What Are Talent Assessments and How Do Companies Use Them?

Top performing organizations use talent assessments to:

• Select the best talent for a specific job, department, manager, and organization.
• Unleash talent within their organization and help develop the next generation of leaders to drive success and profitability.
• Provide managers a science-driven, data-based roadmap to make informed employment decisions and performance improvements at every stage of employment.
• Link assessment data to development programs, succession paths, variable compensation, and productivity output.
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• Increase new hire engagement through a more effective onboarding process, improving time-to-productivity and performance for new hires.

True best-in-class assessment strategies involve not only selecting the right tools, but integrating them with the rest of the company’s talent strategy to guide and inform decision-making throughout the employee lifecycle.

Companies Using Talent Assessments

Talent assessments are used as part of an online screening process that helps employers to decide which candidates to interview. Most talent assessments are given online, or in a company or store office via computer, or a hiring kiosk. They are typically incorporated into the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) employers use to track applications.

Many large companies like Macy’s, PetSmart, Bloomingdales, Sears, Express Scripts, Walmart, Burger King, Neiman Marcus, and Luxottica Retail Group, just to mention a few, use pre-employment testing.

Employer’s Guide for Pre Employment Testing and Assessment

In today’s competitive marketplace and complex legal environment, employers face the challenge of attracting, developing, and retaining the best employees. Michael Eisner, former CEO of the Disney Corporation, recognized the impact of personnel decisions on a business’ bottom-line when he remarked, “My inventory goes home every night.”
This Guide is designed to help managers and human resource (HR) professionals use assessment practices to reach their organizations’ HR goals. It conveys the essential concepts of employment testing in easy-to-understand terms so that managers and HR professionals can:

• Evaluate and select assessment tools/procedures that maximize chances for getting the right fit between jobs and employees.
• Administer and score assessment tools that are the most efficient and effective for their
  particular needs.
• Accurately interpret assessment results.
• Understand the professional and legal standards to be followed when conducting personnel
  assessment.

Talent Assessment Validity and Outcomes

Companies that have developed job descriptions and candidate profiles that are detailed and well aligned with success factors for jobs will have the most useful output from talent assessments. Organizations must be careful to conduct assessments in a consistent, standardized manner to generate reliable results. Ethical hiring standards dictate that assessments be delivered to all candidates for a particular job and not applied selectively.

After you take the test, you may be told immediately whether you passed or failed, or you may not learn how you did.

In some cases, you will be notified if the company is interested in hiring you. In other cases, you may not hear back at all, depending on company policy regarding notifying applicants for employment.

By the way, pass or fail is a relative term. The results are based on how the employer thinks a candidate should answer, which doesn't necessarily correlate with your qualifications for employment. In many cases, the company is looking for a certain type of employee that is a fit for their organizational structure and company culture.

Companies often have waiting periods before applicants who don't pass the test can take it again. Details on retaking assessments should be available on the company website.

Sample Talent Assessment Questions

What best describes your experiences providing feedback to others at work?

• You do not have experience
• You have provided feedback to co-workers
• You have provided feedback to people working for you
• You have given feedback to direct reports about their performance
• You have set standards to achieve optimal feedback