In this monthly column Jim Houran honestly and candidly answers your questions about any and all psychological and psychometric topics related to the service-hospitality industry. He does not tell you what you want to hear – he tells you what you need to hear. Dr. Jim is committed to offering you guidance based on responsible clinical and business practices and hard data from the latest scientific studies. Send him your questions at: [email protected].

This is a common question I receive from people new to the use of assessments in Human Resources. The answer is never, unless you are certain that the assessment you are using meets both professional testing standards and the legal requirements set by the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures ().

Assuming standards are met, assessments are effective for recruitment in two main ways. First, they can help organizations efficiently and economically short list applicants who meet objective criteria relevant to the job position being filled. We call this candidate screening. Second, the most sophisticated assessments provide insights about qualified applicants that are valuable when conducting due diligence such as structured behavioral interviewing and proper reference checking. See “Strategies for Assessing Exaggeration and Deception by Job Candidates” () for more information on candidate due diligence. This latter approach is more properly referred to as candidate selection.

To recap, good assessments can help you determine initially which applicants to interview, as well as help you decide which person to hire among a short list of candidates who have been already selected by some other form of sourcing. Good assessments are a sound component and investment in any online or offline recruitment process. Just make sure you choose an assessment only after proper due diligence of the available options– exactly as you would handle any important candidate who is applying to your organization.

HVS International is a hospitality services firm providing industry skill and knowledge worldwide. The organization and its specialists possess a wide range of expertise and offer market feasibility studies, valuations, strategic analyses, development planning, and litigation support. Additionally, HVS International supplies unique knowledge in the areas of executive search, investment banking, environmental sustainability, timeshare consulting, food and beverage operations, interior design, gaming, technology strategies, organizational assessments, operational management, strategy development, convention facilities consulting, marketing communications, property tax appeals and investment consulting. Since 1980, HVS International has provided hospitality services to more than 10,000 hotels throughout the world. Principals and associates of the firm have authored textbooks and thousands of articles regarding all aspects of the hospitality industry. Click here for more...