Don’t Waste Your Time on These 5 Interview Questions
Job interviews are an opportunity for employers to go beyond the resume and get a solid idea about the candidates they have previously met only on paper. These in-person experiences also allow candidates to form an impression of the company they might join. Often,...
Hiring Managers: Instead of That, Do This …
Interviewing job candidates is a tough task that can be compared to navigating an imaginary minefield. Understandably, interviewers often ask themselves questions like: What types of interview questions will get honest replies? Which are best to avoid because they...
The Keys to Hiring Repetitive-Task Workers
Sourcing candidates who are well-suited to jobs that require repetitive and mundane tasks —such as those often associated with data entry or technical writing positions — is often a unique challenge for hiring managers. While there are likely to be applicants who...
Test Length Often Overemphasized, Other Factors Matter More
In some hiring circles, there is a misplaced belief that shorter pre-employment assessments are preferable because they result in far more candidates completing the test and continuing with the application process. But evidence suggests differently. The drop-off is...
A Closer Look at Conscientiousness: A More Complex Trait Than Meets the Eye
The term “Conscientious” prompts thoughts of being prepared, on time, organized and responsible. When discussing behaviors associated with individuals who possess a high level of the Big 5 personality trait Conscientiousness, it suggests all of those things. Perhaps...
Hybrid Work Is Here to Stay – Is Your Workforce Ready?
If you are hiring candidates for positions where they will be required to work partially or entirely from their home office, consider assessing their personality fit for this role with our Work from Home / Telecommuting Test. Hybrid workspaces are here to stay,...
Senior Job Seekers Bring Unique Value to Workplace
The Great Resignation sparked by the COVID pandemic and members of the Baby Boom generation aging out of the workforce simultaneously created a shortage of older, experienced workers in a labor force already facing an increased number of unfilled positions. Employers...
Can Personality Tests Improve Employee Performance in Team Settings?
Personality tests are often thought of as tools used to find the best match for an employer seeking to fill an opening. But what about finding the best fit among existing employees for a spot on a team? Personality tests can help here, too. Test for Better Team-Job...
Adjustment & Accommodation Attract Young Employees
Every industry reaches the point where they must welcome the next generation of employees into the workplace. Adjusting to changes in work environments, accommodating new technologies and meeting evolving customer expectations present significant challenges for...
How Aptitude Tests Take the Pulse of Applicant Potential
Pre-employment tests, when used judiciously, can provide a variety of predictive information about a candidate’s fit for the job and potential for success. For instance, personality tests provide evidence that helps hiring managers predict how an applicant might...
Avoid These 3 Types of Interview Questions
There are many reasons hiring managers ask convoluted, inappropriate-sounding, or downright dumb questions. Some interviewers may be inexperienced, while others are working off a tired, well-worn script. Then, there are the interviewers trying to catch candidates...
Hiring Best Practices: Blend Preparation & A Modern Approach for Job Interviews
Interviewing job candidates can be detailed, time-consuming, and tedious work. Taking the process seriously and preparing adequately, however, is essential for reasons beyond the individuals currently under consideration for a role. How you approach interviews of...
How to Anticipate & Avoid Common Hiring Pitfalls
Falling for the wrong candidate among job seekers is a common pitfall when considering job applicants. Candidates’ superficial traits can open up a host of misperceptions. A candidate’s charisma, self-presentation, or polished interview skills cloud a hiring manager’s...
Decreasing the Odds of an Employee Exit
The rise in employees quitting their jobs, or “The Great Resignation” as it is now known, gained momentum in 2021 but may be slowing. The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics report released in January 2023 showed the trend in gradual decline. It’s likely not a fast enough...
Aptitude vs. Personality Testing: Which is the Better Hiring Tool?
Both Personality and Aptitude testing help hiring managers gather candidate data far beyond traditional hiring tools such as resumes, responses to job interview questions, and references. Together, these two forms of testing make it possible for employers to get a...
Hiring in a Changing Workforce: 5 Trends
As young people of the Millennial and Gen-Z age groups enter the workforce en masse in a post-pandemic environment, several lasting trends have emerged. More important than money alone is how people work—in remote or hybrid environments or switching to four-day...
Hiring Top Performers
Increasing competitiveness in the employee recruitment space means hiring managers must act decisively and use accurate and objective strategies to make timely connections with top talent. By some estimates, only 10 percent of the available candidate pool are...
The (Costly) Consequences of Rushed Hires
Those who are responsible for filling open jobs at a company often have other responsibilities competing for their attention, some of which may be more closely related to a business’s success and therefore given higher priority. Particularly in the present jobs...
Pre-employment Testing: What to Consider
Pre-employment testing can help hiring managers save time and find the right candidate for the job. There are a number of things to consider, however, to get the best results when administering pre-employment tests. Making sure candidates are matched with a test that...
How to Interpret Pre-employment Test Results
Pre-employment test results provide objective information about candidates, allowing hiring managers to see beyond what can be gleaned from a resume and an interview. Test scores founded on and supported by research, which is what you’ll find in pre-employment...
Conducting a Comprehensive Interview
A comprehensive interview that features thoughtful preparation, insightful questions, and a purpose-driven approach are an integral tool in finding the right candidate for a position. Even in a challenging labor market where filling positions quickly may seem more...
Keep a Focus on Retaining Employees, Especially When Hiring New Ones
2022 will be remembered for the job market’s upheaval – with employers facing unprecedented challenges when trying to hire and retain top talent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that a growing number of U.S. employees have voluntarily left their jobs in the...
Exploratory Interviews: A Preview of Coming Attractions
In some circumstances, job applicants get to turn the tables on employers. During exploratory interviews job seekers typically meet with employers to learn about a company or career. During such encounters those considering an industry or particular role get to ask...
The Subtle Art of Finding Leaders Within
There are numerous advantages for employers to promote from within their own organization. While many companies realize this, they often have difficulty finding and nurturing some of the best candidates. This article discusses the importance of addressing that...
Relaxed and Resilient, Emotionally Stable Personalities Steady an Anxious Climate
As workplace momentum continues to shift with the ever-changing CDC guidelines during the pandemic, employers may find themselves taking a closer look at the Big 5 core personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional...
Bringing the Team Together with the Cohesive Strength of Agreeableness
Of the Big 5 personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability), agreeableness is the cooperative characteristic that can bond teams after a period of social distance. As workplaces begin to transition back to more...
The Advantages of Extraversion
Of the Big 5 personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability), extraversion may be the most recognized. As the definitive “people person,” extraverts seek social stimulation and are known for their positive and...
Investigating the Benefits of Openness: Innovation, Imagination & Insight in the Workplace
Of the Big 5 personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability), those who possess the openness trait are the innovators that can fill the workplace with quick wit and wonder. The Upsides of Openness Open people tend...
6 Common Hiring Errors & How to Fix Them
6 Common Hiring Errors & How to Fix Them Bad hiring practices can be costly in a number of ways. These mistakes hit especially hard in the current market where open positions may remain unfilled for longer than a business can survive. Even previously successful...
The Connection Between Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Remote Worker Success
As the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be picking up renewed momentum in the last half of 2021, some employers are reversing course—or at least slowing down—their transition back to in-person office work. This development is a blessing to some employees and a letdown for...