If you have First off, what are cognitive assessments?
Simply put, a cognitive assessment test measures an individual’s ability to think critically. By focusing on crucial mental processes, these tests can evaluate the subject’s ability to reason, solve problems, comprehend ideas, and learn quickly. They are distinct from behavioral assessment tests, which are also an essential part of the recruitment process thanks to their ability to reveal how employees behave in work situations and what natural tendencies they tend to exhibit.
General cognitive ability appears to be relevant to work performance even when job specifics vary. In other words, while skill requirements vary greatly among different jobs, general cognitive ability contributes to success in many fields, especially for jobs with complex responsibilities.
This is because people with greater cognitive ability tend to learn new tasks more quickly and absorb new information more readily. Cognitive ability is actually a rather broad concept that includes many types of mental processes. Verbal and mathematical aptitude are the abilities most typically tested, but a well-designed cognitive assessment interview scrutinizes various areas.
Therefore, a cognitive assessment test results are much more nuanced than a simple IQ (intelligence quotient) score. When used in conjunction with behavioral assessment tests, cognitive assessments help assure that hiring decisions are in the organization's best interest and that individuals with the greatest chance of success are selected.
Cognitive assessment tools help avoid bad hiring decisions, which can be extremely costly. The Harvard Business Review reports that as much as 80 percent of staff turnover is attributed to poor hiring decisions. According to some estimates, the average cost to replace a poor hire is about a third of the annual salary and benefits. This means it could cost $15,000 to replace an incumbent earning $45,000 in salary and benefits. Making the right hire the first time is critically important.
The best cognitive assessment tools help substitute for insufficient information gleaned from references. As more references provide only the basics and shy away from giving an honest appraisal, companies are always looking for other ways to obtain a more comprehensive assessment. More importantly, the data generated by cognitive assessments are far less biased than the candidate's references.
Every professional position requires the new hire to adapt to a different environment, regardless of how similar their previous job was. Getting these employees up to speed on their job responsibilities can be a daunting process. If they can’t absorb information quickly, onboarding could take even longer to complete. Cognitive assessments evaluate a new hire’s capacity to quickly learn the job and begin producing results for the organization.
The average job tenure for employees between the ages of 25 and 34 is only three years. With so much turnover, it is critically important to identify job candidates who can catch on quickly and are likely to remain in their position for the long term. Finding candidates with the ability to be successful for prolonged periods of time is incredibly important for organizational stability and growth. This has led many organizations to implement various cognitive assessment tools for adults to identify candidates who could have a long future with the company.
Cognitive assessment interview tests have been tested and highly reliable and statistically valid for many jobs. Furthermore, validity increases along with the greater complexity of more demanding jobs. Because tests can be administered to applicants in a mere 15 minutes or so, they are among the most widely used cognitive assessment tools in use today. They make a significant contribution to evaluating applicant suitability to the job without slowing the selection and hiring process. The tests have natural advantages in terms of ease and low cost of administration. If you have several applicants to test, it can be done simultaneously in groups. The tests are scored rapidly by computer scanning equipment.
While cognitive assessments are often used during the hiring process, they can also be quite valuable for developmental purposes. The assessment results provide a good baseline for the candidate’s skills and capabilities, which can then inform future development efforts. After the candidate is hired, additional testing can evaluate their self-awareness, plan career development, and enhance team performance.
Cognitive assessments are one of the most powerful tools available to an organization during the hiring process. Instead, they relying on gut instinct or guessing how a candidate might perform in a new role; cognitive assessments provide actionable data that can be used to make better decisions and deliver measurable results. Armed with this information, organizations are more likely to make the right hire the first time and significantly reduce the costs so often associated with filling a critical position.
As a hiring manager, you’ve probably seen it all… the no-shows, the ones who walk in late as if they are on time (no explanation, no apology), the ones who can’t answer a single question thoroughly, to the ones who spend a very, very long time answering your first question.
I once started an interview with my standard icebreaker – so tell me a little about yourself – and the candidate deep dove into his professional history from his first job at the DQ to every company thereafter. It was the director’s cut of his resume and lasted a full 40 minutes, the highlights punctuated by him rapping his knuckles loudly on the table. I’d never been bored and startled at the same time before. But you know the saying, you have to kiss a lot of frogs before one turns into your next A-player or something like that.
Some candidates are super helpful and tell you all you need to know with honesty to decide. I recently had someone tell me he’d always answer the phone at the end of the day unless it were a Friday before a three-day weekend because why risk it. Who says that?! Of course, it did make my job easier. Here are 9 more tips your interview is going nowhere.
But some candidates are more … creative. Take these scenarios, for example.
"I work through problems collaboratively," which you later discover means the candidate will be spending lots of time discussing weekend plans in the break room.
How about?
"I build consensus through multiple organizational levels," and that turns out to be "I plan to stop in everyone’s office at least once a day to discuss Game of Thrones and how much I miss it."
Or,
"I have high customer satisfaction across many industries," which ends up being a nice way of saying, "I have yet to find what I’m good at, so I change jobs… A LOT."
And finally, you discover that the candidate’s eloquent discussion of their thoughtful due diligence and contemplative attitude means they will sit and ponder things like;
“Why do we call them cupcakes and not babycakes?”
Interviewing is one way we get to know candidates to decide if they are the right fit for the job and our work culture. But a couple of hour-long meetings aren’t really enough time to peel back the layers and see the true person. As we all know, it’s easy to spin negatives into positives on a resume and even in person. Still, interviews are an essential selection tool and should represent about 30% of your overall hiring decision. But what about that other 70%?
Good question. That boils down to several other selection tools.
First, you examine the candidate’s work experience and skills, along with the potential for learning and growing in the job and organization. Some of that is done in the interview, but we also suggest testing for those hard skills that you require in the job. For example, if you are hiring an accountant, you might want to test some basic accounting tasks to ensure the candidate knows the difference between a debit and a credit. You might also consider a cognitive assessment – Omnia has a great one – to determine general mental aptitude.
Do they have the cognitive wherewithal to work through problems and take logical action? All of that should make up another 25% of your overall decision.
You might look at:
Employment personality testing is a great way to complement the interview process. First, because it really does compliment the process; it doesn’t replace it. You want the icing and the cake. I’m all about getting my hands on as much data and insight as possible when hiring. When you’re dealing with people and human behavior, it’s complex, so the more you know, the better off you’ll be.
The Omnia assessment provides data insight into your candidate's innate behaviors, which you can use to determine the fit and future potential. For example, if you are hiring a salesperson, you want to make sure your candidate has the best innate talent for the job. Omnia’s pre-employment personality test can tell you the level of assertiveness your sales candidate has. A high level of assertiveness is the key behavioral trait found in most successful salespeople. Highly assertive people have the drive and competitive spirit of pushing past obstacles and closing deals repeatedly.
If you hire someone with a high level of caution, they might “go after” only the low-hanging fruit or take orders rather than make them. There is also a higher than average chance the employee will burn out quickly. It takes a lot of energy to work against your natural “grain.” Knowing in advance if your candidates have the basic competitiveness for sales is the first step towards hiring the best candidate.
Omnia’s personality assessment measures four behaviors – assertiveness, communication/thinking style, pace, and need for structure. Before the hire, you'll know if your candidate has the natural analytical aptitude to work as your bookkeeper or the strong attention to detail you want for your order entry CSR. Looking for a bold leader who can brush off criticism and make decisions with limited information? The Omnia assessment can give you that insight. And best of all, you can use this data for employee development throughout the employee’s entire professional journey within your organization. A behavioral assessment can be used for employee engagement, motivation, and workforce optimization.
Of course, there’s a catch. There’s always a catch. The candidate must be willing to use those innate talents for good (and not ignore that last phone call the Friday before a long weekend), which speaks to work ethic and integrity. The right candidate has all the right ingredients to be successful. By using a personality assessment, a cognitive aptitude test, skills tests, and a well-thought-out interview, you’ll have all the pieces you need to make the best decisions for your team, department, and company.
Using various tools to help make your next hiring decision, you increase your hiring odds and zero in more easily on the best candidate. When deciding who you want to work with you, availing yourself of as many tools and as much information as possible is the best way to hire successfully.
What would happen if you introduced an employee cognitive assessment to your workforce? It might raise a few eyebrows. However, if you do it correctly, your workers might embrace it for pre-employment testing.
The candidates look great on paper. You’re trying to test their soft skills by hosting an initial group interview. It lets you narrow down the number of professionals who would be good candidates to fill the open position. With pre-employment testing, you succeed in further narrowing down the field.
You might do so by providing scenarios the ideal candidate would have to handle on the job.
Problem-solving skills. You’re hiring a customer service manager. The scenario involves the sudden influx of a large group of customers that require service. The professional is short-handed and has to assist not only multiple employees but also customers. How will the candidate handle this scenario?
Abstract thinking. The candidate receives a situation scenario that includes the concept of changing product descriptions. They have to apply the new information to the old data that employees and customers had access to all this time. How will the individual explain the changes so that the conversations result in sales or upsells?
Adaptability to changing situations. Being able to adapt is a big deal. Frequently, you don’t know what a candidate is made of until everything goes wrong. In this test scenario, the candidate learns that they are training a group of employees on a new process. However, the computer system crashes. Therefore, the candidate now has to find solutions to this problem while continuing with the training session.
Someone who applies to be a customer service manager needs different technical skills and education than someone who wants to work for you as a registered nurse. Each profession has its own set of hard skills. However, every position requires a certain level of cognitive aptitude. While that level varies by position, the ability to reason, solve problems, and comprehend situations is valuable across the board.
These tests give you something to go on as you narrow down your candidate pool to make the best decision for your organization and department. They will help you separate excellent candidates with high problem-solving and reasoning skills from those without them.
The testing is a fantastic asset for companies of any size. However, it doesn’t guarantee that the highest-scoring individual is also the best choice for the job. Therefore, you can’t skimp on the other aspects of vetting candidates.
Cases in point are behavioral assessment tests, factoring in job experience, and going through a structured interview process. Only when you combine the results of these disciplines will you be able to have an accurate picture of the individual you’re thinking of adding to your workforce.
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So, why should you spend the money on an employee cognitive ability test? Can’t you just trust your hiring team’s best judgment? The answer is no. Because you need to avoid the revolving door of employee turnover, it’s essential to go through your candidate’s list with a fine-toothed comb. And your hiring managers will appreciate having objective tools to help them make the best final decision.
The cost you expend on attracting and interviewing qualified candidates is already high. Therefore, spend a little extra money on vetting the highest-qualified individuals to ensure that they’re not just a good fit but an excellent one. If you make the right choice here, you might find the candidate with a superb shot at taking advantage of the upward mobility your company offers.
Make a mistake, and you may have someone who’ll be stuck in a position they eventually come to resent. Most importantly, the new hire may leave quickly when it becomes evident that they’re not cut out for the job or moving up. An employee cognitive assessment can help prevent this problem from occurring in the first place.
Figures vary as to the financial impact of a poor hiring decision on small businesses, but the general consensus is that the cost of employee turnover is high.
Some experts estimate the cost at about 150% of an employee’s annual compensation, with a much higher cost for those in managerial and sales jobs. This means that for a job paying $50,000 per year, the cost of a single turnover in that position may be about $75,000.
Looking at the turnover rate in small businesses is even more revealing.
The turnover rate is expressed as a ratio. It is the number of employees who leave in a year’s time divided by the total number of employees at the beginning of the year. In other words, if you have 50 employees and 10 quit during the year, you have a turnover rate of 20%. If you have a mere five employees, only one needs to leave to result in that same substantial turnover rate.
Why is the cost of employee turnover so high?
The cost of turnover includes both the cost of hiring a replacement employee and training that new employee. Some of these costs are obvious, such as paying recruiters to identify candidates.
“Opportunity costs” are what we call the indirect costs resulting from opportunities the company couldn’t take advantage of. These include reduced sales because incoming calls aren’t answered and delays in product development.
When a company is reduced to constant firefighting, it isn’t installing fire-prevention systems, let alone extinguishing embers before they ignite.
What is a behavioral assessment in a workplace context?
An effective behavioral assessment reveals an individual’s personality tendencies in the workplace and relates these tendencies to the specified position being considered. The client company provides a customized position description and other input, enabling a comparison of applicant characteristics to those of employees succeeding in the job, the workplace, and the supervisor. The assessment matches candidate traits with company requirements and culture.
The assessment does not make the hiring decision—it provides information to aid in the employer’s decision-making process.
How behavioral assessments improve hiring decisions
Behavioral assessments are unbiased. The more an interview veers from a list of standardized questions, the greater the opportunity for bias. Rapport allows for more insight into how the hiring manager and other staff will relate with the individual and the role he will play in the company. It feeds interviewers’ intuition, which is beneficial. However, objective assessments provide a valuable counterbalance to this intuition.
Behavioral assessments contribute traits to probe in the hiring process. The assessment may show that the candidate has most of the characteristics that have been identified for the position but there may still be a few question marks related to the specific job. Is the person sufficiently (or overly) detail-oriented? Is he able to work well under pressure? Does he prefer to work independently or cooperatively? The hiring team can explore these issues in interviews with the candidate or with references to confirm the nature of these traits and determine if the job and team can be configured to deal with these traits or if the candidate is a no-go.
Behavioral assessments reduce costs and contribute to the success
We tend to think of behavioral assessments as a big-company practice. The larger the company, the more likely it is to spend money on formal processes, including behavioral assessments.
However, this is a big mistake!
The larger the company, the higher the number of other staffers to pick up the slack from an underproducing employee . . . the more ways the company can tweak assignments and team configurations to manage around prickly employees . . . the less impact when an employee quits or is terminated . . . the greater the HR resources available to coach, counsel, and discipline problem employees.
Smaller companies can least afford expensive hiring errors. Behavioral assessments are a sound investment in effective hiring and retention.
We all recognize the pivotal role that customer service plays in business success. When mishandled, it sends ripples throughout the company, impacting not only profits but also employee recruitment and retention. Having the wrong people in key positions inevitably leads to a short-lived tenure for employees. Now, consider the following two statements for your customer service team – who would you chose:
What sets these statements apart is one critical difference that could frustrate both you as a leader and your customers. This article will unveil this difference shortly. Your customer service representatives serve as the frontline ambassadors of your brand. Their role goes beyond issue resolution; they're tasked with creating positive experiences that nurture customer loyalty and drive revenue. So, let’s discuss the importance of hiring talented customer service reps, the repercussions of neglecting this aspect, and actionable tips to empower you in the hiring and development process.
At its core, extraordinary service involves a genuine commitment to meeting and exceeding customer expectations at every touchpoint. It's about actively listening to customers, anticipating their needs, and demonstrating a sincere willingness to assist. Whether it's addressing inquiries, resolving issues, or delivering products and services, meticulous care and precision ensures that every aspect of their experience is executed to the highest standards. In essence, remarkable customer service is not just about meeting requirements — it's about creating memorable and meaningful interactions that leave a lasting impression of trust, satisfaction, and loyalty.
A business that neglects to prioritize the hiring and development of their service team risks facing a myriad of detrimental consequences. For example:
Recognizing the traits of outstanding customer service representatives is vital to building a resilient and customer-centric workforce. Some key attributes to look for include:
The Omnia Group offers invaluable tools to assist with hiring by identifying candidates who possess the essential traits as well as with developing existing employees:
This report provides deep insights into an individual's innate traits, facilitating informed hiring decisions and ensuring alignment with your organization's culture and values. By evaluating candidates' behavioral tendencies, communication styles, and problem-solving approaches, you can identify those best suited for customer-facing roles.
The most comprehensive offering, individually tailored by skilled analysts, provides a thorough explanation of candidates’ behavioral styles, supervisor and peer comparisons, and management recommendations, empowering you to make strategic talent decisions. By leveraging data-driven insights, you can optimize team dynamics, minimize interpersonal conflicts, and maximize individual performance potential.
Measures an individual's general mental ability, reflecting their aptitude for comprehending ideas and solving problems. This evaluation provides an enlightening picture of a person's ability to understand and apply concepts to different situations.
Crafted specifically to be shared with the service rep to give them and the leader actionable insights for skill enhancement. By understanding employees' service preferences, strengths, and developmental opportunities, you can tailor training initiatives, coaching interventions, and recognition programs to support their professional growth and job satisfaction.
Cast a wide net and leverage multiple channels to attract diverse talent pools. Incorporate behavioral assessments and structured interviews to evaluate candidates' suitability for customer service roles. Seek individuals who not only possess the requisite skills and experience but also demonstrate a genuine passion for serving others and exceeding customer expectations.
Provide opportunities for mentorship, cross-training, and professional development to foster growth and engagement. Encourage a culture of lifelong learning, where employees are empowered to seek out new challenges, acquire new skills, and pursue career advancement opportunities within the organization.
Acknowledge distinguished performance, solicit feedback, and create avenues for employee recognition and rewards to boost morale and motivation. Consider implementing peer-to-peer recognition programs, quarterly awards ceremonies, and milestone celebrations to reinforce a culture of appreciation and gratitude.
Cultivate a supportive environment where employees feel empowered to voice concerns, share ideas, and collaborate on process improvements. Establish regular check-ins, town hall meetings, and anonymous feedback channels to foster transparent communication and trust within the organization.
Consider offering service reps bonuses instead of commission, flexible work arrangements, and comprehensive benefits to enhance employee satisfaction. Conduct regular salary benchmarking exercises to ensure that your compensation practices remain competitive and equitable in the marketplace.
As companies continue to evolve and innovate, the one thing that will never change and is the cornerstone of success is a dedication to customer-centric service. Hiring and retaining amazing customer service representatives is not only essential for meeting customer expectations but also for driving sustainable business growth and maintaining a competitive edge in today's market landscape.
Did you spot the difference between the A and B service personalities in the beginning of the blog? The main distinction between the two was attention to detail. Customer service reps need to be detail attentive to help ensure accurate, thorough work results. As a leader, how frustrating is it to find mistakes or, worse, have customers call in about mistakes that were made? When this happens, productivity, profits, and employee and customer satisfaction take a hit. Wouldn’t it be great to know if the people applying for your open service position had these essential traits before you make a hire? You can!
By leveraging the insights and tools provided by The Omnia Group and implementing actionable strategies for recruitment, development, engagement, and retention, you can build a resilient service team that consistently delivers exceptional customer experiences and stellar results for your company.
Tampa-based company announces new, improved user interface for their Cognitive and Grammar assessments.
TAMPA, FL, October 24, 2023 –– The Omnia Group, a trusted employment assessment company specializing in hiring and professional development, has announced modernizations to their automated Cognitive and Grammar assessments designed to improve the user experience.
In the continuous pursuit of optimizing the assessment-taking process, The Omnia Group’s Cognitive and Grammar assessments are now mobile friendly. Along with our entire suite of pre-employment and coaching assessments, the Cognitive and Grammar assessments seamlessly adapt to all devices, delivering a more flexible, streamlined experience for our valued users.
“We are committed to continually enhancing our products and how users and clients interface with them. Our team has worked diligently to implement these valuable upgrades, and I am excited for how the fruits of their labor will make the user experience more enjoyable,” said Keather Snyder, President and COO of The Omnia Group.
The Omnia Group announced their new mobile-friendly behavioral assessment, updated Target Selection and Development reports, and other significant product updates earlier this year. To learn more about these updates, visit What’s New on their website.
About The Omnia Group
Through a simple yet sophisticated behavioral assessment, Omnia empowers HR and business leaders to continuously grow, develop, and inspire their workforce. Omnia offers a variety of insightful reports, resources, and tools to help leaders understand, empower, and evolve their people.
Founded in 1985 by husband and wife, John and Heather Caswell, Omnia was one of the first to pioneer behavioral analysis in the workplace and quickly became one of the most relied on pre-employment and developmental assessment companies in the U.S. Omnia takes pride in their ability to help clients hire and retain their employees through effectively using assessments during their hiring and development processes.
If you’re interested in learning more about Omnia, you can visit www.omniagroup.com or contact their team at info@omniagroup.com or by calling 800-525-7117.
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