I began my career back in 1988. I was fresh out of grad school with a degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, and my memories of pondering the options are a bit fuzzy. But one thing I remember as clear as day was the thoroughness of the selection processes I experienced.

Ford Motor Company considered me for an entry-level labor relations representative position.  They flew me to Atlanta for two full days and basically asked me to do the job. On day one, I went to a labor negotiation session with union reps, reviewed grievances, and was asked to render judgment in accordance with the collectively bargained labor agreement.

It was a lot to take in, and to this day, I’m grateful for their thoroughness. The in-depth process helped to ensure that I had a clear understanding of job requirements and expectations. It also gave them a chance to see how a green college kid interacted with seasoned factory employees.

On day two in my panel interview, they asked me about my day and how the work meshed with my career goals. I thanked them for the opportunity and told them that mediating disagreements all day long was not what I wanted to do. We parted amicably and my search continued.

Next, I applied for a position at a human resources consulting company. Even though this was an entry-level position, the selection process was intense and time consuming.  It consisted of a full day assessment center followed by a series of structured interviews. Again, a two day process for an entry-level job.

Back then time wasn’t much of a consideration. The only thing that mattered was getting the right person. In my case, I know the process worked because I am still working with many of the people who were a part of that selection process – almost 30 years later!

So, here we are entering 2017 – and things have changed. If I recommended a two day screening process for an entry-level job to any of my clients, they would laugh in my face.

Today HR trends are all about hiring new talent faster to stay ahead of the competition. These are key assessment and hiring trends we see heading into 2017.

  • Shorter Cycle Time – the preferred assessment time is 30 minutes or less
  • Positive Candidate Experience – the hiring process needs to be fun and engaging
  • Mobile Friendly – when appropriate, elements of the selection process should be mobile enabled
  • Organizational Attractiveness – the talent acquisition process should make the hiring organization look cool and attract Gen Z candidates
  • Relevance and Realism– the hiring process should reflect job requirements and provide a realistic job preview
  • Accuracy – assessments must gather more data and increase accuracy

So, the current goal is to provide short, fun, and impactful hiring solutions that are more accurate than ever.

Sound impossible?  Don’t fret! These tips can help you achieve these lofty goals.

  • Use assessments that reflect key aspects of the job, so you can measure performance and provide a job preview at the same time.
  • If you can’t measure everything, measure what is most important.
  • Don’t ask candidates what they are good at—measure actual performance. Use technology to verify what they can and cannot do.
  • Don’t ask the same thing over and over again. It’s boring, frustrating, and wastes time.
  • Have some fun! Gen Z candidates want to work for fun companies, so be sure your hiring process reflects that.
  • Don’t sacrifice accuracy. With shorter assessments, be sure they accurately predict job performance. Demand to see validation results.

I won’t lie. There’s a part of me that would like to go back in time, creating assessments that reflected “a day in the life” that actually lasted a day in the life! But time marches on, and I’m excited about the challenges ahead.

At Employment Technologies, we have always led the way in launching new technologies to improve the assessment process for both hiring organizations and job candidates. Our EASy Simulations are nationally recognized for condensing key job requirements into short, engaging, and highly predictive scenarios to help you find and hire the best new talent.

We invite you to stay tuned for future blogs where we’ll be announcing new simulations that not only deliver the highest accuracy – but also help you hire faster and better!