On the Demise of Hunch-based Hiring

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Heather Haas

“Data is not information, information is not knowledge, knowledge is not understanding, understanding is not wisdom.”

- Clifford Stoll, astronomer and pioneer of the Internet

While in general we applaud the current rise in the use of data in hiring, we are also prompted to repeat this caution: a fool with a tool is still a fool.

This was brought to our attention in a recent Wall Street Journal article, “Meet the New Boss: Big Data”, with the sub-headline: “Companies Trade in Hunch-based Hiring for Computer Modeling.” The article explored the rise in the use of assessments and algorithms in hiring.

We believe that using valid data to inform hiring is good; totally eliminating human judgment is not. In contrast to some hiring tools in the marketplace, Predictive Index^® hasn’t minimized human judgment. Predictive Index isn’t just “software;” it is a brain tool. In addition to software, we provide accurate data, PLUS a model of education and support that helps clients make better decisions. We don’t replace the need for people to make smart decisions based on the all the data available to them.

Here are three other key points to keep in mind about Predictive Index in the larger context of assessments.

PI^® is EEOC compliant because it only measures personality factors that are job related. Attitude, where you live and alcohol use (which are mentioned in the WSJ article) are not measured by PI. Thus, it’s safer from a risk perspective.
PI is job and company specific. That is, a Call Center Representative at one company isn’t necessarily exactly the same job as one with the same title at another company. Any assessment that takes a one-size-fits all approach to benchmarking success in a job is not as accurate as PI.
PI isn’t just about job fit. Indeed it’s important that we hire the right people into jobs. However, PI provides a window into team fit and organization/culture fit. Our ability to add value at all three of those levels sets PI apart from other tools.

What are your thoughts about the rise in the use of data in hiring? Contact me.

3 Ways to Be ‘Irreplaceable’ HR!

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Aszure Grimes

In my role at ADVISA, I spend a lot of time with CEOs and Human Resource Directors – two potentially powerful leadership roles that contribute to an organization’s level of success. An article recently on MSN about being an “irreplaceable” employee prompted me to offer three tips specifically for HR Directors to become even more effective as leadership partners with CEOs:

1. Know what matters to your CEO.

Understanding what s/he considers to prime objectives for the year, and beyond, can put you in a position to support them. For example, in a conversation recently with a CEO of a large law firm, he told me that his goal is to grow the firm. He wants to hire people who will develop new business as well as bring a solution to him when they recognize an issue, not just bring him complaints. “I need to know that they are ‘go-getters and problem-solvers’ We can teach them aspects of the business we need them to know. But, we can’t make them proactive when they’re not,” he said. Being aware of these goals, and acting on them when it comes to talent acquisition, is what will make the difference for his HR department. (How can HR identify candidates who are more likely to problem-solve and develop business for the CEO? A behavioral assessment, like Predictive Index^®, can provide the data needed.)

2. It’s All About Productivity: Quantify It!

Measuring productivity or success in a role can appear difficult at first for non-sales positions. “Am I doing a good job?” is a question many ask and the answer is often left to subjectivity when it doesn’t have to be. For example: if you are responsible for acquiring talent in your organization, track the turnover or the productivity of the candidates you’ve brought into the company. Are there departments where the turnover is exceptionally high? Be proactive in looking into the problem and identifying a solution. And, tracking data gives you the opportunity to identify what is working well so that you can duplicate it in other areas. (Do you have a “turnover problem”? Whether it’s departmental or company-wide, consider talking to ADVISA about how Predictive Index can help you identify the reason AND create a solution.)

3. Be the Expert AND Be Open to Change

CEOs will often look to HR to help them understand personality assessments and what they can potentially bring to their business in terms of improving talent acquisition; developing management skills and improving communication. You can’t possibly know everything about every tool available! But you can become the expert about what’s important to your organization. Whether it be increasing sales; reducing turnover; improving communication or employee engagement, fully understanding the problem at hand positions HR to seek solutions. When looking at various solutions, you will know what is a reasonable option for your company and what isn’t. (If you are not comfortable presenting a new tool or solution, allow the solution provider to be the presenter instead. Do you have an issue that you need help resolving? Let’s talk about it!)

Human Resources serves a unique and often unappreciated role in many organizations by being responsible for its lifeblood – its people. As an HR professional, you can take your organization to new heights and new levels of profitability. What company and CEO doesn’t want that? It’s just a matter of considering what’s important from their perspective, in addition to yours, and taking action. Sometimes that can be a bit overwhelming. Where do you begin? ADVISA is here to help.

Caging Your Personal Bias

Posted on June 18, 2012 by BJ McKay

It’s 2:30 PM in a small office within a larger office building. Sharon has arrived for her interview with GPX software. She is greeted by Kathryn and Rick who will be interviewing her for the next couple of hours. The conversation is focused 100% on Sharon, her work experience, her successes and failures, and her personal outlook on the future. Then, she is permitted to ask a few questions about the firm, which she does. All parties leave the interview feeling like they accomplished something, and Sharon is to expect a call within the next few days to determine what next steps would be should she be selected for the position.

The above scenario sounds standard right? There is a big missing piece to the interview story above. Read it again. Did you see it this time? It’s the fact that GPX software is not interviewing Sharon at all; Kathryn and Rick are. Kathryn and Rick are not the company; they are human beings with their own stories, parents, siblings, friends, families, and successes and failures. Sharon is being interviewed through the personal bias of Kathryn and Rick, like it or not.

Bias is defined as: Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. This is a part of all of us. It cannot be separated from who we are, as we have built it up over the course of our lives. It is a byproduct of the thin-slicing that we do to make sense of the world and operate in it efficiently. Bias comes from our family, our neighborhood growing up, our school, and our successes and failures. It is meant to keep us safe from potential threats in our environment.

Sharon, in this case, is not a threat in Kathryn or Rick’s environment. Or is she? Did Sharon work with or know a former colleague of Kathryn? Did she attend a rival college of Rick’s and achieve more material success than he? Is Sharon the daughter of Kathryn’s favorite teacher and mentor from college? These and many other bias’ are a major factor in the interview process, and in the social circles within a workplace. Regardless of your intelligence and experience, bias is tattooed in each of us.

How can we objectively measure and judge someone else with this type of handicap for the job?

The answer rests in proven, reliable, and valid data that is tested against these biases. A tool that can dive deeper into the invisible drives, motivations, and sources of confidence for each individual. Each of us is motivated to move toward activities, relationships, communities, and endeavors that feed our self-confidence. This can be accurately measured in minutes via proven behavioral assessment tools. The purpose of these assessments is NOT to stereotype people and let us know what they cannot do. Quite the contrary. Behavioral assessments provide us the insight to ask more relevant questions, free from our own bias. They provide us deep insight into the invisible drives that motivate us to do what we do everyday. Ultimately, when applied appropriately, they provide each of us an opportunity to do what we do best, they way we are hardwired to want to do it.

How does that sound? The next time you line up an interview, see if the company cares enough about avoiding personal bias in the hiring process by offering a behavioral assessment. If they do, pay attention to the relevance of the questions you are asked during the interview. Odds are you will walk away feeling like the process was warm and respectful of who you actually are, rather than an uncomfortable grill session or a soft chat that doesn’t bear any relevance to the job.

If you are currently using behavioral assessments to remove bias in the hiring process THANK YOU. You are ahead of the curve and should be commended for adopting best practices in the hiring process. If you have not considered behavioral assessments in your hiring process consider reaching out to me today for a complimentary assessment and professional feedback on the results.

Time to go; your job candidate, Sharon, has arrived at the front desk and she is ready for her interview.

Recruiting – The Art of Creating the Right Relationships

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Dana Harrison

Studies indicate there are four of these levels of fit between the employee and the job, the workgroup, the candidate’s vocation and the organization described below.

The concept of “employee fit” is truly a multi-level phenomenon, and will be maximized in instances in which a person’s personality matches both the objective characteristics of the organization and integrates well with the personalities of those that he or she interacts with most frequently. Keep both of these levels in mind when assessing candidates.

Only the best hiring practices coupled with a well-planned and executed on-boarding process will deliver the desired results.

Why use applicant screening tools?

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Dana Harrison

Is it possible to add depth to your applicant screening process through applicant screening tools, yet not increase costs? Consider the following two options that I recently presented a prospective client:

Finalist candidates would have to pass three levels of screening: resume, questionnaire and Predictive Index® survey, comprehensive phone screen.
We’d follow the client’s typical applicant review process and present finalist candidates after two levels of screening: resume, comprehensive phone screen.

And how did the two options compare in terms of dollars? By integrating the applicant screening tools, we cut the costs in half. The first option above with the additional screening cost was half what the second option would cost.

Now, you may think that this doesn’t make any sense. How can we expand the process (offering more screening) yet cut the costs?

The screenings are ultra-efficient in terms of the time it takes to conduct them and the level of meaningful information that is received. With this extra volume of information, candidate pools can be effectively whittled down so that valuable time conducting phone and face-to-face interviews is only spent on candidates who are strong fits. This saves our clients money in terms of our fees (we do fewer phone interviews), but our process also offers significant cost savings for the client internally, as their HR staff and hiring mangers do not need to invest their time conducting face-to-face interviews with candidates who are clearly not a match.

And so, here’s the rest of the story. We got the job. And the new client chose the first option with the additional level of screening. The bottom line was clear for her: integrating applicant screening tools in candidate assessment saves money.

Losing sleep

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Dana Harrison

When I first discovered Predictive Index® (PI®), I quickly thought about how much energy I’d spent doing candidate assessment when I was making a hire and how much I could have uncovered using PI. All that time trying to dig into who a candidate really was.

Would she really be detail-focused? Would she make a mistake paying the bills and just shrug her shoulders? Would her socialness fade after the interview? Could I feel confident that she could help clients feel welcome in our office?

I’d lie awake thinking about behavioral interviewing techniques, trying to find the perfect questions to ask. There was no room for error. I couldn’t make a bad hire. There was too much at stake. And I certainly didn’t have time to redo searches.

I remember sitting with our CEO, Bob Wilson, over lunch in 2008 where I learned about PI. I just about fell out of my seat when I realized that all of the questions above could’ve been answered using PI. Hindsight is indeed 20/20!

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