Attracting the best job candidates

Are companies still using pre-employment tests like psychological and IQ tests in their hiring process? What could be the possible issues if we don’t use written tests? I’m asking because testing takes so much time, especially when we have to hire large numbers of workers. Is there a better way? — Blue Jay.

What you’re doing creates a cycle of boom and bust in your hiring process. The question is — how serious is it? When you take those written tests out of the equation, what assurance do you have that those you are hiring will perform to management’s satisfaction?

Would you be happy taking the calculated risks of removing the written test to fast-track the hiring process? You should be, because testing applicants is only one of several tools to determine their ability, aptitude, and personality and predict their future work performance.

The most common tests are designed to measure a variety of areas ranging from verbal reasoning, numerical ability, problem-solving, mechanical ability, finger dexterity (in the case of typing or assembly work) and spatial agility, or the ability to understand visual relationships between objects and space.

If we’re on the same page on this, then you must understand that many of these tests, whether traditional paper and pencil tests, or their online versions, are from the Western context and may not be universally applicable to us in Asia, unless you can find some models designed by local but reputable psychologists or psychometricians.

Just the same, if you think these tests are delaying the process, then, go hire people without the tests. It’s worth the risk to some human resource (HR) professionals. After all, there are many ways to check the worthiness of applicants. They include competency-based job interviews or assessment centers.

Much will depend on the kind of positions that you’re trying to fill.

At any rate, there are many control points for predicting the future of applicants in your organization. Even after hiring, you can still see how they perform in actual job situations as probationary employees. You would be surprised to know that some multinationals do not hesitate to hire applicants and put them in regular employment status right away. Why is this happening?

Because they also hate delays in hiring. They’re confident they have a robust performance management system that makes it easy to discover deadwood and other problem workers. They’ve also perfected their policies and procedures, which makes it easy to remove employees without violating the law.

SELECTION PROCESSNot every HR person realizes that recruitment is delicate and difficult. That’s why we keep reading sad stories of HR people who are ghosted during job interviews. Even with the help of social media, it has become tough for HR to attract talent suited for the organizational culture. But that’s not all. The difficulty also lies in choosing the best candidate among several candidates.

This happens in the absence of an objective system that involves asking the same set of interview questions to all applicants. It is essential that all interviewers from the HR department and the requisitioning department be equipped with the same parameters before making a hiring decision.

If not, you may be spending time, money and effort unnecessarily. Anticipate the level of waste generated by a bad hire.

It is best then to pursue various options, including any of the following:

One, organize a job fair for your organization. While it’s more economical to join other government-sponsored job fairs, it’s best to create your own platform to control the message you wish to convey about the advantages of joining your organization.

Allow applicants to see what working for your company is like. Consider offering free meals and beverages, host parlor games and offer raffle prizes to the first 150 visitors for the day.

Two, improve your employer branding. This may include understanding how your current workers perceive your management style, which may not be limited to pay and perks. You may find that applicants came away with negative views of your company simply from the experience of not having their interviewer around when they show up, or having the interviewer arrive late.

The best approach is to be proactive in knowing the company’s online reputation.

In conclusion, you have to simplify the recruitment process. For example, there’s no need to ask for an application letter from applicants; a biodata or CV will suffice. You can also ditch application forms. Send only the top two candidates on the short list further along the hiring process.

If it takes time to hire new employees, investigate the necessity of all the steps you’ve been taking in selecting new employees. Consider this a form of “Lean HR” — the application of kaizen and lean principles in the personnel management function.

Bring Rey Elbo’s “Superior Subordinate Supervision” program to your management team so they can improve their planning, leading, organizing and controlling activities. Chat with him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter) or e-mail elbonomics@gmail.com or via https://reyelbo.com