There are nearly 2,500 different recruiting tests on the market. How do you know which tests – and which methodology – will really identify the best applicant, especially for your sales force?
With all of these tests using distinctive approaches, it’s nearly impossible for the 30% of organizations that use these tests for hiring to be certain they’re actually making the right choices.
Based on the hundreds of companies Cracking the Personality Code co-author Dana Borowka has worked with – helping them improve their hiring process – he suggests these four personality test strategies to zero in on the best possible candidates on the market:
- Have your existing employees take the test as well. A lot of managers use recruiting tests to determine whether a candidate would be a decent fit for their organization. But it defeats the purpose of doing so, if you don’t know what motivates and engages your existing staffers. Ask your existing people to take the test so you can get a reliable baseline on which candidates share the same values.
- Analyze career activity interests. Research shows that managers traditionally place more emphasis on personality responses on these tests than they do a candidate’s career goals and interests. These responses might provide a sense of whether the candidate has real ambition, skills and potential.
- Assess weaknesses. Knowing a candidate’s weaknesses helps a manager gauge whether the recruit’ll be an effective salesperson.
- Take note of how they respond to tests. Comprehensive personality tests generally include a section where they ask candidates to rate how they respond to tests. This may provide a sense of whether an otherwise great recruit just doesn’t test well.
Source: “4 ways to hire better sales personalities,” by Tom Searcy, The Sales Machine Blog, CBS.com