HR Tips From Candidate Resources, Inc.
Guidance in hiring and employee management for the modern workplace.
By Eric Cotter
Š Copyright 2020 by Candidate Resources, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright owner. All inquiries should be addressed to: Candidate Resources, Inc. 524 E. Lamar Blvd. Suite 170 Arlington, TX 76011 www.criw.com Sales and Technical Support: (800) 328-1940 Ext. 5 Corporate Office: (972) 641-5494 Email: info@criw.com Printed in the United States of America
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HR TIPS FROM CANDIDATE RESOURCES INC.
Table of Contents
About CRI
01
Combat Unconscious Bias
02
Selecting Adaptive Employees
05
Ingenuity, Initiative, Work Ethic
06
Engaged Employess
08
Stress in the Workplace
09
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ABOUT CRI
Eric Cotter has more than 30 years experience in pre-employment assessment development, validation and implementation . An integral part of making the Achiever family of assessments an industry leader, Eric provides expertise in utilizing assessment technology to identify and develop talent for maximum effectiveness, for both employer and employee.
EMPLOYMENT ASSESSMENT PIONEERS
CRI specializes in recruiting, hiring strategy and pre employment assessments to make hiring easy. The Achiever Assessment™, was the first workplace assessment to combine mental, personality, and validity assessment in a single test. CRI owns the copyright to this comprehensive approach. All similar tests are derivatives of The Achiever Assessment™. Hiring is simple with CRI assessments, which are available online and only take an hour to complete.
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COMBAT UNCONSCIOUS BIAS Unconscious bias is a reflection of snap judgments developed over time as a result of our upbringing, culture, environmental conditions and experiences. Simplistically referred to as stereotypes, unconscious bias is challenging because we make these judgments without realizing it.
TYPES OF UNCONSCIOUS BIAS While unconscious bias can appear in many different forms, following are the most common and how they manifest themselves in the workplace: HALO & HORNS EFFECTS
COMPARE / CONTRAST EFFECTS
This tendency emphasizes the outstanding attributes of a candidate or employee by letting the ”halo” of that attribute cloud our overall opinion of the person. The “horns” effect is the opposite – allowing someone’s negative attributes to overshadow their positives.
Comparing and contrasting helps provide context, but comparing candidates or employees against each other based on subjective criteria can lead to false conclusions.
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CONFIRMATION BIAS
AFFINITY BIAS
Like the Compare/Contrast effect, confirmation bias involves utilizing subjective criteria to confirm initial impressions of an individual. We have a tendency to seek out information that supports our opinion and dismiss information that does not.
This reflects our desire to seek out individuals who are similar to us in some way because it makes them easier to relate to or we assume that such individuals will automatically be a good fit for the role or organization.
There is one common aspect these four types of unconscious bias have in common – subjectivity. To limit the effect subjectivity can have, seek to develop talent selection strategies that utilize objective systems that focus on data. The use of assessments is one way an employer can reduce bias in the selection process. A properly developed and validated assessment test doesn’t take into consideration where a candidate went to school or other background characteristics that might influence an interviewer. Instead, it will provide a fair and objective picture of how a candidate might perform in a role.
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To ensure that the assessment utilized provides an all encompassing view of the candidate, it should combine measurements of both aptitudes and behaviors. Aptitude assessments ensure that the individual possesses the mental abilities to handle the role, while a personality questionnaire offers insight into whether the candidate has the behavioral traits necessary for success in the role and will fit well within the organization framework.
Additionally, the assessment should provide structured interview guides related to the individual’s assessment results. An interviewer should always ask structured, competency and/or strengths-based questions that probe for the desired attitudes and behaviors. These structured questions will guard against any inappropriate probes that might be biased or worse, violate employment law. Behavioral interview questions will generate probing questions that hiring managers can ask to check and verify each candidate’s competencies, behaviors and suitability. Used in this way, a properly developed, validated and implemented assessment can provide the objectivity employers need to combat unconscious bias.
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SELECTING ADAPTIVE EMPLOYEES With technology constantly evolving and improving, it is essential that employers stay ahead of the game. Even with the latest software, protocols, languages, and platforms, if companies become complacent they will be left behind by competitors who are constantly striving to improve the functions of their organization. Hiring the right types of individuals who will push for this type of growth and innovation in the workplace is critical.
The Achiever assessment measures ten behavioral dimensions, two of which can help determine whether a future employee has what it takes to succeed in an evolving work environment. First, people who adapt to changes tend to be more creative and flexible, giving them the skills needed to consistently look for ways to improve current procedures or improve practices. Individuals who are motivated best through growth and progress in the workplace would also be ideal for these positions since it allows them to evolve with the company. These two traits are able to determine who has what it takes to be innovative and take the initiative to help keep your organization at the forefront of your industry.
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INGENUITY, INITIATIVE, WORK ETHIC
Ingenuity, initiative and work ethic are essential traits when unusual circumstances require that employees adapt to new work styles and processes. Combined, they reflect an employee’s ability to think about problems on their own, create a solution, implement a course of action, and follow through on their tasks. CRI assesses these traits by means of an assessment tool, The Achiever, which measures an applicant’s mental and behavioral qualities.
INGENUITY Ingenuity measures a person’s ability to be inventive, imaginative, or clever. We seek to measure this quality by observing how readily someone is willing to be an agent for change. Good mental acuity, flexibility, and an appetite for at least moderate risk are required for someone to think outside of the box and make decisions based on the information at hand instead of looking to prior situations for guidance. Individuals with these traits are more likely to push business forward and implement change and growth in the workplace.
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INITIATIVE Initiative is represented by a person’s power or ability to begin and/or follow through with a plan or task. While the Achiever measures several traits that influence initiative, two key behaviors measured are internal drive and assertiveness. People who possess strong initiative are characterized by good energy levels and a desire to control situations. Too little energy often results in poor selfmotivation while a passive nature can mean that an individual won’t take action when necessary.
WORK ETHIC Basically, work ethic is represented by a set of values based on moral virtues encompassing hard work and diligence. Employees with a strong work ethic are typically more reliable, dependable, and honest, and tend to work for the betterment of the company. Overall, they are good representatives of company objectives and morals. Whether or not they are consistent in their actions as well as their ability to adhere to policies and make decisions based on what is expected of them is also deduced from their level of flexibility.
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ENGAGED EMPLOYEES
Engaged employees tend to be individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform their job effectively and reach their full potential. They are typically confident individuals who believe they are in control of their own success and that rewards of their work efforts can come in the form of recognition, a raise, or promotion. Highly engaged employees are those who do not simply work every day for a paycheck, but rather invest in the company and contribute to the success and growth of the organization. Therefore, it is beneficial to determine if an individual is likely to be an engaged employee based on their mental ability and personality. By doing so, your organization may be able to reduce turnover rates and increase production, profits, and the overall morale of the organization.
In order to ascertain such information, there are several areas that need to be examined. First, does the individual have the knowledge and mental capacity to handle the requirements of the position? Next, do they possess a strong work ethic? Are they driven, motivated individuals who strive for success and can make decisions with the company’s interest in mind? These are key factors typically found in individuals who desire positions that offer a sense of accomplishment, contribution and recognition for their work efforts. CRI’s Achiever family of assessments measure mental abilities and behavioral dimensions that can help managers determine whether someone has the propensity to be an engaged employee.
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STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE According to the American Institute of Stress, “job stress is far and away the major source of stress for American adults and that it has escalated progressively over the past few decades.” An Integra Survey reported that many professionals consider stress a manageable, although unpleasant part of life. However, the stress can be detrimental. Scientists explain it like this: the more helpless one feels when facing a given stressor, the more toxic that stressor’s effects. Therefore, it is important that your employees have the ability to deal with stress and pressure and funnel their internal drive and motivation into production. This is especially true in the current environment of remote work where additional demands and distractions provide additional stressors.
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Knowing whether your employees and new hires have the personality to handle stress effectively is crucial. The Achiever assessment measures internal stress and energy levels and the results demonstrate whether a candidate or employee is restless or calm, or a balance between the two extremes, and how these traits impact the person’s ability to cope with stress. By knowing these tendencies, your organization can help first-line supervisors better manage and mitigate tasks and utilize the strength of your workforce.
Objective resources can help guide your workforce and utilize the skills of each person to grow your business, client base, and profitability.
For instance, if a candidate or employee demonstrates high internal energy and stress levels, they will require accommodations to help mitigate stress when remote work does not allow them opportunities to relieve their tension. Calm, relaxed individuals are likely to handle the stress of current circumstances better. However, the job requirements will also dictate the relative energy levels needed for each role, so a balance between job demands and stress mitigation should be found.
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