While perusing Amazon.com for good books recently, I came across the Penn and Teller tome, How to Play in Traffic.  Generally, I wouldn’t mention such mundane details of my life, but I wanted to make note of it here.  You see, it has come to my attention that there are some people who make playing in traffic their full-time job.

You may remember from my previous post that I am an Indy 500 fan. However, the excitement here in town is that NASCAR will be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the Brickyard 400. In almost any form of racing, a key part of any race are the pit stops where tires are changed, and…well, I actually don’t know what happens aside from the tires, but I’m sure it’s all very important and mechanical.  While I was at the 500, it occurred to me that the people who work in pit row are dealing with cars moving in and out of the pits at high speeds.  I have read stories of injuries, from the minor to the severe, occurring due to pit crew members coming too close to the racecars, and seeing the pit stops in person made me realize just how easily injuries could happen.

There are probably a number of important attributes that make for a good pit crew member.  I’m willing to bet that in addition to having a high level of mechanical skill and knowledge, you also need to be diligent, conscientious, and focused on safety – not only for your own well-being but also for that of your driver, fellow pit crew members, and competitors.  How many other jobs require this same commitment to safety?  I can think of a few-- assembly line employees, truck drivers, healthcare workers.  Given the inherent risk in these jobs, it is important to hire people who will be safe at work. While training is an important part of workplace safety, there are also a number of assessments that can help identify job candidates who are (and are not) well-suited for work in dangerous environments.

Jocelyn Courtney-Hays

When I was in high school Biology during the early 90s, my teacher spoke of a new emerging technology called the Internet. It had been around for a while but had not really caught on outside of scientific and academic circles as computers were for geeks, and most people didn’t see their benefit over using a typewriter. He spoke of the ability to access information about breakthroughs in science as if you you were down the hall from the actual experiment and having immediate access to information from all over the world. Most people thought this type of technology was for large companies like AT&T and IBM, and the idea a personal computer could retrieve information from some nebulous place on the other side of the world was completely foreign and pretty much inconceivable.

In my naiveté, I did not realize he was really referring to the emergence of the global community. The Internet is something which joins everyone together and enables interaction with someone across the world without ever leaving the comforts of the living room. Transactions can be conducted by anyone with access to a computer, and what was once an exotic item from a foreign country is now a few clicks away on sites like Amazon and EBay. All that is required is the belief that the person on the other side of the connection is legitimate.

In the past, the beginning of trust was largely based on who people commonly knew. If a friend endorsed someone, that person was probably trustworthy.

Benjamin Lahey has a recent American Psychologist article on the public health implications of neuroticism. While often viewed as a clinical construct, neuroticism is reliably found as a stable personality factor and often labeled as “adjustment,” “negativity”, or “emotionality stability.” In the personnel selection realm, high scores on this factor are often negatively correlated with occupational success. Similarly, Lahey outlines how neuroticism predicts both mental and physical health as well as response to treatment for both types of conditions. While it is certainly plausible that illness will increase an individual’s level of negative emotionality, there are also data to suggest that it predicts many health problems even when depression is controlled.

The article goes on to explore both the genetic and environmental components that may contribute to neuroticism as well as the interplay between them. Indeed, it is easy to understand how one’s propensity to respond negatively to environmental stressors can act in a self-perpetuating cycle. For example, if an individual reacts to a negative stressor (say the end of a relationship leads to increased social isolation as opposed to a healthier response of seeking social support), it is easy to see how the cycle can continue. While we often only consider personality traits in the context of personnel selection, it is also interesting to consider how they fit into the larger context.

Reid Klion

An organization will often employ a psychological testing assessment process as part of its pre-employment selection system. Employment personality tests are often used for this purpose because they often can provide a broader picture of a job candidate’s suitability for a position than do many of the approaches typically used such as resume reviews and non-structured interviews. While there are a number of ways that a psychological testing assessment system can be configured, it is critical that it be based upon a thorough analysis of the competencies required for success in a particular job or position. It is only in this way that an organization can be sure that it is basing its selection decisions upon criteria that are valid and will identify applicants who are truly qualified for the position at hand. The types of employment personality tests used in a psychological testing assessment process can include tools that assess personality and attitudinal factors as well as specific work skills.

Let me introduce myself, I am Gerry Groe, Managing Director of Business Development at pan.  I joined pan on March 16 of this year after restructuring myself out of my position at Denny’s as VP- Human Resources & Organization Development.  Denny’s is a fine company, but, like many consumer-oriented businesses, it has had to deal with a very tough, turbulent economy over the last two years.  Consequently, in my OD role I worked with several outside consultants and the Denny’s senior team to restructure the company to better facilitate achievement of the company’s business strategy.  As part of this new organization design, I actually suggested that my job be eliminated.  Why, because HR was “top heavy” and we had the necessary senior HR talent to lead a leaner HR function.  Fortunately, even before I left Denny’s I knew where I wanted to go - I wanted to join  pan.  While I have more than twenty years experience in VP and SVP – level HR positions with major corporations and as an OD consultant, by trade I am an industrial/organizational psychologist and I felt a strong pull to pursue a career with pan focusing on assessments - in my next posting I will explain why.

Gerry Groe

A few weekends back, I was at home watching a golf tournament on TV.  As I’m sitting on the couch, I see the familiar faces of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Anthony Kim making their way around the course.  But during one stretch of action, something caught my eye – player after player wearing Nike apparel.  I thought back to my junior (pre-Tiger) golf days when Nike had a limited golf line with just the basics – shirts, shoes, socks, hats, and the like. Now, though, you can head to your local sporting goods store and pick up Nike golf balls, bags, headcovers, and even clubs.  It is amazing what one endorsement contract has done for that company.

Thinking about what Tiger Woods did for Nike Golf, I wonder if organizations encounter the same situation. Can one superstar employee make a huge difference to a company? Probably so – a story in Inc. cited a case where a programmer at a technology company developed an idea that eventually became a seven-figure revenue generator. In light of stories like that, you have to wonder, What could the one right person do for my company?  And more importantly, how do you find that employee who can help take your business to another level?  

I think there are multiple answers to that question. First, organizations should use the right pre-hire selection criteria. Utilizing valid pre-employment assessments, behavioral interviews, and situational judgment tests can help you to identify high potential job candidates who possess characteristics such as diligence, creativity, and ambition. Once employees are on the job, it is important to foster an organizational culture that encourages idea sharing and open communication. You could host an online discussion forum for idea sharing or sponsor idea generation drives to motivate employees to “think outside the box.” Finally, it is important to invest in employee professional development. Providing opportunities for individuals to grow and learn may lead them to develop ideas they never would have thought of otherwise. In addition, investing in your employees’ development is likely to increase their organizational engagement and may motivate them to contribute at an even higher level to the overall success of the business.

Jenni Ginsburg

ETS recently rolled out a product called the Personal Potential Index. Intended for use by graduate school applicants, it is a standardized rating form with 24 items pertaining to factors such as creativity, communication skills, and teamwork that is completed by a set of student-nominated “evaluators” (typically professors). The intent is to provide graduate program admission committees with information beyond GPA, GRE scores, and the traditionally glowing letters of recommendation. (Exaggerated letters of recommendation are not a new problem; there is a classic American Psychologist article from 1966 on the topic rather brilliantly entitled “Mine Eyes Have Seen a Host of Angels.”)

The ETS tool is premised upon the recognition that non-cognitive factors likely contribute to success in graduate school (as well as virtually everywhere else in life) and part of a larger ETS project to find ways of assessing them. There are concerns about using self-report inventories in a graduate admissions context due to “faking” (though such instruments have been found to function effectively in pre-employment situations). As a result, attention is being directed to rating scales as well as biodata and situational judgment tests.

The Personal Potential Index appears to be a work in progress. There are plans for developing local norms as well as procedures to adjust for differences in individual rater severity.  Additionally, only further research will be able to determine the extent to which this rating approach actually adds any incremental validity (and all of this is predicated upon the ability to collect enough real-life data). A concern that comes to my mind is the degree to which most professors actually have enough observational data to accurately rate their undergraduate students’ “non-academic” behaviors, especially in the case of institutions with large, often anonymous, classes. Additionally, one also wonders about the extent to which raters, knowing the implications of their evaluations, will engage in the same rampant exaggeration that is well-recognized in letters of recommendation.

Reid Klion

pan offers a wide range of assessments that are suitable for use as employment screening solutions. Employment screening tools can assess a number of factors ranging from work skills and cognitive ability to work attitudes and conscientiousness. The aptitudes career tests of this nature measure need to be tailored to fit the requirements of the specific job at hand. Using assessments to screen employees can be the critical key to building a successful organization because, regardless of the nature of the business, it is vital to select the people who have the right skills. Implementing employment screening tools early in the selection process brings a number of benefits. First, employment screening tools can help to identify those applicants who are clearly not qualified for the position at hand. This helps to limit the pool of applicants to only those candidates who may be of realistic interest to the organization. These tools can also help to identify the candidates who are most likely to be good employees so that recruitment efforts might be prioritized for this set of individuals. Finally, by integrating employment screening tools into applicant tracking systems, the assessment process essentially becomes part of the application process and yields a complete employment screening solution for the organization.

One of my favorite places is the lawn at Verizon Wireless Music Center.  Deer Creek, as it is still affectionately known by local residents, is an outdoor amphitheater located just north of Indianapolis.  I have spent many nights there--enjoying alternative rock as a misunderstood (or so it seemed) teenager, classic rock as a cool (or so I thought) undergrad, and contemporary rock as a well-rounded (or so I hope) adult.  

At a recent live show, I took notice of the hundreds of employees at the venue. They are all temporary or seasonal workers – Indiana weather being what it is, the music center is not open in the winter.  I wondered how these people got their jobs.  Some of the security guards looked as if their physical stature alone may have secured them a position.  But what about the young man selling beverages or the ladies working the souvenir stand?  

Temporary employees are a unique segment of the workforce. Selecting them can be a challenge because the jobs hold no promise of longevity or advancement and the most important requirements may be personality traits, such as dependability or a focus on satisfying customers. Staffing agencies and other organizations that hire temporary employees should consider pre-employment assessments as an effective and efficient way to gain information about job candidates without having to spend the time and resources necessary to conduct an interview.  For instance, integrity tests can be used to predict counterproductive behaviors such as absenteeism and theft. Personality-based assessments can be used to determine how conscientious and reliable a person is, likely important in most if not all temporary positions. This type of assessment can also provide information on traits like assertiveness and stress tolerance which may be important in specific roles as security guards or gate/ticket checkers.  Finally, biodata instruments can be used to assess a person’s fit for a certain position in customer service and sales by examining work experience, attitudes, interests, and values.

Jocelyn Courtney-Hays

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