Are all applicants hireable?

Information may not be reliable

The goal of the hiring process is to assess fit. During all stages—resume review, preliminary phone interview, in-person interview, etc.—the hiring manager keeps two main questions in mind: “Is the applicant a good fit for the open position?” and “Would the applicant fit in with the company culture?”

Much of what appears on a resume can be evaluated pretty objectively (e.g., dates and titles of previous positions, professional certifications, educational background). The interview is the phase of the hiring assessments process when subjectivity is most likely to make an appearance—and when the odds of making a mistake increase dramatically.

It is not uncommon for interviewers to be fooled by dishonest applicants, to be swayed by interview bias, or to go with their gut feelings and end up making poor decisions. HR consultant Kelly Marinelli describes one common scenario: “Good interviewers can assess the level of understanding of certain skills, but it’s always possible that a candidate lacking in the appropriate skill level but who is a great communicator could slip through the cracks.”

These types of poor hires have the potential to cause a great deal of harm beyond unplanned turnover when they end up parting ways with their organizations. Depending on the positions they are hired into and which of their qualifications they embellished (or fabricated outright), they may become liabilities to their companies as they fail to fulfill their responsibilities, damage customer relationships, and engage in other behaviors that harm their colleagues or the organization. That’s why it’s so important for companies to evaluate and vet candidates thoroughly before giving them job offers.

And here’s the hard truth of the matter: not all applicants are hireable.

Sometimes it’s a question of measuring a person’s skills and experience against what’s needed for a particular position. If a job requires someone to drive a tractor trailer, for example, then the company must hire an applicant who has a commercial driver’s license (or be willing to provide training for one). Similarly, if an organization needs someone to run its graphic design department, then the hiring manager probably won’t give a second glance to any resume that doesn’t mention proficiency with the Adobe Creative Suite.

However, hiring managers also need to consider criteria that aren’t job-specific but are just as important for a successful hire. In the past, the interview has been the main assessment tool for these criteria. But interviews alone aren’t enough. A candidate who knows how to say all the right things but lacks the skills—or, worse, lacks the integrity—that the organization seeks can not only let down the employer but can also harm it.

The likelihood that someone will meet an organization’s expectations is a measure of that person’s hireability for that organization. When evaluating an applicant’s hireability,  companies can increase their chances of making good hiring decisions through preemployment testing.

In particular, integrity testing is a smart choice for employers that must quickly and easily filter through candidates in industries such as staffing and for companies that hire their frontline and general labor staff directly. Insight Worldwide’s preemployment testing is remarkably successful at shedding light on candidates’ strengths and shortcomings that aren’t usually revealed on application forms and in interviews. In fact, these tests will identify an accurate percent of applicants who admit to behaviors such workers’ compensation fraud, violent tendencies, theft, illegal drug use, and arriving at work under the influence of alcohol—none of which are desirable in any workplace. Just listen to what Insight’s clients are saying, “A review of our continued reduction in workers’ comp incidences is evidence enough for why we trust Insight Worldwide’s integrity tests.” Another client states, “I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are for your service. Some people interview far too well and can hide some very scary tendencies.”

When you want more accurate results than you’ll get from background checks (which can be slow) or drug tests (which aren’t always reliable), consider Insight Worldwide’s integrity testing. It has a legal and validated track record of helping companies make better hiring decisions that have overwhelmingly positive long-term effects on employee turnover and workers’ compensation costs. To learn how your company can use preemployment testing to evaluate the hireability of your applicants, contact Insight Worldwide today!