Benefits of Integrated Solutions
There can no longer be any doubt today that the quality of an organization’s staff has a crucial impact on its productivity, profitability and services. Because the personnel of an organization have become a key asset for organizations, those in charge of staff recruitment, now more than ever, need to be able to identify the best candidates for each vacant position. Within this context, researchers and practitioners are working to identify the personnel evaluation methods that are best able to predict future on-the-job productivity.
It has been clearly established that performance, in virtually any job, is dependent on a multitude of individual characteristics, including knowledge, aptitudes, abilities, personality, interests and motivation. Consequently, when the time comes to hire a new employee, it is only logical to select various evaluation tools that will enable an assessment of several of these traits in candidates, rather than just one evaluation method or a series of redundant instruments. In fact, studies have shown that the use of multiple tests, measuring different constructs linked to job performance, such as cognitive abilities and personality, makes the predictive capacity of the evaluation process greater than the sum of the prognostic capacities of each individual test.
From this perspective, using several complementary tests or assessment centres has become a part of the human resource management strategies of a large number of both public and private organizations. However, a non-negligible issue related to staff selection remains the cost of these assessment solutions. Indeed, although the added value of using several evaluation methods has been proven, having applicants take a large number of tests can prove costly for organizations.
The integrated solution was created in response to this drawback, with the goal of attaining maximum efficiency. An integrated solution is a tailor-made tool for a specific job type which allows for the assessment of several different constructs (e.g. personality, interest and knowledge) that are linked to performance in the given job. For instance, if a meticulous job analysis reveals that only certain personality traits are linked to a successful performance, or that only certain knowledge is indispensable, “tailored” tests can then be created, focusing solely on those key aspects. This way, the candidate will only need to complete one test containing several sections, rather than multiple tests. As a result, the different test sections will measure the separate constructs mentioned above and provide incremental (increased) validity, thanks to the inclusion of a special indicator in the assessment solution.
Finally, the decision to use a test as part of the hiring process should focus on the nature of the required job-related characteristic(s) that the future employer wants to evaluate. Indeed, examining the relationship between criteria (job requirements) and testing is rapidly becoming the preferred means of determining the value of staff selection tools. In short, integrated solutions are an attractive option for both organizations, looking to cut the costs associated with their selection processes, and candidates, whose test-taking time will be reduced.
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