Many hiring managers choose to not administer pre-employment assessments for lower paying jobs – this may be a mistake. Hiring managers rely on assessments to help them uncover candidate strengths and weaknesses that are not easily recognized in an interview but need to be explored in reference checks and subsequent interviews. These are the same strengths and weaknesses that can give the leader a competitive advantage or future headaches. Hiring managers need to know that before making the hire.
Managers sometimes skip investing in an assessment because the investment doesn’t seem to make sense for a lower paying position. When faced with this decision, consider the answers to the following questions:
How much impact does this person’s performance make on the organization? If they make a mistake, how much could it cost? If they are an awesome addition, how does that impact profit? Will this person be in a support role to superstars — what impact could that have on the superstar as well as the work itself?
Will this person interact with customers directly?
If they are a poor hire, who will need to put in extra time and effort to correct or complete the work? How much more will that cost?
If performance isn’t as expected, how much additional time will be needed to coach through performance issues, and what’s that time worth?
Empowered hiring managers use assessments for all their openings to build successful teams.