by Judit E. Price
In past articles I have made many references to the idea that values play an important role in career satisfaction and who you are and what you do are intimately tied together. I suggested job qualifications go well beyond the technical skills required for a position, and the interviewing process with the plethora of interviews is designed to determine fit, rather than technical qualifications. Firms are looking for personality, temperament, group interaction and a host of other factors before making a hiring decision. I reminded career changers to make sure they understand the culture of a target firm, because the uncertainty of your skills transfer would make compatibility factors even more critical. Finally, I began to describe the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a well-recognized personality assessment that helps individuals better understand who they are, and how that relates to specific careers.
Now I would like to suggest another reason why this issue of personal values as reflected in personality, temperament, work ethic and other characteristics are increasingly important in today’s world of work. More and more firms are adopting formal aptitude and personality type tests before hiring.
Years ago employee testing was all the rage. However, overzealous testers, societal outrage due to the belief these tests were prejudicial and employee resistance led to a de-emphasis on candidate testing as standard operating procedure. Some firms have always used this tool; but generally most companies opted for more traditional approaches to hiring, especially in the 90s when hiring was increasing rapidly. So what has changed and why is testing now again becoming in vogue?
An article in the New York Times (“Getting to Know You is as Easy as A, B, C, or D,” by Eilene Zimmerman, November 30, 2003) describes the reasons. First, employers need a way to reduce the number of potential candidates. Virtually every position advertised results in a flood of resumes, where any number of people are qualified, at least from an experience perspective. Another important factor is the cost of turnover. Hiring the wrong person can be very expensive in a number of ways including the direct cost of replacement. In high turnover industries such as telemarketing, credit and collection and some sales, turnover tends to be very high and the costs can be huge.
There is also a third reason. The productivity of the individual and the productivity of the organization are not always compatible. We all have experienced the hard-working, dedicated and productive colleague….who drives everyone crazy. In many organizations, perhaps in every organization, there are employees whose high productivity comes at a cost to the group. The point is: for a company or department to function optimally, there must be an organizational fit that enables the group to move forward. That’s what the term “team player” is all about. That doesn’t mean we give up our individuality. But it does mean the “team” has to succeed for the organization to succeed, and testing can be helpful in identifying those best fitted to the dynamics of the specific culture of the group. And the proof is in the results. Testing has contributed to lower costs, better job fit and better group fit.
So what does it mean for you, dear readers? Well the truth is it makes the job search and the career search tougher. It means getting that interview is far less important than it was in the past. It means that getting the “right” interview is essential. What does that mean?
At some point every job seeker must do their own assessment and understand their own values. Start your job search for firms that have both openings and values compatibility, not just job openings. That’s how you can tip the odds that an interview will be the “right interview.”
The reason for making this up front effort is obvious. Companies that test will quickly determine the odds of your success and will base their judgment accordingly. As a career counselor, I have found career assessments to be extremely helpful in pointing clients in the right direction. In fact, the more firms that adopt testing as a mandatory screening method, the more critical the need for job seekers to determine their own personal profiles first.