I recently came across an article in which an HR director was lamenting the suitability of a rather large candidate pool for a single casino maintenance position.  While numerous applicants appeared well-qualified on paper, in-person or phone interviews revealed that many of these folks were just not willing to play by the hiring organization’s rules. They wanted things like smoke breaks, medical benefits, and vacation time--all on their terms.  If the organization could not provide these things exactly as they wanted, then they were no longer interested in the position.  

Needless to say, the HR director was dumbstruck by this brazen, egocentric, “it’s all about me” attitude, especially in light of current economic conditions.  In the end, though, human nature is still human nature.  Economic crisis or not, personalities do not suddenly change overnight.  An individual who lacked drive, initiative, and motivation at this time last year, is unlikely to have transformed him or herself into a highly motivated, reach for the stars kind of team player simply because the security of the financial system came crashing down.  The fact remains that most people continue to manifest the same personal competencies (or lack thereof) this year that they always have. As a result, HR directors are finding themselves faced with having many more candidates, but not necessarily more talent.

One of the implications is that behavioral assessments may be even more viable than ever as HR tools to be used in weeding out those individuals who possess the required skill-set on paper but lack the “will do” attitude. While it has always been critical for organizations to select candidates who have the required competencies, it has been decades since organizations have found themselves faced with such large candidate pools for so few positions.  Even the largest of organizations simply do not have the resources required to screen each and every candidate with in-person or telephone interview.  Online behavioral assessments offer a potential solution to this employment paradox.  With the capability to administer hundreds of online assessments (in the same amount of time required to administer a single interview), HR directors can accommodate larger candidate pools in an efficient manner to find what may be a needle in the haystack in terms of exceptional talent.  

Lori Ferzandi