Candidate Assessments in Portland, ME

In other hiring situations there may be a desire to use an assessment later in the process. For instance, you might be selecting candidate(s) for a mid level position in a particular area of your business. You are able to screen out a high percentage of resumes on the basis of experience, education etc. You then conducted phone interviews, and were able to cut the number of candidates down to ten or twelve, and then you reduce the pool down to four candidates through full-length interviews. At this point, you want another source of data to help in your decision-making.

Our candidate assessment process provides objective information about cognitive abilities, motivational features, personality characteristics and likely leadership behaviors under stress. Since its inception Drake Inglesi Milardo has provided candidate assessments for middle and senior level positions, and this continues to be a core competency of our business. We are experienced interviewers and have conducted in-depth interviews with literally thousands of candidates. We can help you put a candidate's profile of abilities and skills into a broad talent perspective.

A successful selection/hiring process starts with a clear picture of the competencies needed in a given position. We work with employers to clarify and zero in on these key competencies prior to starting an assessment process. We find that employers are generally very clear on the technical skills needed for a position, but often struggle when it comes to defining the soft skills.

In addition to understanding competencies there is also the question of cultural fit, and it is not uncommon for a "qualified candidate" to fail because of fundamental differences in this area. Culture is hard to define, but anyone who has worked at a number of different companies knows that each has a distinctive set of values and expectations. At Drake Inglesi Milardo we make every effort to get to know your company and to identify key cultural dimensions.

We see ourselves as partners with the employer in making hiring decisions. We offer unique information based on psychometrics and interview data, but we act as consultants not merely providers of data. The dialogue and give and take that occurs in discussing a candidate is often very helpful in the process of clarifying what is most important in a position and in delineating the upside and downside of a given candidate's profile.

After making a hiring decision, candidate assessment results can be put to good use in the onboarding process as well as in providing the right support and coaching in the candidate's early tenure. Assessment results can be used to target areas that could derail a candidate if they are not recognized and addressed. Retention and development of high performers can be enhanced by following this approach.