The Virtual World of Talent Measurement

Dear Reader,

You are a talented person as an individual .

Organizations have talented people.

So how does one really measure the really talented person .

Read on to know the virtual world of talent measurement.

Happy Reading,
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.

The Virtual World of Talent Measurement

by Mike Fetzer

With all the noise in the media about recent changes in the work environment, one thing remains constant: It is still hard to find good people, but it is getting easier. Talent management in the virtual world has experienced a significant evolution during the past few years due to advances in the science and technology of talent measurement as well as information technology. This trend will continue until the next evolution, which is just beyond the horizon.

More than 10 years ago, cutting-edge technology in virtual talent measurement was little more than digitized paper-and-pencil tests that could be delivered via the Internet. Instead of filling out bubble sheets, online forms were completed and submitted for automatic scoring, the results of which were available in microseconds. This resulted in substantial savings of time and resources, not to mention efficiency gains when compared to testing methods in the early 1990s. Thus many companies were quick to take advantage of these bottom-line benefits.

Here and There, Now and Then

Technologies that were once cutting edge soon became the norm and eventually became outdated. This is not due to any sort of talent measurement fad, but for a variety of legitimate reasons. First, the proliferation of virtual talent measurement brings with it a potential reduction in online assessment security. The easier it is for applicants or employees to access talent measurement tools for legitimate reasons, the easier it is for those with not-so-honorable intentions to do the same. Static text-based assessment content that can be copied and pasted from a Web site is especially susceptible to being compromised.

Second, virtual talent measurement soon became one of the initial points of contact between applicants and most hiring organizations. Many organizations put a tremendous amount of thought, effort and money into branding their corporate career Web sites to portray the right image to prospective employees and draw in those most qualified. Once past the initial application screen, however, the first set of online assessments may feel like outdated technology rather than a company on the leading edge. Organizations looking to attract Gen X and Gen Y applicants may be losing more than they gain by using fading assessment technology.

Finally, the effectiveness of older, more traditional assessment tools such as paper-based tests put online may start to wane as applicants become savvier, especially in today's economic environment. Applicants may attempt to game the system by responding to simple statement questions in the most positive manner possible. The more popular traditional online testing becomes, the more familiar it is, and thus it's more susceptible to individuals inclined to find ways around it to get to the next step in the hiring process.

That said, the effectiveness of current virtual talent measurement methods still remains strong, as evidenced by the relationships between assessment scores and job performance. The vast majority of organizations using online assessment continue to see positive results and ROI with traditional methods, but the evolution that has recently occurred offers newer methods to supplement traditional assessments and provide benefits above and beyond existing practices.

In the past few years, a virtual talent measurement evolution has begun to address these trends and challenges with more sophisticated, secure and engaging methodologies that are already complementing or replacing online tests that were cutting edge a decade ago.

The More Realistic the Better

One aspect of this progression involves the utilization of computer adaptive testing (CAT) technology. With CAT, the test actually adapts to the test taker, administering questions from large item banks that are most relevant for his or her competency level. CAT greatly enhances the security of online testing as well as improves the accuracy and reliability of test results.

In use for years in the fields of education, certification and the military, CAT is now becoming a more common method for talent measurement in private-sector organizations due to recent advancements. Hiring organizations now have access to computer adaptive tests of cognitive ability, personality and other skills. These CATs are becoming integral parts of the hiring process and the norm rather than the exception as organizations upgrade their static tests to benefit from this more sophisticated testing technology.

Another aspect of recent evolution here involves the use of basic simulations, such as typing, word processing and data entry, and as the technology advanced, simulations also were developed that incorporated audio stimuli and more complex graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Organizations using call centers were the first to benefit from these advancements, as the interaction with stimulated callers via prerecorded audio files and typical call center applications was integrated to provide a representation of call center agent work.

Further, incorporating video has become more practical for online delivery as more businesses and homes upgrade to high-speed Internet connections. Video-based assessment typically involves presenting the test taker with short clips showing various types of situations involving co-workers or customers and then administering one or more questions based on the video, such as "What would you do in this situation?" These are similar to text-based situational judgment assessments that have been in use since the 1940s, but they provide an extra level of realism as emotion and body language now can be represented in a nearly real-life setting.

These basic simulations and multimedia-based assessments are extremely effective at evaluating certain competencies and are more realistic than their predecessors. They not only produce a more engaging experience for test takers, they provide more accurate assessments of test taker skills and competencies. This is because these assessments are classified as work samples since they elicit the same behaviors and actions that would be performed on the job. Meta-analytic research has shown that work samples are the best predictors of job performance, thus their effectiveness is undisputed.

The Next Wave

The next evolution of assessment technologies has its origin in the entertainment and video gaming industries. Feature-length films, such as "Avatar," "A Christmas Carol" and "Beowulf," along with popular video games, such as "Global Agenda," "Call of Duty," "Halo" and various professional sports games, have provided moviegoers and video gamers with incredibly realistic entertainment in the past few years. The technologies behind these films and games incorporate two main elements: 3-D computer animation and motion capture.

The first element, 3-D computer animation, is the process of creating three-dimensional computer-generated backgrounds, objects and characters known as avatars and setting them in motion. The second element, motion capture (mocap), involves the use of specially designed suits, cameras, hardware and software that record human motion in a three-dimensional space. The data generated by mocap systems is then incorporated into 3-D animation software to provide extremely realistic motion.

As these technologies are developed and implemented, another evolution will take place. Immersive simulations that provide realistic interpersonal interactions and behavioral examples will take virtual assessment to the next level. Not only will they enrich the test taker experience through a more game-like environment, but several other benefits will follow.

First, the interactive, dynamic nature of these assessments will enhance test security by enabling a unique experience for each individual. The probability that any two individuals will encounter the same set of situations will be extremely low, greatly reducing the possibility for cheating by collusion.

Second, organizations that strive to be on the leading edge of technology to appeal to younger generations will benefit from more positive applicant perceptions. Using the same technologies that candidates experience on a daily basis will make organizations that leverage this approach seem more advanced and more attractive as an employer than those that don't.

Finally, in much the same way that CAT produces a more accurate, reliable score for text-based assessments, the adaptive or dynamic nature of these new assessments will better evaluate applicants' true competency level. Similar to a video game, the situation and possible outcomes will evolve based on applicants' responses. Applicant decisions and actions during the course of the simulation will determine the progression and outcome of the experience, and scores produced will more closely represent their future behavior on the job.

For example, a simulation focused on customer service skills would leverage an applicant's responses to the virtual customer avatar to determine how the customer will react. If the applicant is less than helpful, the customer may become progressively more agitated unless the applicant does something during the simulation to turn the interaction into a more positive experience.

Use of these types of assessments will become more and more prevalent for organizations of all sizes as - like many other forms of technology - the quality goes up and the cost goes down. However, it is important to keep in mind that any assessment used for talent measurement should measure competencies important for job performance.

Be wary of assessments that look really cool and leading edge but have not been validated in real-world settings. Despite the realism being built into these simulations, it will still be a long time before interviews, face to face or otherwise, are replaced as a standard assessment practice. The primary purpose for using these types of simulations is to ensure applicants that get an interview after passing the assessments are truly the most qualified and don't waste valuable time.

The world of virtual talent measurement is evolving and will continue to evolve in the near future. These evolutions will further enhance the effectiveness of virtual assessment as well as provide additional benefits and address new challenges. As advanced technologies become more integrated with talent measurement tools, the pace at which these evolutions will occur will increase proportionately. Organizations that implement these new technologies sooner rather than later will more quickly realize the advantages and reap the rewards than those who don't.


[About the Author: Mike Fetzer is the global director of advanced assessment technologies at PreVisor.]