Assessments, and more specifically psychometric assessments, are the backbone of a proper scientific method of selecting new employees and gaining insights into existing staff members. The science of psychological assessment is now more than 100 years old, and the modern discipline has brought a level of rigor and replicability to selection decisions that have hitherto been impossible.
As assessment professionals, we know the predictive power of assessments over that of more traditional, but far less scientific methods, like traditional interviewing. What is often not clear is how digital innovations and modern technology can make the assessment process simpler and more efficient.
At industry conferences like SIOPSA and others, I’ve often encountered a reluctance from assessment professionals to convert to more digital, automated methods. In this post, I’d like to address three enduring myths regarding automated assessment processes, based on our experience here at Omnicor in helping clients get the most out of assessments:
Myth #1: Automating Assessments removes human judgement from the testing process
Many assessment professionals fear that integrating their existing assessment practices with more digital processes will remove the “soul” of assessments. They fear that from that point onward, a computer, rather than a trained professional will be making the decisions on how to use assessment data.
This is a myth because the automation function of digital assessment systems help to remove the drudgery elements of doing assessments. A lot of time is wasted when reports are manually produced in word processors, graphs are redrawn each time, and financial reports need to be done manually. A good assessment system like our Assessment Resource Management system, RoleFit, allows the professional to spend maximal time on interpretation of assessment data, and less time on the administrative or repetitive tasks that go with doing assessments.
Myth #2: Automated Assessments takes away the key function of psychometrists: Writing reports.
We find that the best use of psychometric expertise and experience is in consulting with clients and managers on how to best use assessment data, how to use the results to make better decisions about talent.
The idea that psychometrists add most value when writing reports is a myth: a system that helps with report writing can free up time for consulting with clients, giving feedback, and adding real value in the talent management value chain.
Myth #3: Automating Assessments is too uniform and doesn’t allow for customization.
Some practitioners fear that automation goes hand-in-hand with treating all candidates the same: they worry that by automating assessment processes, everyone will be tested with the same battery, and customizing assessments to specific client needs may become difficult.
However, failing to customize assessment batteries to specific job requirements is a problem that is independent of automation. If anything, we have found that using a powerful assessment resource management system like RoleFit ARM can enhance customization and the personalization of reports.
Because the RoleFit system features enhanced capabilities to personalize each individual report based on strengths and development areas, we find that reports are more targeted and specific. Bland cut-and-paste sentences, a common hallmark of manually written reports, are eliminated, and data is represented in far more accessible formats.
If you’d like to find out more about how our systems can help you to deliver more accurate, scalable, and efficient assessments to your clients, contact us at rolefit@omnicor.co.za
