Corner Office: Values Testing for Job Candidates

Dec. 18 -- Remember the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit — that '50s archetype of the corporation man? Today, he's as extinct as the dodo bird.

His habitat is now home to a variety of new species: Bernie Brainstorm, Natalie Numbers, Monica Meetings, Donna Deadlines and Peter Policy among them.

But evolution is a tricky thing. Although the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit is unlikely to survive as the fittest almost anywhere today, choosing the fittest of today's employees is a tough call. That's because today's leading organizations have distinct cultures, and in the best of them the culture assumes cult-like dimensions.

So Bernie Brainstorm may set runways ablaze at Southwest Airlines, for example, while Peter Policy almost certainly won't. That's both good and bad, but when hiring it means that choosing a candidate who won't fit into the culture is a waste of time.

Furthermore, within each culture people are working together more closely than ever. For a manager, that can be challenging. Monica Meetings and Donna Deadlines may complement each other — may even need each other — but keeping them from killing each other is an art.

All of which, believe it or not, leads us to testing. Ultimately, you can't change someone's personality. But you can identify it, and work hard to put the right person into the right job and the right culture.

The tests in question are most commonly called psychological tests or personality tests, but both are misnomers. These tests don't really measure personality; they measure values, thinking style, and behavioral preferences, among other things. By whatever name, they can help you figure out whether a candidate is likely a good fit with the open job and with your organization — or not.

Taking Action

Review your workplace culture. What are the norms? What attributes are imperative for success? What behavior will really stand out?

Review the job description. Pay close attention to the behavioral expectations. What sort of person are you looking for? An idea person? A doer? An enforcer?