President Ronald Reagan borrowed a Russian proverb—trust but verify—to assuage hawks and peaceniks during the last throes of the Cold War. Politically, it was one of those diplomatically ambiguous statements designed to make all parties feel good: America would neither be too hard nor too soft with Soviet Union.

If you're hiring new talent, it's backwards.

Trust is never enough to assure a great match. Don't start trusting until you can verify that the candidate really is who they say they are in every facet of their résumé.

Are they really motivated by closing sales for benefits packages? Or, do they tend to empathize with others so much that they convince prospects not to buy? Are they really a people person? Or was their warm handshake just good cover for a hardworking introvert who would be great in accounting?

Many job hunters may want to win your offer so much that they become chameleons for every box on your checklist. Others just aren't self-aware enough to accurately represent themselves.

None of these inconsistencies are criminal, but mismatched talent can cost your company a lot of money.

Unless you know the candidate personally, never put 100 percent trust in the interviews. Interviews are important because they reveal a lot about presentation and communications skills, as well as giving you an idea about chemistry and emotional intelligence.

Assessments, used in conjunction with interviews, are the best way to not only verify what the candidate tells you, but also to go deeper to understand the motivations of the prospective employee.

Assessments today are extremely accurate and fairly difficult to game. Psychologists have honed the science to offer measurements for what a person is good at, how they go about their work and why they do it in the first place. Behaviors are the “how.” Motivation is the “why.” Add in an assessment for soft skills and you've got a well-rounded snapshot of each candidate.

When you have a report of what each person is likely to do on the job, how that desired behavior happens and why each person does the behavior, you can compare it with interview observations and then trust—or not—that the candidate is right for the position. You can also analyze the assessment information against other candidates to determine who's best.

You immediately gain an objective “first cut” clarity to quickly eliminate the non-matching applicants and spend more time with those best fit the job. If you have a lot of candidates vying for one job, assessments make your job much easier.

There are a variety of excellent assessments you can choose. It's important to measure both behavior and motivation. You can also assess for soft skills, emotional intelligence and acumen. Be sure to use products that are both EEOC and OFCCP compliant. Most assessments require certification. Some firms outsource the assessment process. Either way, the cost is a drop in the bucket considering the value of hiring the most talented and best matched professionals.

This all can make a big difference in your business.

Gallup, Inc. (the performance management consultancy, not to be confused with the polling organization) recently reported that companies fail to choose the right talent for management positions 82 percent of the time. Gallup also reports significant benefits from using talent acquisition assessments:

Hiring the best people for the job can improve nearly every measure of business health. When companies select the top 20 percent of candidates based on a scientific assessment, they realize 41 percent less absenteeism, 70 percent fewer safety incidents, 59 percent less turnover, 10 percent higher customer metrics, 17 percent higher productivity and 21 percent higher profitability.

America has reached full employment and the Insurance Information Institute reports hiring is generally up within the industry, with the exception of life/annuity carriers. Capstone Search Group is advising that firms snap up qualified talent, even if it's an “opportunity hire” to prevent a high-potential professional from going to your competitor.

While you want to move quickly, you should always hire carefully. Assessments should be considered a best practice in a sellers' market like this to assure that you hire competitively.

Just remember: verify first, then trust.

Become a hiring pro:

Donna Warrick is president of Jamesson Solutions.

Instant Insights /

Verify then trust: Put science first to improve your hiring process

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