It amazes me what people will often lead you to believe, particularly when interviewing for a job. As you’ve probably discovered for yourself, most job candidates are on their best behavior in an interview setting, and will many times only tell you what they anticipate you want to hear.
It is no different when having candidates take assessments. People are used to thinking they can answer assessment questions without any accountability.
Behavioral expert William Winslow succinctly sums up the impact of “objectivity” and “accuracy” in the Winslow Assessment, particularly in the context of a job interview: “We are not looking for perfection, simply objectivity and accuracy from candidates so [we] can make hiring decisions that will work well for everyone.“
I make my point by sharing an experience I had while trying to help an IT candidate complete his Winslow Assessment after he tripped the Objectivity control feature on the Winslow Assessment:
The example statement I used from the assessment read “I have successfully completed every project I ever started.”
Possible answers: Agree / Slightly Agree / Slightly Disagree / Disagree.
“But I have successfully finished every project I ever started… Ask my wife, she’s sitting right here…,” said the candidate when I gave him this example.
As I listened to him, all I could wonder was – Do you honestly think I care what your wife (mother, sister, brother) has to say?
But I tactfully responded – “Reeeeally? Successfully finished every single project you ever started? Not just some of them or most of them, but EVERY single one? Again – Successfully?”
He never corrected himself or owned up to merely being human…
Can you imagine having this person in your company when you ask him do something over, correct an oversight, or complete something that he considers “finished.” He cannot, and will not be objective!
What exactly are Control Questions and why are they important?
On the Winslow Assessment we have two sets of control questions:
- Objectivity – ten super-human things we all like to say we do, but don’t, or negative things we all have done (at least once), but don’t necessarily like to admit.
Especially during the hiring assessment process we want people to be as objective as possible so we can provide honest feedback for you to make hiring decisions around real behaviors, not simply what the candidate wants you to believe, or thinks you want to hear. - Accuracy – ten really dumb statements “The youngest manager I know is 85 years old.”
We want to ensure that people are actually paying attention to the assessment, not simply ticking the boxes as they speed through.
Make sure the assessment you are using (especially for hiring) has these helpful control questions (some don’t) and you will have objective information to help you in your hiring and employee development decisions.
Since 2001, Windridge Consulting has worked with companies improving their hiring practices and employee development programs. Our support in assessment best practices is ongoing and certification, if desired, is available.
Contact us today by filling in the contact form or directly at lindsay.colitses@windridgeconsulting.com or (206) 533-9700.