Should You Provide Assessment Results To A Candidate?

When you use assessments in the hiring process, you have a choice as to whether to share the assessment results with a candidate, even if they don’t get hired. In this video, Robin outlines her recommendations about when and how to share assessment results.

When and How Should You Share Assessment Results?

When you use assessments in the hiring process, you have a choice as to whether to share the assessment results with a candidate, even if they don’t get hired. In this video, I’m going to talk about my recommendations about when and how to share assessment results.

The Basic of Assessments

As a refresher, when you use assessments in the hiring process, it’s part of the process, not an absolute factor in the decision-making. Assessments are not pass/fail; they are highlighting strengths and work style and uncovering things that you might not see so clearly during a short interview or other steps in your process.

Sharing Assessment Results with Candidates Builds Trust

It’s precisely for these reasons that I recommend sharing the Individual Profile Report with a candidate. Because there are no good/bad or right/wrong results that are documented in the reports, there is nothing to hide. It is simply stating more about an individual’s unique work style and strengths. Since we are not using the information as the sole source of our decision, you are not giving the candidate any more rationale other than what you may have shared in other conversations. In fact, it works in the opposite way: sharing this information and being more transparent helps build trust.

What is the Candidate Disagrees with the Results?

The main objection I hear is that a fear that the candidate will disagree with the results and you’re left trying to justify it or defend it. In my 15+ years of working with thousands of results, I have never had anyone say the entire assessment was inaccurate. It is much more likely that people say, “I can’t believe how close this is to who I am.” It is possible that someone may question one or two areas, which is natural. Remind the candidate that the assessment has high accuracy, but nothing is perfect, people are too complex. Confirm that you are using this as a tool to get to know them, but are not using it as a tool to rule them in or out on its own.

The Benefits of Sharing Assessment Results

In my opinion, these are several valuable benefits that far outweigh that concern:

• Provides transparency and therefore creates trust
• Offers a positive impression of you and your organization by full disclosure
• Confirms your intent to understand and work constructively with them

If you are serious about a creating a workplace culture that promotes open conversations, this is an ideal way to illustrate it. I know one small business owner who reviews the report with every candidate, as a guide for mutual understanding of the job-fit. Yes, it takes time. But the pay-offs are huge for making a good decision and a positive experience in the community about who you are and how you work with people.

Consistency is Key

Whatever you do, be consistent. You may decide to offer the report only to those who request it or provide to every candidate upon their completion. If you aren’t certain how you want to proceed, make a list of the pros and cons as you see it, which may help you decide what feels best for you. Being thoughtful and aware of why and how you release the information is the most important thing.

Be sure to check out other videos in the Learning Resource Center, available to you as a member. Here’s to your Graceful Leadership!