Part I of this article appeared in the last edition of the EASI·Consult® eNewsletter. In that article, I discussed the different goals associated with assessing for employee selection versus assessing for employee development. I also compared the process to on-line shopping. And to avoid one of on-line shopping's most infuriating hazards -- namely losing entire screens of information with a well-intentioned touch of the "Back" button -- I'll eliminate any need for you to go searching for Part I of this article by reviewing below some of the goals previously mentioned.

Some Goals of Assessing for Employee Selection:

• Hiring the best candidate you can find for your job opening.
• Meeting EEOC requirements, including the ability to document that your hiring process has satisfied any concerns related to adverse impact.
• Building a positive relationship with the job candidate, but with no concerns about a long-term working relationship unless a job offer is tendered and the candidate accepts.

Some Goals of Assessing for Employee Development:

• Maximizing the professional growth of your employees.
• Enhancing morale by demonstrating your investment in and support of your employee's professional goals.
• Maintaining open and positive relationships with your employees.

At the conclusion of the previous article I also presented a list of questions that would enable you to identify procedures best suited to each kind of assessment process:

• What specific information are you hoping to learn from assessing this individual?
• What is the best way to present the assessment program to the individual being assessed? What do you want to communicate about the rationale?
• Will you give feedback to the individual being assessed? If so, what kind and in what format?
• Within your company, who should have access to the assessment results? Why?

Let's look at these questions one at a time, with an eye toward developing procedures best suited for assessment for selection followed by procedures best suited for assessment for development.

What specific information are you hoping to learn by assessing this individual?

In your assessment for selection, what do you need to find out that you haven't already learned from resume reviews, preliminary interviews and reference checks? What combination of motivations, skills and abilities are needed for success in this position? Clear documentation of such characteristics, and the use of assessment instruments that measure these characteristics, will help you avoid concerns about adverse impact in hiring decisions. If you need to assess technical competencies, a structured interview that targets specific skills may be needed. If the position you are filling requires the ability to solve complex problems in a team environment, you may be well advised to assess for cognitive abilities, analytical skills and sociability. Consider what combination of cognitive ability and personality tests will best provide the needed information.

Unlike the situation with a new hire, at the point of initiating a formal assessment for development, you already have a wealth of information about day-to-day functioning. With a history of discussions about job performance, you probably also have an understanding of career goals and the kinds of developmental experiences of interest to your employee. Assessment for development needs to be a collaborative effort between the company and the employee. A 360-degree feedback tool may provide important information about how others perceive the person's functioning. A personality inventory can help put current behavior in context and facilitate capitalizing on natural tendencies. Assessment results may also help you and your employee deal more effectively with characteristics that impede certain desired behaviors.

A knotty problem: Cognitive ability testing presents a special problem when doing assessment for development. Consider whether you really need cognitive ability scores. Are they relevant to decisions regarding the suitability of an executive for certain kinds of development? Are you going to share cognitive ability scores with this person? What if the score is shockingly low? Unlike certain specific skills or behaviors, cognitive ability isn't something that can be "developed."

What is the best way to present the assessment program to the individual being assessed? What do you want to communicate about the rationale?

Job candidates are often told that some combination of structured interview and paper/pencil or computer administered assessment is a standard part of the selection process, and that the information gathered will be part of a larger body of information that will be considered when making hiring decisions. Requiring participation in an assessment for selection procedure is not unlike amazon.com asking for personal information when ordering on-line. It is simply a routine request for data that is necessary for moving forward in the process.

Assessment for development bears little resemblance to on-line shopping. This is a far more personal process, and is most valuable when trust has been established between the manager and employee. These assessments are most effective when presented as an opportunity for growth and development, and as totally unrelated to job security or financial compensation. Employee concerns are reduced when assessment for development is a regular and predictable aspect of employment; i.e., B level managers are routinely assessed in their 2nd year, or, all executives in our Red Division are participating in this opportunity. Some companies choose to simply make developmental assessments available to those who ask for them. Think carefully about what will work best for your company.

Will you give feedback to the individual being assessed? If so, what kind and in what format?

Understandably, job candidates want to know the results of their assessment. They may ask to see scores or learn "what you found out about me." Typically, assessment results are not shared with candidates who are not hired. If a candidate is hired and accepts the position, assessment results may be used to inform the creation of an initial employee development plan. It is usually best to avoid providing specific scores or copies of reports to these new employees. Sharing general information about strengths and areas needing additional development tends to be more helpful.

With assessment for development, employees need face-to-face, detailed feedback from a qualified professional, either in-house or consulting. Your employees are more likely to buy into a plan for future development if they clearly understand the assessment results and their implications. Be sure to give this process adequate time. More than one meeting may be needed for a comprehensive discussion.

Within your company, who should have access to the assessment results? Why?

As anyone shopping the net knows, security of personal information is a significant concern. Just as you don't want 47 unauthorized purchases (Limbo Louie's in Bimini???) showing up on your credit card statement, your applicant doesn't want 47 industry members knowing he's of above-average intelligence but tends to be rigid and uncooperative. Generally only company personnel involved in the specific hiring decision have access to assessment results.

The same principles hold for the results of assessments for development. Given that the purpose of the assessment is to facilitate executive development, who (other than the employee) needs access to this information...the employee's supervisor;...your company's HR professional? Whatever you decide about who will have access to these results, be sure to inform your employee PRIOR to the assessment. If a supervisor is to have access to assessment results, it's a good idea for that individual to receive essentially the same information as the employee, i.e., face-to-face detailed feedback from a qualified professional. It is unlikely that supervisors will be successful in effectively assisting employees with development plans without fully understanding assessment results and their implications.

Assessment programs, whether for selection or development, are most successful when objectives are identified and policies are designed to be consistent with those objectives. It's not so different from shopping decisions. When you want to find a book that will best teach you advanced knot tying in the comfort of your own living room, and you don't mind waiting a few days to get it, you visit your favorite on-line bookstore. But when you're looking for some quality tomatoes and fresh salmon for dinner tonight, you're a lot better served by stopping at your local grocery store.

And now that you've finished reading this article, it is safe to click on the "Back" button!