A Different Way to Use Assessments in Hiring

Have you ever taken a personality or work-style assessment with your team?

It's kind of fun, isn't it? Learning about ourselves. Discovering why others do what they do. A few laughs. Some aha moments.

And then?

Everyone goes back to work. Maybe you remember you're a red and someone else is a blue. Or when a colleague frustrates you, someone shrugs and says, "Well, that's just how they are."

But did the assessment actually help you work together differently? Or did it just give you a new way to describe each other?

Knowing someone's style doesn't mean you know how to dance with them.

That's why, when I work with teams, I don't stop at explaining assessment results. I help people use what they've learned to have conversations they probably wouldn't have otherwise. Conversations that help them better understand each other, navigate their differences, and figure out how to work together more effectively.

And I've found this approach can be especially valuable before someone joins the team.

Recently, a company told me they'd gotten hiring wrong in the past. And we all know how expensive that can be. The interviewing. Onboarding. Training. The impact on the team. And sometimes having to start all over again.

Who has time for that?

So I recommended we use assessments a little differently during their hiring process.

Because here's what happens in so many interviews. Candidates are trying to figure out what employers want to hear. Employers are trying to figure out who candidates really are.

Everyone's doing their best, but it can feel more like a performance than a conversation. And that's not particularly helpful for either side.

This week, I met individually with candidates preparing for their next interviews with this company. My role wasn't to determine who had the "right" personality or profile.

It was to help them use their assessment results to prepare for a more meaningful, honest conversation about whether this opportunity was a good fit. For BOTH sides.

Here's what struck me...

Every candidate commented on the experience. They were surprised the company would invest in a conversation like this before an interview. They found it unexpected, interesting, and valuable.

And I thought...isn't that what we should want from an assessment?

Not another label. Not another report sitting in someone's file.

But a conversation that helps people understand themselves and each other well enough to make better decisions.

Whether we're learning to work together or deciding if we should work together in the first place, the conversation is where the real value begins.

💜 Stacey

PS: Learning about yourself and others is a great start. But the real value comes when you put those insights into practice. Whether you're building a team or learning to work better with the one you have, if you're curious about taking that next step, let's talk.