The Quotemployment Testsquot Myth

Writen by Virden Thornton

In a comprehensive article on hiring myths, Ira S. Wolfe, the President of Poised For The Future Company, quotes The U.S. Department of Labor, which recommends a "whole person approach" to screening employment candidates. In his article, Wolfe asks the question, "Can a good test compensate for a lack of good interviewing skills?" His response was an emphatic, "No. No. No".

Having conducted hundreds of employment interviews over the last 39 years as a business owner, department head, and sales management consultant and coach, I must agree with Wolfe's assessment of the value of testing. In my view, employment tests should be valued no more than 20 percent in the overall assessment of a sales or service industry professional. The whole person approach, as Wolfe suggests, "...encourages managers to factor in the results of a variety of accepted tests along with prior actual performance and interview results."

A combination of telephone screening, resume review, personal interviews, employment tests and reference checks are all needed to effectively identify just the right candidate for your sales or sales support positions. To learn more about the do's and the don'ts of hiring sales professionals, check out my new manual 101 Sales Management Myths at: http://www.TheSellingEdge.com/myths4.htm

VIRDEN THORNTON is the founder and President of The $elling Edge®, Inc. an Ohio consulting firm specializing in sales and sales management training, personal coaching, advisory services and publishing. Clients have included Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Service Linen Supply, Bank One, Jefferson Wells International, and Wal-Mart to name a few. Virden is the author of the "best selling" Building & Closing the Sale, Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success and Close That Sale, a video/audio tape series published by Crisp Publications a division of Thompson Learning. He has also authored a client acclaimed Self-Directed Learning series of sales, coaching, telemarketing, and personal productivity manuals. To obtain a substantial discount on two of Virden's latest books, 101 Sales Myths or Organizing For Sales Success, go to: http://www.TheSellingEdge.com/