Are You As Smart As A Hiring Manager? Don't Take It Personal If You're Not

Cognitive Computing

Have you applied for a position online and received this confirmation; "Congratulations, your application has been reviewed and you've been identified as a potential candidate to move to the next step in the process"? Then, you receive an email with a link to an assessment, which tells the hiring manager (presumably) about your Predictive Index, or, PI, as it's known. Sound familiar? There are several companies that administer tests that gauge character and cognitive traits, but, PI is one of the more common ones, so, I mention them.

https://www.predictiveindex.com/cognitive

Math is pretty important for most jobs I've had and if I'm hiring someone, I'd like to know they have some complex Math skills and an ability to think on the fly. Fair enough.

Well, PI has a timed assessment where you have to answer some 50 random questions about patterns, shapes, words and numbers, all in 12 minutes (see examples)! Now, they do tell you on the real test, most people do not complete all 50 questions and that answering all questions correctly is not expected, but, if you're like me, just knowing there are 50 questions and only 12 minutes messes with my brain before I even start (that's probably the intent by the PI folks).

https://www.predictiveindex.com/cognitive

For the record, I took the sample test on their website which consited of 20 questions in 5 minutes (self-timed) and scored 17/20 (sadly, it marked me wrong for choosing "ambiguous" when asked what the opposite of "conclusive" is. My other three choices were "positive", "finite" and "unusual". So, I technically scored a 90% as opposed to the 85% because they had a wrong answer (go figure). You can take the sample PI test here.

So, what do the results mean? Well, if you actually were able to read the results form a real PI assessment, you'd have an idea. But, since you're not going to see how you scored, you have no clue because the employer is not going to share those results with you. Besides, the score that the test spits out will only be used against a matrix in which the employer created the acceptable range. So, while I scored an 85% (read 90%), if the range is 92 or higher as being a perfect fit for the job, the hiring manager may pass me over since I didn't land in the pre-set range.

And, that's my point here. The acceptable range is whatever the employer sets as a benchmark for a specific role. And, then, they're relying on PI's science to tell them what the results mean. PI claims "when used correctly, the PI Learning Indicator is a powerful and legally defensible assessment for guiding high quality talent decision-making." Obviously, they feel pretty confident their system is up to the task, when used correctly.

Long are the days of filling out a paper applications and face-to-face interviews. Now, almost the entire process is web based. I hear of people who never even see another human for the entire process (excpet for Skype) until they start their new job. But, hey, it's 2018, and, if you can get a Ph.D online, shouldn't you be expected to find a job the same way?

A Bridge Too Far... How to React to Being Laid-Off

There's downsizing going on across many industries right now (ahem, Coca-Cola). If you've been affected, it's important to keep your eye on the prize... namely, your good name. It's easy to get down because you feel slighted, especially if you performed at a higher level than those employees that were retained. Just let it go. Companies are always going to restructure and for those staying and those who are let go, there's never really a good time for a re-org. You have to accept it as it comes. You hear it all through your career... "just don't burn any bridges". But, it never really resonated with me, until now.

It does no good to get disgruntled because your reputation is on the line. And, if you're like many, you've probably been in the same industry for the majority of your career, and, odds are, you're looking to stay in the same industry, perhaps go to a competitor you once thought of as the enemy (it's amazing what one phone call can do to your psyche). My point is, there are probably people you know who have preceded you to another company and they still know people at your old company and they talk, and, well, you get it. Stories and rumors travel faster than the truth and if you make a grand exit, everyone is sure to hear about it. Probably even your next possible employer.

I was recently impacted and it really hurt. I had about a month heads-up that there were going to be some roles eliminated and others would be changed. It was probably the longest, hardest 30 days of my adult working life knowing this could alter the trajectory of my family. I told my wife very early on about the impending changes. We'd been through periods like this before, so, it wasn't exactly foreign to us. But, this time felt different. I was at a different stage in my life and my career and I felt more vulnerable than before. I never really let on to her about how serious I thought the outcome could be because I didn't want her to worry at home while taking care of two kids while I'm traveling. It's already hard enough being married to someone who travels frequently. As fate would have it, I was out of town when I got the expected news... in the exact same city... in the exact same hotel as the last time I got the exact same news. It was a sad day for me and for many of my colleagues with whom I built great relationships while we built great brands. I will miss them.

My story is no different than countless others. This happens daily, and you know what? I'm pretty sure most people end up with a better job. So, why am I telling you all this? Because, this time for me, I received so much support from my customers that it really lifted me up. Many told me they had no clue my job was being cut because I pretty much stayed connected with them right up until my last day. Some were shocked as to how gracious I was in departing. On my last day, I attended a customer meeting and personally introduced many of my customers to their contact who would be taking over for me. I acted that way for several reasons. One, because I'm more mature than if this had happened twenty-five years ago. But, mainly, it was the right thing to do. It serves no one, not your customers, not your soon-to-be fellow employees, not your reputation, to act in any manner other than professional.

I did this because, down the road, I don't want to be remembered for how I exited, but, for how I performed while I was there. It sounds cliche, but, don't burn any bridges. And, that's a lesson worth passing down to your children.