BY Kathy Crosett
If you’re tired of hiring sales candidates who don’t perform as you hoped, it’s time to change your recruiting process. Like many employers, you may be using assessments to help you identify top candidates. But if you’re not using sales-specific assessments or situational judgement tests, you may be missing critical data about candidates.
Who Uses Assessments and Tests?
Employers are getting the message. Using assessments to determine a candidate’s skill set and likely on-the-job behavior matters. In sales, according to our research, around 45% of managers use sales skills assessment tests to evaluate candidates. And 27% say they use pre-hire behavioral/personality assessments. Another way to get a clear understanding of a candidate’s potential interaction with clients and prospects is to use situational judgment tests (SJTs).
What is a Situational Judgment Test?
In a research report by Deborah Whetzel and co-authors, for the Human Resources Research Organization, SJTs are explained. These tests “assess individual judgment by presenting examinees with problem scenarios and a list of plausible response options. Examinees then evaluate each response option for addressing the problem described in the scenario.”
According to Whetzel’s research, SJTs have been in use for decades. They were especially popular in WWII when Army psychologists sought to understand which individuals would make specific decision in various battle-related scenarios.
These tests have grown popular again because “they address job-related competencies that cannot be easily measured with traditional multiple-choice questions.”
What is an Example of a Situational Judgment Test Question
SJTs differ significantly from other tests. Consider the following example.
You ask the candidate how they will prepare for a presentation about an ongoing project at the weekly team meeting. In these meetings, the candidate will ask the team to work with them to solve a problem.
You offer three possible answers for how they would prepare.
- They will prepare a high-level visual presentation, talk about the slides during the meeting, and ask questions at the end to get the team engaged.
- They will speak spontaneously at the meeting, working toward a natural delivery to the team.
- They will prepare a detailed presentation and encourage the team to participate and provide solutions during the presentation.
The best option is 1, followed by 3, and then 2. The answer selected by the candidate gives the hiring manager insight into how they will handle specific work assignments.
TeamTrait is a platform that includes a sales acumen SJT. With TeamTrait test results, hiring managers will know whether a candidate is skilled in a variety of sales competencies ranging from discovery to closing.
What is an Example of a Personality Test Question?
In addition to learning about how the candidates make decisions, hiring managers also want to know about a candidate's personality and their potential fit with the team. There are multiple styles of assessment questions designed to determine aspects of a candidate’s personality. For example, the assessment might ask a candidate to choose which statement, out of three, is most like them.
- I am generous.
- I am active.
- I am confident
The test algorithm then compiles all the answers to these types of questions and gives the candidate a potential score or assigns them a personality type.
How Does a SJT Differ from Other Assessments?
Hiring managers should know what they are looking for when they give candidates an assessment.
In an SJT, they will learn how a candidate will respond in a situation. There are not necessarily wrong answers. However, a candidate may choose an answer that indicates a less effective style or tactic.
In a skills-based test, candidates display their knowledge or ability in a particular subject such as math. There are typically right and wrong answers.
In a personality test, the candidate’s answers reveal their typical emotional state and how they interact with others.
Conclusion
Situational judgment tests can give hiring managers unique insight into a candidate. These tests should be combined with skills-based tests and personality assessments to get a complete understanding of a candidate's abilities and the way they will fit with an existing team.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels.
