MYTH: Assessments make it hard to fill open positions
We know that the labor remains tight right now, so companies are having trouble finding candidates to fill open seats. We understand there is a fear to adding any steps to the hiring process—particularly for external hiring—will lead to a loss of candidates and inability to fill seats.
TRUTH: Assessments accelerate selection of the “right” candidates
Keep in mind that candidate drop-off is only one part of the equation. Sure, there is the possibility that some candidates will consider any additional steps in their application process to be an off-ramp (and you might wonder how these candidates would handle slight challenges on the job!). But while removing the assessment step might lead to a short-term increase in candidates, it actually causes a more severe candidate funnel issue due to higher turnover and, therefore, the need to fill more seats! And importantly, without the assessment, the strain on internal resources due to needing to replace more employees is long-lasting.
To illustrate this with a real-life example, enter a nifty experiment we were able to run with one of our clients. This company – a large retailer who was deemed an essential business during Covid – fell prey to this myth and decided they wanted to turn the assessment off for their hourly staff. So we followed the people hired while the assessment was on and those hired while it was off and tracked their turnover rates. What we found was that those hired while the assessment was off turned over at a 27% higher rate. Which means 27% more seats coming open in the absence of the assessment. Ultimately the data tells us the assessment leads to a net increase in available labor.
Are you ready to bust some assessment myths? Over the next 4 Mondays we will focus on the 4 big myths about assessments from our previous webinar ‘Busting the Myths of Talent Assessment’. If you would like more insight or have any questions, comment below or reach out to your CSM. If you missed the webinar and want to learn more click here to register and review.
