SALISBURY, N.C. – Thanks to workforce assessment services offered at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, employers can evaluate a job candidate’s personality and behavioral characteristics ahead of time to predict whether the person is a good fit for the position. These proactive assessments not only help the business choose the best candidate, but can predict whether the person is likely to be happy in the job.
A recent LinkedIn survey found that 59% of employers have difficulty locating job candidates with the right combination of “soft skills,” such as interpersonal communication, teamwork, critical thinking, creativity and organization. The Rowan-Cabarrus Business Services Team can help employers measure and predict job performance in these “soft skill” areas critical to job performance.
“It’s a win for both sides. A little work ahead during the pre-hire stages increases retention, productivity and job satisfaction,” said David King, lead account manager for business services at Rowan-Cabarrus.
The College uses ETS WorkFORCE Assessment for Job Fit, a brief, online evaluation that measures six key behavioral competencies and 13 underlying personality attributes that are proven to be predictive indicators of workplace success. The customized assessment produces a report that gives the employer objective, research-based information on how well a candidate can be expected to perform in a particular role.
By understanding a new hire’s strengths and weaknesses during the selection process, businesses can be more efficient by reducing turnover and developing a more effective workforce.
The six key areas of evaluation are: Initiative and Perseverance; Problem Solving and Ingenuity; Flexibility and Resilience; Responsibility; Teamwork and Citizenship; and Customer Service Orientation.
A comprehensive approach analyzes a person’s responses to an online questionnaire and adds trained interviewers into the mix to assess how the person would fulfill the expectations of the job description.
“These tools can show what the resume can’t,” King said. “A resume can look like the candidate is a perfect fit, but their personal attributes may not be. Once the person is working on your floor, the ideal time has passed to learn they aren’t a good fit for the job.”
Companies who use the Rowan-Cabarrus workforce assessment model pay an annual fee and a per-employee evaluation fee and receive detailed reports, interviewer training, career development assistance and other benefits.
“In a job market where many companies are hungry to hire, we understand that it can be tempting to grab the employee who looks perfect on paper, but it doesn’t always get the best results,” said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. “What we do is provide proven recruiting and selection guidance that results in success for both employees and businesses.”
To learn more about Rowan-Cabarrus Community College workforce assessments for employers, please contact David King at david.king@rccc.edu or 704-216-3935.