July 8, 2016

When Interviews Fail: Why the Best Interview May Not Be the Best Employee and How To Improve Interview Efficacy

Ever been truly blown away by a job candidate’s interview performance? And then been even more blown away when their actual job performance failed to measure up? You shouldn’t be surprised. Many companies rely on open, conversational interviews in which potential candidates are free to present themselves in a way they feel will impress the interviewer. It is often the most impressive interviewee who gets awarded the job. However, research reports show those self-presentation behaviors have more to do with interview ratings and less to do with job performance ratings.* So how can a company sift through the bright and shiny candidates to find the one that will be the bright and shiny employee it’s looking for? First, candidates’ self-presentation tactics had more of an impact when the interview was relatively unstructured. To help counteract this, interviews should be as structured and standardized as possible in order to improve hiring decisions. The authors of the report advise that “although structured interview scores were still subject to attempts by candidates to manage their portrayal, the scores became significantly less so as structure increased.” Greater interview structure means a greater chance that impressive candidates will translate into impressive employees. Scoreable structured interviews […]
January 17, 2017

Wave 2017: New Norms. New Reports. Greater Efficacy.

On January 23, Assessment Technologies Group will launch a 2017 update to our assessment software. The update will include several new reports and updated 2017 norms for Wave Professional Styles, Wave Focus Styles and Work Strengths. This change will enable our clients to better pinpoint work styles, as they vary by nation and professional level, allowing them to stay atop current population trends. Norm Updates As the population changes, comparison groups must adjust to the workforce climate. The norms update will include new core norm comparison groups for recent graduates and sales as well as new adjustments to existing core norm groups. Regional and country norm groups have also been created to allow a more tailored geographical approach to your assessment reports. New Leadership Impact Expert Report The 2017 update will also include several new or expanded reports. Our new Leadership Impact Expert Report will incorporate updated leadership norms in addition to an expanded view of employee leadership styles and efficacy levels. New Onboarding Report The new Onboarding Report will be a basic report designed to be more easily interpreted by non-trained users, or users unfamiliar with the Waves framework. It offers a high-level view of the employee’s top strengths […]
May 4, 2017

What Do You Know About Ergonomics?

By guest blogger Dr. Divya Desai (CEAS, OTD, OTR/L) Ergonomics is a science driven profession that attempts to maximize human performance while minimizing risk for injuries. The goal of an ergonomic intervention is to modify work to meet the needs of the worker – not the other way around. For instance, when a worker has a desk too high for his height, he may accommodate by raising his shoulders a bit. However, doing this day after day, for year may result in neck and upper back discomfort. The ergonomic intervention for this person would include lowering the desk or increasing the height of the chair (in addition to other modifications). When the work is adjusted to meet the workers’ needs, they are less likely to have aches, pains, discomfort or injury. It is a common notion that ergonomics involves fitting a new office chair, but it is much more than that. There are many factors that influence how you sit at work and function: the type of keyboard-mouse, lighting or glare, your clothing and accessories, your lifestyle (sedentary or active). Ergonomics takes in to account these factors and suggests modifications based on expected final outcome, which may be to decrease discomfort, increase productivity, save on worker’s […]
May 11, 2017

Pelocity and Wounded Warrior Project Jump Start Veterans’ Career Search

Injured veterans are finding new career paths with the help of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). Recently, WWP connected warriors with detailed career assessments. The online questionnaire determined abilities and identified 25 potential opportunities for each veteran. “We use technology to advance the way talent and companies connect,” Stephen Pollan said. Stephen is the founder and CEO of Pelocity, a Jacksonville-based company WWP is working with to identify careers for warriors. The technology goes beyond a simple question-and-answer format. It creates a database of prospective jobs and spells out, in detail, what is necessary to apply. “This means a warrior knows if they can start that career right away, or if they need to expand their skills,” said Kevin Rasch, WWP Warriors to Work® manager. “This allows Wounded Warrior Project to steer veterans toward additional education, if needed, or networking opportunities for jobs they are already qualified for.” “The assessment pinpointed what I wanted my career to be,” Navy veteran Gabriel Perez said. “The survey came back with network administrator and computer technician as my top careers.” Gabriel already targeted those fields in his career search. He has been working with WWP career counseling on his resume and interview coaching. “Wounded […]