The Top 5 Reasons You Should be Using Assessments Today

When you’re hiring new employees to be your next generation of rockstars, talent assessments can be your most valuable tool in predicting success.

According to Aberdeen Group, best-in-class organizations consistently use assessments for screening and hiring, and they also see their importance in identifying and developing high potential talent. Modern psychometric tools (read: assessments) can accurately measure total human potential, enhance overall productivity, reduce attrition and reduce overall hiring costs significantly.  Additionally, well-designed and executed assessment programs can help cement HR practitioners and talent acquisition leaders as strategic contributors to the success of their organization.

So really, the question should not be “is it time to incorporate assessments into our hiring process?”, but rather, “why the heck haven’t we done this yet?!”

To help further illustrate the importance of assessments and talent measurement, the PAN team has compiled the Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Using Assessments Today:

1. Data Trumps Hunches, Always.

With the power of measurable data on your candidates at your fingertips, gone are the days of making a decision on a gut feeling or a hunch. Interviews – which are difficult to keep strictly standardized – can’t effectively be used alone in making hiring decisions.

2. You Can Measure the Whole Person.

Intelligence and prior work history are not the only factors you should consider! Assessments can provide a thorough understanding of the (4) important facets in seeking the right candidate for a particular role: Can Do, Will Do, Will Fit, and Can Lead.

3. Effective Talent Measurement Can Increase Legal Defensibility.

By using a more standardized, objective approach to hiring through the use of assessments, you can make a more fair apples-to-apples comparison between various candidates. Validation data can be used to make sure that the assessments you’re using are good predictors for success in a specific job.

4. Assessments Yield a “Prescription” for Development Programs.

If you don’t fully understand an employee’s strengths and weaknesses in the beginning, how can you build a meaningful development plan or identify high potential and leadership candidates? By using assessment data collected during hiring, you’ll be ready to engage your new employee in a tailored development program.

5. You Can’t Afford Not To.

It’s more than just the team’s morale that takes a blow when you hire or promote the wrong person. Studies show it could cost up to 150% of that person’s salary to replace them.

Ready to make candidate assessments an integral part of your hiring?

PAN is thrilled to partner to SmartRecruiters to build one of the deepest integrations we ever had with any Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Our partnership allows you to incorporate assessments from PAN directly into your hiring workflow, trigger them to candidates automatically, and see the test results right from the candidate profile page inside SmartRecruiters.

To learn more about building your own talent measurement program with assessments from PAN, access PAN’s profile in the SmartRecruiters Marketplace.

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This article was written by  Katherine Doe, Director of Marketing at PAN – Performance Assessment Network. She focuses on marketing strategy, specifically for lead and demand generation for PAN. Katherine began a career in marketing in 2004 and has worked in the human capital management industry since 2011. She enjoys the many analytical, strategic, and creative challenges provided by today’s business environment. Katherine is a graduate of SUNY Oswego where she studied marketing and public relations. She is a proud resident of the Charleston, SC area where she is involved with many charitable organizations and causes.

All images featured in this blog post are a courtesy of www.panpowered.com