Talent Science | Myth: Assessments make it hard to fill open positions

June 28, 2023

Talent assessments have become increasingly popular in the world of work as a tool for identifying and developing individuals' skills and abilities. However, despite their widespread use, there are still many myths and misconceptions surrounding talent assessments that can prevent individuals and organizations from fully realizing their potential.

In this blog series, we will explore and bust some of the most common myths associated with talent assessments. By doing so, we hope to help individuals and organizations gain a better understanding of the true value of talent science solutions and how they can be leveraged to maximize human potential.

MYTH #1: Assessments make it hard to fill open positions

We know that the labor remains tight right now, so companies are having trouble finding candidates to fill open seats. We understand there is a fear to adding any steps to the hiring process - particularly for external hiring - will lead to a loss of candidates and inability to fill seats.

TRUTH: Assessments accelerate selection of the “right” candidates

Keep in mind that candidate drop-off is only one part of the equation. Sure, there is the possibility that some candidates will consider any additional steps in their application process to be an off-ramp (and you might wonder how these candidates would handle slight challenges on the job!). But while removing the assessment step might lead to a short-term increase in candidates, it actually causes a more severe candidate funnel issue due to higher turnover and, therefore, the need to fill more seats! And importantly, without the assessment, the strain on internal resources due to needing to replace more employees is long-lasting.

To illustrate this with a real-life example, enter a nifty experiment we were able to run with one of our clients. This company - a large retailer who was deemed an essential business during Covid - fell prey to this myth and decided they wanted to turn the assessment off for their hourly staff. So we followed the people hired while the assessment was on and those hired while it was off and tracked their turnover rates. What we found was that those hired while the assessment was off turned over at a 27% higher rate. Which means 27% more seats coming open in the absence of the assessment. Ultimately the data tells us the assessment leads to a net increase in available labor.

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