WorkKeys System Expands to Help Employers Evaluate “Whole” Job Applicant

April 4, 2008

Personal Skill Exams Measure Attributes Linked to Productivity

IOWA CITY, Iowa—Job seekers can have basic work skills but not possess the attitudes or personal traits that make them a good fit for a business. Executives in charge of hiring now have a more complete skill assessment tool to help them select the right employees.

ACT has expanded the WorkKeys system, already used by thousands of businesses in selecting highly skilled employees, to offer three Personal Skills assessments. When used with WorkKeys Foundational Skills exams, the system now gives employers a more complete view of job applicants during the selection process. WorkKeys Personal Skills exams measure “soft skills” sought by businesses looking to make data-driven decisions about the quality of potential employees.

“Unproductive behaviors, attitudes toward work, the match between the individual and the occupation—these correspond directly to a candidate’s ability to perform well in a job,” said Martin Scaglione, president and chief operating officer of ACT’s Workforce Development Division. “WorkKeys provides a skills-driven language that employers use to communicate with job seekers. WorkKeys Personal Skills exams expand the attributes an employer can assess before making a hiring, selection or promotion decision.”

The WorkKeys Personal Skills battery includes three assessments:

Performance measures personal attitudes about work and tendencies to practice safe work behaviors, qualities that are necessary for maintaining high productivity and personal integrity on the job.
Talent measures 12 personal attributes including carefulness, discipline and sociability and helps determine whether an individual has the potential to succeed in the work environment.
Fit measures work-related interests and values and determines how well individuals mesh with an occupation.

All three exams are delivered online and provide immediate scoring, allowing the employer to make selection decisions quickly.

For nearly 20 years, ACT’s WorkKeys exams have assessed foundational work skills such as reading for information, applied mathematics, and locating information. Thousands of employers have used the system to cut costly errors, boost productivity and expedite their hiring and training processes.

The combination of WorkKeys Foundational Skills and Personal Skills assessments gives employers the tools to make well-informed decisions about an individual being considered for promotion or as a new hire.

“At Covidien, we use WorkKeys Personal skills assessments as part of our human resource model to hire and retain qualified candidates,” said Naomi Stifter, human resources director of Covidien Healthcare, a global manufacturer and distributor in Macon, Ga. “These assessments give us some insight to a candidate’s work habits, behavior and whether or not the individual is a fit for our business. We are encouraged and will continue to make it part of our hiring process.”

“Measuring both foundational and personal skills provide greater accuracy in predicting how an individual will perform on the job,” Scaglione said. “Many top-performing companies use these types of assessments when selecting employees. The expanded WorkKeys system gives employers the best of both worlds—measuring not only the hard skills needed for employability and trainability, but also the attributes needed to make them a successful hire.”