When looking to hire a new employee, you may wonder if, beyond their resume, they’re the right fit for your organization. This is where an employee behavioral assessment can, through a series of choices, offer this type of detailed analysis. Behavioral assessments are a method used in the field of psychology to observe, describe, explain, predict and sometimes correct behavior.
Employers use employee behavioral assessments during their hiring process to help prioritize their list of candidates, set benchmarks to measure against and gain deeper insight into the people who will fit their culture. You can learn everything from how they’ll work with others to how well they match the attributes of your organization to build a stronger, high-performing team. When it comes to hiring, emphasizing behavioral assessments helps to give you confidence that you are bringing the right people into your organization.
Behavioral assessments can serve as powerful tools within an organization for employee development as well. The ability to interact effectively with people may be the difference between success and failure in our work and personal life. People are hired for their education, knowledge, experience and technical expertise and most often are fired or passed over for promotions because of a lack of appropriate interpersonal skills. Behavioral assessments are a tool that identifies preferences and associated behavior and emotions, they are the “how” of communicating and are the doorway to effective communication and understanding.
Once an employee is properly assessed, you can start to develop and guide the individual in understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and the impact they have on the workplace. Together you want to build a process that creates a better understanding of how to leverage strengths, improve weaknesses, and establish development goals to drive sustained organizational results. Effective, well-trained employees set your organization apart from competitors. Your team represents your organization’s values and is responsible for carrying out your mission. It’s crucial that new and emerging leaders and key leaders are identified and nurtured throughout their careers to aid in the planning of the future success of your organization.
The benefits of employee behavioral assessments for employee development include:
- Data-Driven – Using behavioral assessments gives you the ability to look at actual data, not simply relying on observations or gut feelings to make decisions and develop employees.
- Alignment – Behavioral assessments allow you to objectively align behaviors important for success and development within a given role.
- Decreased Turnover – An engaged, encouraged, and a well-rounded employee will have the skills and motivation to effectively apply themselves to the position they’re in, reducing turnover.
- Efficiency – Employees who know how to properly communicate, motivate, and understand what is expected from them are much more efficient and effective in the workplace.
- Growth – When an employee is encouraged to succeed and given the correct tools and opportunity to enhance themselves, they tend to become more involved in the future of the organization.
Through behavioral assessments, you can effectively prioritize, assess, understand, and develop your potential or current employees to enhance the future success of your organization.
