Candidate assessments and tests can be useful tools in the sales hiring process, but there are literally thousands of tests available for evaluating candidates and it can be confusing to know which one to use and when. Worse yet, many tests are either ill conceived and provide inaccurate assessments or are applied incorrectly and provide a high score to a candidate that is not likely to perform well in a particular sales context.
Over the years we have sampled dozens of different sales tests and here are some things in order to ensure they help you make the right sales hire:
What are you testing – there are tests covering sales skills, competencies, temperaments and behavioural traits. What do you want to asses?
Is the test right for you – one selling environment can be radically different from the next, so a one-size fits all test may not be useful in predicting the top performers that you want. Look for one that can be tailored to your selling environment.
Is the test benchmarked – how many times has the test been applied and what is the percentage of times it makes an accurate prediction.
Test the test – does the test accurately identify your top performers?
When to apply the test – Will you use the test to determine who you will interview, make your selection or to augment your notes. The latter may be prudent, since most test vendors suggest the test as a compliment to your direct candidate assessments.
Good luck!
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Eliot Burdett
Eliot received his B. Comm. from Carleton University and has been honored as a Top 40 Under 40 Award winner.
He co-authored Sales Recruiting 2.0, How to Find Top Performing Sales People, Fast and provides regular insights on sales team management and hiring on the Peak Sales Recruiting Blog.
Latest posts by Eliot Burdett (see all)
- 20 Of Our Favorite Books About Sales Management and Sales Leadership – October 20, 2023
- How To Make Progress On Your Sales Goal Without A Sales Leader – September 15, 2021
- Augment Your Recruiting Strategy During “The Great Resignation” – July 26, 2021
