively using the hiring tools at your disposal to accomplish this. Hiring assessments are becoming chief among these tools. You may never be able to remedy the concern about a “bad” personality because that’s a concern from the candidate, but you can design a hiring process that helps mitigate those concerns.
One good strategy is to follow up with a candidate after a hiring assessment to ask them targeted questions based on their results. For example, if your candidate takes a job simulation assessment and scores low in time management, you may follow up with the candidate to ask them some time management style questions to see if they really do struggle with that aspect of the job, or if maybe they just had a hard time understanding the assignment. The difference is one is a skill-lacking situation, the other is one where the skill is evident but needs training.
The most effective solution is customizable assessments. Rather than make your assessment feel like a personality test that a candidate can “pass” or “fail” because of the idea that there’s “right” or “wrong” answers, design an assessment that targets what you want to know with a much more dynamic feel to it. There’s a lot more breathing room for candidates in these assignments, and oftentimes they’re a lot more faithful to who the candidate is ” and now what the candidate wants to show you.
For more information on better hiring, download our e-book on the 15 must-ask questions about implementing a pre-hire assessment processes below. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
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