How Recruiters and Hiring Managers can Help Candidates Make an Informed Career Decision: Part 2

Joe Murphy of Shaker Consulting Group

The founder of Checkster, Yves Lermusi and I had a chance to speak at TaleoWorld.  Yves has spent most of his career examining the talent space.   I asked him what we can do to help the candidate make a more informed decision.  He suggests we give the candidate feedback from the results of pre-employment assessments and background checks.  Click play to hear what he has to say, then continue reading below the video.

As general practice, companies shy away from providing candidates feedback.  The drawback seems to be fear of candidate reactions or challenges to the accuracy of the information, data, or insights gleaned from the candidate evaluation process.

There are many factors this point of view brings to light.

1. If we are using that data to make our decisions, can we substantiate its accuracy, reliability and validity?
2. If the candidate would deny or challenge the data, are we willing to provide an opportunity to refute it or at least dialogue around it?
3. Does the candidate have accurate self-awareness and open-mindedness to give thoughtful consideration to feedback
4. Is the candidate information in a format that lends itself to easy interpretation regarding matters of job-fit?

Yves has a good point about candidate’s self perception of their strengths and developmental needs.  There is evidence about levels of accurate self-awareness and success on the job.  Those with a more realistic and accurate picture of themselves tend to perform better and achieve higher level of success.  Candidates with poor assessment results or less glowing reference checks may be more likely to see a gap between their self-perception and their evaluation results.  Having a feedback conversation with individuals in this category may pose more of a challenge.

In the UK, it is a requirement to provide candidates with feedback from results of pre-employment assessments.  This approach demands transparency and accuracy.  In the USA, this is not a common practice.   HR practitioners in the UK are more prone to complete rigorous training on the use of pre-employment tests.  The UK has a more rigorous approach to training and certification of assessment users than in the USA.  A number of our Virtual Job Tryout clients are using the candidate competency profile to provide feedback.  In addition, a growing number of our clients are developing a Virtual Job Tryout as a comprephensive needs analysis for existing employees.  Watch for a post about that in the near future.

Career management can be bolstered with developmental insights.  Creating a process that supports providing candidates with feedback is not a simple undertaking.  I would however enjoy a dialogue on the matter.  What do you have to say about it?

This article provided by permission from Joseph P. Murphy of Shaker Consulting Group. Deliver an exceptional candidate experience with Shaker Consulting Group’s Virtual Job Tryout^®.  Obtain a work sample that predicts on-the-job performance. Identify best-fit candidates at the click of mouse. Click here for a 3 minute overview.