If you’ve spent any time with me at all, you know I am obsessed with Craft Beer. My vacations are beer-centric, I authored a craft beer column for several years, my husband homebrews and we have a 2-tap system in our kitchen.
I am a self-appointed ambassador for craft beer. I get positively giddy when someone is visiting Louisville and asks where they should go. If they like bourbon, I can make some strong recommendations. If they like beer…. well… they’ll need to add a few days to their itinerary if they’re going to act on my suggestions!
When I started in the hiring assessment industry 20 years ago, I sold a line of assessments. About 10 years ago, I spoke for the first time at the National SHRM conference, and the trajectory of my business was forever changed. After that presentation, I was getting calls from companies that had very specific needs, and I knew the tools in my portfolio wouldn’t be the right fit. I also got calls from many companies that were interested in how assessments could help them, but first needed help figuring out what “hiring better” would even mean for them.
The result was that I transitioned from someone who just “sold a tool” to a vendor-agnostic consultant, helping companies figure out what they wanted to measure in candidates, and why. What outcomes were they specifically trying to move the needle on? What would hiring success look like and how would they measure it? What traits and abilities could we measure in candidates that would predict key metrics? And what assessment tool(s) would be the most effective based on this multitude of unique needs? After working with numerous clients to answer these questions, I was able to develop some efficient and effective repeatable processes to help any company methodically identify what their unique selection system should look like.
Once we were crystal clear about what we wanted to measure, I would go forth into the veritable jungle of assessment vendors and bushwack my way through the chaos—eliminating all tests that didn’t measure the right combination of things, were too long or too short for the process and population, didn’t have a pricing model that aligned with our strategy, lacked user-friendly reporting, or…frankly…just lacked the scientific rigor required to be something I felt comfortable standing behind (not to mention a dozen other caveats that could eliminate a tool from contention).
After years of hacking and chopping at the jungle, I noticed something interesting. Clear paths were emerging. Despite the fact that every client had different needs and objectives, and despite the fact that I was taking a completely fresh attack at the jungle each time, there were a handful of vendors that consistently made the short list. They had good tools, good reports, good science, and wide applicability.
Now, let’s circle back to BEER! I’ve spent years studying the beer scene (hard work, but someone has to do it), so when someone asks me which breweries to hit up while they’re in town, that’s an easy question for me to answer. I ask a few questions—what styles of beer do you like or dislike? What part of town are you going to be in? Do you want to be able to get food while you drink? Do you need a place that also has cocktails or other libations? What overall vibe are you looking for? And, frankly, how much time are you willing to commit?!
Once I know these things, it’s easy for me to rattle off the pros and cons of each of our 3 dozen local breweries based on the visitor’s unique imbibing preferences. Do the same 5 or 6 frequently get included on the list? Yup. Because they check a lot of boxes—solid science that leads to good quality beers, wide appeal, enjoyable consumer experience, etc. (starting to see the parallel?)
To bring the analogy full circle… it’s like I started out my career as a rep for Sierra Nevada—a great beer line that is going to be a solid choice for a lot of situations. But then, people started asking my advice on local beer, specifically. I spent years thoroughly researching every local option, developing a deep understanding of each—pros, cons, strengths, weaknesses, etc. And now, when someone asks me for a recommendation, I don’t need to re-drink my way through the circuit (although I do so periodically just to make sure my knowledge is up to date!)—I know which way to point them based on MY research and THEIR needs. And, if they aren’t sure what they like, I have a process I can guide them through to arrive at their preferred pint!
One more thing: I still rep for Sierra Nevada. Do I push Sierra Nevada? Nope—I have too much love and respect for craft beer to ever recommend anything that isn’t going to be the right fit for a particular palate. Correspondingly, I still sell the line of assessment products I started with in 2003—because they are solid tools, with great science, nearly unparalleled reporting capabilities, no barrier to entry, and widely applicable. But I think many would be surprised to hear how often those tools DON’T make the shortlist of what I’m recommending to client, because there is no one-size-fits-all “best” tool, just like there is no one “best” beer. In both assessments and craft beer, this isn’t merely a JOB; It’s a PASSION. And I care too much about it to “sell” someone something that isn’t going to leave them delighted.
After 20 years of immersing myself in the assessment industry, I’ve become a valuable resource. You don’t have to hack your way through the jungle. In fact, I no longer have to hack MY way through the jungle anew every time, because there are some clear paths now. At least 1-2 times per year, I take a fresh look to make sure I know what’s new, what’s changed, and what new paths may need to be forged.
So—when working to create the most fair and accurate selection systems possible—rather than wandering aimlessly in the jungle, or opting for the routes that are purely quickest or easiest, why not borrow my map? It’s pretty darn accurate after all this time. And, I’d be happy to share it with you over a beer.
