A pre-employment test I researched and created – “Dependability Forecaster(tm ) Test” – helped me learn a lot about people who are turnover risks, accident-prone, and rub co-workers and customers the wrong way. Specifically, such people are impulsive. So, you should avoid hiring impulsive people.
Definitions:
* Impulsive people = act before thinking.
* Non-impulsive people = think before acting.
You want to hire job applicants who think before acting, that is, people who are responsible, careful, prudent human beings.
BAD JOB PERFORMANCE – IF YOU HIRE IMPULSIVE PEOPLE
If you hire impulsive people – that is, people who act before they think – you are more likely to have expensive problems, such as
- Accidents – because they are careless
- Interpersonal Messes – because impulsive people blurt out inconsiderate, hurtful remarks
- Turnover – because they are disloyal and uncommitted
- Substance Abuse – because substance abusers are impulsive people
- Absenteeism – because they do not care that you expect them to
show up
- Lost Customers – because impulsive people fail to offer good
service
- Violations of Rules – because they think it is o.k. to break
your rules
In fact, my pre-employment test research to created “Dependability Forecaster(tm ) Test” discovered a statistically significant correlation between being (a) substance abuser and (b) highly impulsive. My test research finding means
* substance abusers = highly impulsive people
* when you hire highly impulsive people = you are more likely
to hire substance abusers
You do not want to hire substance abusers, do you?
GOOD JOB PERFORMANCE – IF YOU HIRE NON-IMPULSIVE PEOPLE
When you hire people who are not impulsive – that is, people who think before they act – your company may profit from
+ Safety – since non-impulsive people think to avoid accidents
+ Nice Relationships – with customers and co-workers
+ Retention – since non-impulsive people are more likely to be loyal
+ Less Substance Abuse – low impulsiveness does not correlate
with substance abuse
+ Better Attendance – they follow rules, including showing up
for work
+ Good Customer Service – because they consider their words and
use good manners
+ Rule & Policy Following – because they feel rules are meant to
be followed
EXAMPLES OF IMPULSIVE EMPLOYEES’ HORRIBLE MISTAKES
You can imagine these examples of impulsive employees:
- Delivery person – carelessly unloads a truck, dropping boxes,
thus breaking the contents
- Caretaker – unsafely picks-up patient, thus dropping and injuring
the patient
- Warehouse employee – injures himself by incorrectly picking up
a box
- Housekeeper or Janitor – spills dangerous chemicals
- Kitchen Staff – ignore health rules, waste food, and violate
health rules
- Car Valets – take joyrides in clients’ cars or dent cars
- [fill-in examples – of impulsive employees you witnessed]
1 JOB WHERE IMPULSIVE PEOPLE DO SUPERBLY WELL
Believe it or not, impulsive people are sought after for one highly visible job. For this position, impulsive people are the very best.
Impulsive people are the best people to select – if you are casting a reality TV show. Why? Because reality TV shows thrive on antics and “drama” of highly impulsive cast members.
You do not produce reality TV shows. So, avoid hiring impulsive people.
PRE-EMPLOYMENT TEST = BEST WAY TO PREDICT APPLICANT’S IMPULSIVENESS
Without pre-employment testing, most managers fail to spot impulsive job applicants. Research proves interviewers overwhelmingly make incorrect predictions about applicants.
Fortunately, a pre-employment test researched and designed to forecast – or predict – an applicant’s level of impulsiveness cannot be faked by a job applicant. A built-in lie section warns you if an applicant tries to fool the test.
In creating pre-employment tests – for entry-level and blue-collar job applicants – I found it crucial that the test assess applicants’ dependability. A key dependability ingredient is thinking before acting, that is, being non-impulsiveness. So, the pre-employment test includes an impulsiveness prediction section, in addition to also predicting (1) honesty on test, (2) work ethic, (3) stealing concerns, and (4) substance abuse concerns.
The pre-employment test’s Impulsiveness scale is a very useful – but seldom seen – prediction that managers need.
YOU CAN AVOID HIRING IMPULSIVE PEOPLE
Your management goal is to hire employees who are productive, low-turnover, safe, team players, and dependable. Such stellar employees typically are
* non-impulsive people – who think before they act
* not impulsive people – who act before they think
A pre-employment test that includes a specific impulsiveness prediction gives you the easiest, quickest and most accurate prediction of how impulsive an applicant is. Such a pre-employment test helps help you avoid hiring trouble-making impulsive people. So, make sure you hire applicants seem suitable on all prediction methods you use, including getting low-risk scores on the pre-employment test’s impulsiveness section.
COPYRIGHT 2009 MICHAEL MERCER, PH.D. www.MercerSystems.com
Michael Mercer, Ph.D., is an industrial psychologist specializing in (a) pre-employment tests and (b) hiring winners. His 5 books include “Hire the Best – & Avoid the Rest(tm).” Dr. Mercer created 3 pre-employment tests – tests to help companies hire outstanding employees: (1) “Abilities Forecaster(tm) Test,” (2) “Behavior Forecaster(tm) Test,” and (3) “Dependability Forecaster(tm) Test.” You can get – at no cost – 14-page recommendations on “How to Hire Winners” plus subscribe to his Management Newsletter at http://www.MercerSystems.com
