Test Your Hiring IQ

1. Do you know much time and money it costs to advertise, interview, check references, and train a new employee – only to find out after a few weeks or months that the person isn’t suited to the job?

• $50 - $100
• $101 – $500
• $501 – $1,000
• $1000+

2. On your employment application form and in interviews, which of the following questions can you legally ask job applicants?

• Do you have children?
• How did you learn to speak Russian?
• Are you a citizen of the U.S.?
• Have you ever been arrested?
• Do you own a car?
• Have you ever been known by any other name?

3. What is the No. 1 reason good hourly employees leave their jobs?

• More money
• Better hours
• Moved
• To go back to school
• Because they’re tired of putting up with or covering for substandard employees.

4. What is the best predictor of success on the job?

• Interview
• Age
• Temporary job assignment
• References
• School
• Grades
• Testing
• Experience

1. Based on case studies by the Rutgers University Graduate School of Management, turnover costs average about 1.5 times the annual wage of the position in question. This means every time you lose a minimum wage employee who has been with you for six months, over $8,000 walks – or is booted – out your door. The companies with the lowest turnover in their respective industries use Employee Selection Systems.

2. All of these questions are illegal under federal and state laws because they are discriminatory. The use of structured interviews within the framework of an Employee Selection System guaranty that no one asks any questions that could land you in court and ensures all applicants answer the same questions so you can compare apples-to-apples.

3. The No. 1 reason good people leave is because they don’t like working with people who don’t do their share or aren’t team players. Employee Selection Systems prevent bad hiring decisions.

4. Best Predictors of Success on the Job: Testing = 53%; Temporary job assignment = 44%; Reference check = 26%; Experience = 18%; Interview = 14%; Academic achievement = 11%. Age = -1%. Validity and Utility of Alternative predictors of Job Performance, 96(1), Psychological Bulletin 72-98. Employee Selection Systems test for the capacities, attitudes, and skills needed to be successful on the job.

Because the quality of an organization can never exceed the quality of the people who make it up, Employee Selection Systems and recruiting, selection, and retention training will be what differentiates the big winners from the also-rans as we enter the new millennium.