1. Determine in advance which yardstick you will be using

Your yardstick comprises two indicators that are specifically relevant to a particular position: behavioural criteria and the candidate’s intelligence level. Be sure to establish your yardstick in advance. Assess each candidate on the basis of the same criteria. This way, you can avoid your perspective being clouded by a favourable impression left by a specific candidate. In short: evaluate each candidate on the basis of your previously-adopted yardstick, rather than making a direct comparison between individual candidates.

2. Ask the same questions

If you are interviewing multiple candidates for a particular position, be sure to ask them all the same questions. Evaluate the different candidates’ responses to each of these questions individually, rather than focussing on the overall impression they make. If you only look at the big picture, you risk losing sight of your yardstick.

3. The assessment: objective insight

The online assessment provides objective insight into a candidate’s individual strengths. You can immediately determine the candidate’s potential for success in a specific position.

4. Study the assessment report in advance

Study the available assessment reports in preparation for the interview. The results of the online tests shed light on the candidate’s particular strengths and weaknesses. This allows you to establish specific points of attention prior to the selection interview. This in turn contributes to a more targeted and efficient interview process.

Write down your findings:

What is your general impression of the candidate? What are the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses in the context of his or her proposed position? Which of these points would you like to find out more about over the course of the selection interview?

5. The score determines the candidate’s potential

A candidate’s score for a particular competency indicates to which degree he or she has potential for this competency. In other words: a higher score means that the candidate will find it easier to develop this competency than someone who scores lower in that respect. Incidentally, this does not necessarily mean that the candidate has already developed this competence and can be relied on to exhibit the associated behaviour in practice.

6. A low score may actually be good news

A candidate’s score in relation to a particular competency is a standard score, based on comparisons held within a large sample group. Please keep in mind that a low score in relation to a particular competence may be negative in the context of one position, but positive in the context of another. If a candidate scores low in the area of social skills for example, this may have negative consequences for a position that involves interacting with a lot of different people or building up a network. However, this low score can be positive in the context of a position that involves ‘going it alone’ a lot: there is a good chance that the candidate feels less need for personal interaction to feel comfortable in this job.

7. Does the candidate recognise him or herself in the results?

Does the candidate feel that he or she is correctly reflected in the results of the assessment report? Imagine a candidate scores low for the collaboration competency, even though the candidate believes that he or she actually works together very well with others. In such cases, read the text accompanying that particular competence section, while making sure to keep the candidate’s score covered. Discuss this text with the candidate. Ask the candidate whether he or she recognises him or herself in this description. Then move on to the score and explain its significance in comparison with the standard calculated for the sample group.

8. Everyone has strengths of their own

Work from the assumption that everyone has specific strengths. If someone achieves low scores for the competencies required for a particular position, in many cases this means that he or she does not have a natural aptitude for this specific role. The candidate’s strengths can probably be found in other competency areas, which may be important to some other position (we also refer you to Tip 6).

9. Don’t try to convince people

If a candidate does not recognise him or herself in the findings of the report – while you do – you may feel a need to persuade him or her that the tests results are accurate. Calmly explain your point of view, but don’t try to forcefully convince the candidate of your position.

10. And finally: social desirability

HFMtalentindex’s online assessment allows you to measure prior to a selection interview whether or not the candidate tends towards socially desirable behaviour. As a result, it is likely that you will be extra focussed on the impact of such behaviour. The HFMtalentindex personality assessment measures two forms of social desirability. The assessment report indicates whether there is no, limited or strong indication that the candidate will exhibit both forms of socially desirable behaviour. A more detailed explanation of this aspect can be found in the assessment report.