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Did you know that approximately 80 percent of the workers in this country are in positions for which they are unqualified? Did you know, too, that only four out of 10 people interviewed and hired for a job will be the right fit and that another 20 percent of all employees eventually will be promoted to a position for which they are unqualified? These are disturbing statistics for any employer, says Steve Pattie, CLP, owner of The Pattie Group, Inc., in Novelty, Ohio, and they are just some of the reasons why his company assesses recruits before they are hired and reassesses employees before they are promoted.

The assessment, referred to as an "Interest Analysis Exam," takes participants about 45 minutes to complete. Completed assessments are sent to a company that, in turn, analyzes the results. The company, then, "Highly Recommends," "Recommends with Reservations," or "Doesn't Recommend" the person for the position for which he or she is applying. A job description accompanies each assessment.

"We've been doing the Interest Analysis for two years, now," explains Pattie. "The assessment company, which charges us between $100 and $150 for each analysis, measures the natural abilities and strengths of individuals in 12 different areas, including assessing their motivation and energy levels and determining their decision-making, leadership, and communication skills."

Pattie emphasizes that assessment results are not the deciding factor about whether or not a person is hired or promoted. Instead, they are viewed as another human-resource tool to assist in the hiring/promoting process and to help ensure people pursue jobs and/or career paths that are suited for them. "Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses," Pattie relates. "It is best for everyone, the employee and the employer, to try to direct people to areas where they naturally belong and where they will be the most comfortable."

Pattie was first introduced to the Interest Analysis process four years ago when he attended a meeting of CEOs from several different industries. When one of the meeting participants asked the group how many performed prehire assessing, only two in the group had not - Pattie and the person who asked the question. "Right then, I wondered if I had been missing the proverbial boat all these years," says Pattie. "If these successful CEOs saw value in the employee-assessment process, then the process must hold some merit."

Indeed, Pattie later learned that performing Interest Analysis can raise a company's hiring success rate to an astounding 87.5 percent, and similar success could be achieved when promoting individuals. He also discovered firsthand that interviews, albeit necessary, do not always accurately depict a person's strengths or weaknesses.

"We were looking for a maintenance branch manager, and I interviewed a person who I thought would be the perfect candidate for the position," Pattie recalls. "In fact, I spent three and a half hours with that individual, after which time I went directly to our HR person and said, 'Hire this person. He's perfect for the job. He has great experience and has worked for some big-name companies.'

"When his assessment results came back, however, I found that the Interest Assessment company did not recommend this person for the position. I couldn't believe it. When I inquired why, the analyst explained that although the person was a great interviewee, he actually lacked every critical natural ability needed for leadership. He assessed very, very low in leadership qualities in general. He had very low communication abilities, both in receiving and projecting. He also had very low empathy, which means he would not be able to pick up the feelings of his staff - critical for mentoring and coaching staff members. The key point here is we all need help to pick up on these critical, natural abilities in someone else.

"Three other candidates, however, were 'highly recommended,' which meant they had the natural abilities to be successful in the position. They may not have had as much skill or knowledge (experience) as the other person, but knowing they had the natural abilities gave me confidence that they could be trained and made it easier to approve the training budget."

Pattie again uses the assessment in two other instances, when bringing in a new person or when promoting from within. He finds the process equally important for both occasions. "I think one of the biggest challenges for companies like ours is finding a way to promote exceptional employees without accidentally putting them into positions for which they are unqualified. This is the old 'Peter Principle,' but unfortunately it is alive and well today. What do I do when great technicians come to me and inquire about a promotion to a foreman or other supervisory position? If I promote them without knowing if they have the ability to get the job done, I've done all of us a disservice. Interest Assessment can help me make the right decision."

Pattie continues, "If those people aren't qualified for a promotion, my next challenge, then, is to forge a career path in the area where their talent lies (e.g., develop different levels for technicians). Or, if they can't find happiness in our company, then it may be in their best interest to find a company where they can achieve their career goals. The thing is, I think we all have to be more diligent when hiring and promoting people. An Interest Assessment program can help."

Nevertheless, an assessment program should only be used as a tool to help determine if an individual is suitable for a position, Pattie emphasizes. He notes that The Pattie Group concentrates on four general areas when reviewing candidates: (1) Do they have the natural talents to get the job done? (2) Do they have the necessary skills and knowledge? (3) Do they have the right experience? And (4) do they have a good attitude? The assessment will help answer some or part of these questions. As Pattie says, "The old saying was, 'Your employees are your best asset.' The new saying is, 'The right employees in the right place are your best asset.' In my opinion, if you're not somehow assessing candidates for the position in question, you're blindly hiring and promoting people, and that's something we can ill afford to do in this competitive industry."

By Rod Dickens, ALCA Contributing Writer