In the last column, we looked at the second interview process and outlined some stratagems to ensure that if you’re recruiting a new member of staff you can be suitably prepared to make everything run as smoothly as possible.
At the end of the interview stage, you should hope to be in a position to make a job offer to the successful candidate, but it might be worthwhile to consider some additional checks to ensure your chosen candidate measures up to the task. These extra checks are relatively inexpensive when balanced against the sometimes huge investment required in recruiting someone – and the problems you can face if you make a mistake – but can prove invaluable in helping you make the right decision.
The test route
Psychometric testing can provide you with some useful insights into a potential employee, especially when measured against the requirements of your company. The testing has been developed over 40 years by 160 psychologists. It has produced recognised personality profiles that companies can look for in salespeople. Testing can show if someone gets stressed or frustrated in certain situations. However, it should only be used as a tool to help you make your final decision, not as the final arbiter of whether someone should get a job or not.
Effective in reviews
It doesn’t just have to be used in the recruitment process. Psychometric testing can also be helpful three months down the line when it comes to review the new employee’s performance. The profile might indicate he or she would do one thing in a certain situation. They may well be performing to type and it could be a problem or causing an issue in the office. Alternatively, they could be overcoming that issue and performing very well.
No easy rides
Some people brag that they can sail through a psychometric test because they ‘know’ how it works, but in my experience no one has ever sailed through. I don’t think I could sail through a test. People aren’t going to pay for it if it’s that simple. Anyway, the people taking the test don’t know what the client is looking for.
Aptitude tests
Aptitude testing is another interesting area. There’s a whole suite of products you can use to identify someone’s ability that are internationally recognised. They’re very cost-effective and relatively inexpensive. Banks, for example, might use it to check whether somebody is good at ‘feature detection’ or ‘working memory’, which means they are very thorough and able to notice things quickly.
Access all areas
While these tests can help to check a candidate’s ability and suitability, it’s also important to check other areas. For example, you might want to do a background check on someone. This is very important in sales and in areas where the prospective employee might be visiting people in their homes. You can’t have somebody who has been convicted of robbery or grievous bodily harm calling on people in their home. If you’re recruiting an accountant, you probably won’t consider someone who has been convicted of theft. Similarly, the person might have a problem with their driving licence and the job might entail giving them a company car.
Signed declaration
We can access publicly available information to see whether someone has a conviction. We would normally advise the candidate that we wanted to do a background check and get their permission and ask them to sign a declaration stating they don’t have any convictions. Of course, it depends on the role whether a conviction is material or not. Sometimes, the conviction will not stop someone being employed.
Reference check
It’s also well worth checking a candidate’s references, although there are some important points to bear in mind. You’re not entitled to do a reference check on a candidate at the first interview stage. You can only do it at the offer stage and only with their permission. Sometimes, you might be tempted to ring and check with a person you know who works at the company a candidate has put down as a reference, but that’s not actually allowed. You can’t discriminate against someone before you employ them (or after for that matter). If you take a reference without their permission and you make a decision based on that, you could have a problem.
References can be very difficult, particularly with less experienced people. Your role could be their first job, so who do you reference check with? Or it could be that in their previous job they were working with a relation and you might not know that when you check the reference.
To make things even more problematic, a lot of people are reluctant to give a reference. The big institutions, for example, won’t give a reference, they will only confirm the person was working for them. Others are concerned they might get sued so some of them will give a verbal reference but won’t give a written one. It’s also worth noting that if a candidate brings a written reference with them, you need to verify it. Anyone could have written it.
Increase the chances of success
All of these checks are designed to give you extra peace of mind. On average, a psychometric test costs €100, psychometric and aptitude testing costs €350 and a background check comes in at about €80. Why should you consider it? Here’s something worth bearing in mind: an unstructured interview process gives you a 15% chance of finding the right candidate, while a structured interviewing process gives you a 30% chance. If you use psychometric and aptitude testing, that figure rises to 70%.
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