While virtually all the proctored testing that pan does is in the HR space, there is a huge amount of proctored testing that takes place within an education context--think PSAT, SAT,  MCAT, GRE, LSAT and the like. A recent NYT piece focuses on the problem of proctors who fail to do their jobs or even manage to be disruptive during SAT testing sessions. The article indicates that SAT proctors are not specifically trained for the task (which surprised me a bit since our policy is to train all proctors on each program they supervise).  And reviewing some of the reported issues that occur during paper and pencil testing, it is clear that computer-based test administration (as we use in our testing centers) can ensure a much more standardized experience in terms of test timing, the right test forms going to the right candidate, and the like.

One bit of advice provided by an SAT test coach (yes, this is apparently a whole industry in and of itself) is that if a candidate notices a problem during test administration, he or she should either voice a complaint immediately and ask that it be addressed or “forget about it” (as opposed to simply grumbling about it after the fact). Here, it is important that test takers assume some responsibility in advocating for themselves by pointing out problems if they become apparent. The coach also goes on to say that “you have to expect that there will be distractions. If you’re seated next to a kid who is muttering under his breath, or sneezing, or grunting, just deal with it. Move on.”

Reid Klion

We are often concerned about the role of self-presentation during hiring situations. For example, much attention has been devoted to understanding hown “faking good” may impact personality assessments, the potential role of cheating on exams, and the fact that people tend to exaggerate their qualifications during interview situations. That being the case, at least the folks who engage in these behaviors are making an effort to present themselves in a positive light (and, as have some like Bob Hogan argue, the ability and willingness to present oneself positively is often a critical job qualification in and of itself).

In contrast, consider those individuals who fail to put their best foot forward when applying for a job (and the reaction this tends to elicit from hiring personnel). For example, virtually all of us can recount instances of job candidates who have multiple misspellings on their résumés, manifest a complete lack of phone etiquette, and the like.  To this end, a recent CNN article took an informal survey of hiring managers on some of the grossly inappropriate behaviors they have seen during interviews. These include job candidates answering cell phones during an interview, acting bizarrely, and being completely uninformed about the company or what it does. While it has been well-established that non-structured interviews are poor predictors of future job performance, it is also clear that certain interview behaviors are too salient and extreme to be ignored even by the most heavily research-based interviewer.

Reid Klion

Awareness and prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace has been a major concern for the past several years. In 2008, the EEOC received almost 15,000 complaints of sexual harassment with employers having to pay nearly $50 million in resultant benefits.

There have been growing concerns about the role of e-mail and text messaging in this, and a recent SHRM article outlines some of these issues. The piece makes a couple of excellent points about how social networking sites can lead to a blurring of the line between the social and work domains (where behavior acceptable in one’s personal life may not be appropriate for the workplace) and how the informal and spontaneous nature of texting may lead to types of communication that might not take place if a different medium were used.

The challenge for HR professionals lies in providing appropriate workplace training to educate employees about the potential negative implications of their behavior as well as of the appropriate use of company resources.  Employees should also likely be reminded that their workplace electronic communications typically can be accessed in the case of a complaint. For example, records of inappropriate text messages between the ex-mayor of Detroit and his chief of staff were one set of factors that lead to his eventual resignation. The bottom line is that employees need to be aware of policies regarding sexual harassment and that they still pertain whether an interaction is electronic or in person.

Reid Klion

Thomas Friedman, well-known author and columnist, recently wrote  about the workers he labels the “untouchables.” He argues that those individuals who have the imagination and drive to “invent smarter ways to do old jobs, energy-saving ways to provide new services, new ways to attract old customers or new ways to combine existing technologies” are the people who are critical to organizations that want to be successful in today’s economic environment. As a result, these employees will always be of great value. In contrast, average workers who can only carry out routine work are becoming increasingly endangered because many of these tasks can be automated or outsourced. Friedman further points out how our educational system needs to find ways to increase the number of students with high level problem solving and analytic skills and have a spirit of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. However, until that day (and if it ever comes), it is incumbent upon employers to carefully select and build a workforce comprised of individuals who can truly create value for their organization.

Reid Klion

The program for the Association of Test Publisher’s Innovations in Testing Conference (to be held February 7-10, 2010 in Orlando) is now available. As usual, there appear to be a large number of interesting presentations on the docket. Some that initially caught my eye focused on topics including a survey about the future of testing, detecting cheating, and ATP’s new revised guidelines on pre-employment integrity testing. Also, registration is open with a $75 discount to folks who do so before November 16.

Reid Klion

I receive regular updates from ATA which is the largest testing company in China (and also happens to trade on the NASDAQ as ATAI). Last month, they administered the National Judicial Examination in China to more than 350,00 candidates. An individual must pass this exam to work in Chinese legal system and is a requirement for lawyers, prosecutors, and judges. Due to the high stakes nature of this exam, there were major concerns about cheating. (Cheating on exams in China has been an issue for over 2000 years with reports dating back to at least the Han Dynasty. There are a number of cultural factors which contribute to this which I hope to find the time to blog about fairly soon.)

In addition to taking candidates’ temperatures to make sure no one was ill, many test centers were also outfitted with handheld devices to detect the presence of wireless earphones well as equipment to block mobile phone signals. Additionally, 8 fixed monitoring stations and 2 mobile signal detection vehicles (labeled “Signal Detection”) were used to identify “suspicious” signals in the proximity of testing centers in  Beijing. In at least one instance, a test taker was discovered to have a wrist watch which could send and receive data. 

Reid Klion

Back in August, Charles Handler of Rocket-Hire released his annual Online Assessment Usage Survey. Surveying almost 150 persons who work in the areas of recruitment and hiring, he found that approximately 2/3 of respondents use assessments. Of those using assessments, almost a third report using online processes exclusively. The types of assessments that are most broadly used are personality measures, tests of skills and knowledge, and cognitive tools. He has yet to release the full report but will forward a copy when it is complete. Charles is about the only the only independent source of information on online assessment  and is certainly one of the foremost experts in the area.

Reid Klion

A few months ago, I took on the role of mentor in one of the organizations that I participate in outside of work.  When I enrolled in the program, I hadn’t served in a mentor role before and sought the guidance of others to make sure my mentee had a positive experience.  Fortunately, the program had information and suggestions for both me in my role as the mentor as well as for my mentee.

Checklist in hand, I set up the “get to know you” meeting.  We met and learned the basic facts about each other (jobs, families, hobbies, etc.) and then I spent some finding out what she wanted to know, learn, or walk away with from the experience.  Since this mentoring experience was through our golf organization, I assumed that her goal was to improve her score.  But I was wrong; she wanted to learn some basic rules, how to set up a tee time, how to keep score, and other etiquette so she would be comfortable playing with friends and colleagues.  

We spent some time on those goals the first night and I could tell she really wanted to learn and grow, based on the types of questions she asked and the enthusiasm she showed.  Our next meeting happened to be during one of our league nights where we were paired with two others from the organization. I could tell she was nervous, but as the round progressed she put into action the items she learned and saw that she was not out-of-place at all.  In our other meetings since then, her confidence has only continued to grow as she becomes more and more comfortable on the course.

I was able to see what my mentee learned from the experience, but I’m not sure she realizes the impact she had on me.  I already knew the skills she wanted to learn, but realized that I took them for granted.  I found myself stopping and explaining my automatic movements such as where to park the cart or where on the green to lay the flagstick.  I would see her excitement when she hit a good shot or made a long putt and realized the simple joy the game can bring for people at  different levels of experience.  As a single mother of three (all under 5), I realized the sacrifices she made in order to achieve her goals.  Outside of our time together, I found myself playing with a slightly different perspective; not as concerned about my score and instead appreciating the good moments in the round and trying to help others as they needed it.   

Reflecting back, mentoring was definitely a positive experience for me. I am certainly interested in doing it again, especially now that I better understand the impact it can have on others.

Jenni Ginsburg

Jack Jones, Ph.D.,  respected colleague and Vice President of Human Capital Sciences at Vangent (a long-time pan content partner) has a recent article in Talent Management on how poor economic conditions may increase the prevalence of problematic behavior at work. While some of the factors cited include the fairly obvious such as increased general stress and financial needs, he also outlines how more subtle dynamics such as decreased levels of supervision due to staffing cuts or even poor maintenance of a facility’s physical plant can also contribute. The latter may be related to the “broken window” concept in urban sociology which argues that if vandalized windows are quickly repaired, it tends to dissuade further acts of minor anti-social behavior in the neighborhood. Similarly, if there is an increased sense of disorder at work, it may influence the increased expression of deviant behavior.

The article goes on to describe the extent to which candidates will admit to specific counterproductive behaviors as assessed by the Reid Report with the most common  being fired from prior jobs, having multiple unexcused absences from work, and giving unauthorized discounts. A brief case example of ROI is provided citing a retailer that estimated an annual savings of $6 million by screening out high risk candidates.

Reid Klion

Martin Seligman is a well-known psychologist whose early work focused on the concept of learned helplessness, the finding that when some people suffer uncontrollable negative events, they tend to become passive, depressed, and simply stop making any effort to alter their situation. However, in reaction to his concerns that mental health researchers (including himself) are almost exclusively concerned with problems in living, Seligman has focused his research over the past several years on the concept of positive psychology which studies as he puts it, “positive emotion (the pleasant life), engagement, (the engaged life), and purpose (the meaningful life).” Stated simply, his area of study is positive health, not pathology. Given that much of clinical psychology has been problem-oriented, his work has been groundbreaking.

Seligman recently won a major award from the British Academy for this work. To honor him, his publisher has made a number of his papers available free of charge until the end of 2009 including a key paper on positive psychology. If you have a free moment, it is probably worth a look. One of the major findings he discusses is how positive affect has a direct impact upon physical health.

Reid Klion