What selection methods did Bo Dolan use for hiring salespeople?
According to information provided, the Vice President of Sales, Bo Dolan chose to apply the traditional method of shortlisting the candidates based on their average level of match to the requirements for the post as had been listed by the firm. This is the first step, which he followed up with my using personality testing as the main activity of the recruitment process. The Vice President then opted to outsource a firm to perform this duty. The company was called Opus Productivity Solutions, which effected the PDP ProScan, which was the best way to perform the personality test suggested. These methods were meant to reveal the candidate whose traits would be best suited for the sales job at Kinaxis.
Did he go about using these methods in the best order?
Yes, Bo Dolan used the selection criterion in the best order because the short listing process needs to come before the personality testing to ensure that the people being interviewed further meet the minimum requirements that had been set for the recruitment process as the key selection points. Some of the considerations could have been in the form of working experience or education standard and presentation. The process of short listing first is essential because it is necessary to reduce the number of candidates that are physically interviewed so that the size becomes more manageable after ascertaining their basic efficiency.
What, if anything, would change in the order of the methods used?
The other option that the Vice Chair of Sales, Bo Dolan, could have used was to consider all the one hundred applicants, perform the personality test then shortlist after the results. This alternative is, however, flawed because of the time invested in terms assessing all those people. This number would make the recruiting individual lose objectivity because of the rush to complete the process faster. Such mishaps would mean the firm would, in the end, not recruit the right candidates for the sales position. However, if Dolan would have managed to get all the applicants to the personality test, then maybe he would have gotten better representatives since the shortlisting process may leave out some potential workers who could have been better for the firm than those shortlisted for the next step. Leaving the other 80 candidates out did not offer Dolan a chance to use his instinct in selecting those who qualify for further interviewing. Sometimes the best-qualified workers are those who complement the overall vision, mission, and goals of the firms, not just the academics and working experience considerations that most businesses give utmost importance.
What were the advantages to Kinaxis of using personality tests to help select sales representatives?
The need to use personality tests can be attributed to the increasing number of viable applicants who pass the minimum requirement for the selection process. According to Stabile (279), the main reason for firms applying these tests is so that they can avoid the high costs that companies usually accrue in the long run because of poor hiring decisions. This process is meant to increase the reliability and viability of the selected applicants, which means that it will reduce the rate of turnover in future, which is known to be quite an expensive process for the organization.
The test allows the enterprise to select the workers who stand out in terms of temperament and expected ability. In this consideration, it can be argued that the process allows for the selection of workers with higher productivity and longer tenure (Weber 8).
In addition to the abovementioned, the process has helped the company in selecting the candidates with the best personality for the job in terms of extroversion and assertiveness, which are the key characteristics of a person employed in the sales field. If the character is right, it means that the match with the job is higher leading to happier workers, a happy workplace and less risk of employees quitting or being let go (Weber 10).
What were the disadvantages?
The use of personality tests have been portrayed as one of the methods to recruit workers, however, there are some disadvantages associated with this technique. One of them is that personalities can be faked, as such, using it as the final recruitment criterion is a risk because the outcome is unpredictable (Martin, 6). Other experts have also stated that the tests do not usually assess facts, but instead, knowledge. Furthermore, they are time-consuming and may lead to unintentional discrimination.
Given the information gathered from the selection methods, what process did Dolan use to make this selection decision? What improvements can you recommend to this process for decisions to hire sales reps in the future?
The information reveals that Dolan only made the final decision after the shortlisted few had revealed their past performance tracks, despite their results in the personality score. The latter was a crucial part of the selection process, but it was the final guide in the recruitment. To improve this process, Dolan should short list more candidates because the short listing process sometimes leaves out better candidates than the ones selected, meaning that the company could get better workers and output from those who were left out.
Works Cited
Stabile, Susan. “The Use of Personality Tests as a Hiring Tool: Is the Benefit Worth the Cost. US Journal of Labor and Employment Law, 4(2): 279- 295 (https://www.law.upenn.edu/journals/jbl/articles/volume4/issue2/Stabile4U.Pa.J.Lab.&E mp.L.279 (2002).pdf)
Weber, Lauren. “Today’s Personality Tests Raise the Bar for Job Seekers.” The Wall Street Journal. 14 April. 2015. Web. 3 April. 2016. (http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-personality- test-could-stand-in-the-way-of-your-next-job-1429065001)
Martin, Whitney. “The Problem with Using Personality Tests for Hiring.” Harvard Business Review. 27 August. 2014. Web. 3 April. 2016. (https://hbr.org/2014/08/the-problem- with-using-personality-tests-for-hiring).
