How to choose the best ones.

Tired of turnover? Don't trust your intuition? When it comes to making hiring decisions, a completed application form and an interview may not be enough. Add in the right pre-employment screening tool, and it can point you to the most appropriate person for the job. But with so many companies providing a multitude of assessments and consultation services, how do you know which ones to use?

Identify the most important issues that you believe distinguish a good employee from one that is less satisfactory. Then look for the assessment instrument that handles those issues.

Screening surveys vary in quality, so take the time and effort to carefully ferret out the one best suitable for the available job opening at your company.

Names of businesses that offer pre-employment assessment tools can be found through industry associations, your local Chamber of Commerce, business development organizations, or the Small Business Administration. Visit the library and peruse The Mental Measurement Yearbook, a compendium of screening tools, tests, and their reviews, updated annually.

From the above sources, be sure to gather comments from people who have actually hired the company or companies you're considering using.

A Peek At What's Out There

Pre-employment screening tools generally assess a person's values, character, behavior, and sales skills.

Be Positive

Make sure you present the screening process to your applicants in a positive manner. Know the difference between a test and a survey, profile or inventory so you can refer to it properly.

A test evaluates cognitive skills, allegories and math, and requires truly right or wrong answers.

Hire Only The Best

No doubt, it's quite a process trying to select good, reliable employees. So, plan ahead and be equipped. Know the job you're offering, and the kind of person you want to fill it. Then, spend the money and time to carefully interview and screen applicants - with the right tools.

Both you and the applicant will jump through a number of hoops by the time you reach the end of your act. But by then, if you've done everything right, you're both applauding - when you hire only the best.