Project Upgrade 2010: PXT Is a Good First Step

Financially healthy organisations interested in upgrading their talent are finding themselves in "prime time" during the first quarter of 2010. Across the globe, employers are cautiously optimistic about hiring. This optimism coincides with the entrance of top performers into job market, many of whom are victims of the economic downturn that began in 2008. Some are unemployed but very employable. Others are working while seeking new positions that will allow them to learn and grow.

So what will your organisation's hiring strategy look like?

While every situation is different, a good general plan for hiring top performers should include some or all of these considerations:

• Hire workers who will become key to your success in the near-term, and who can grow to contribute to that success in the future.
• Hire workers with skills that are hard to find.

• Hire workers who fit your culture.

A good first step in finding skilled jobseekers who match your needs is to use the Total Person Assessment, also known as the ProfileXT^TM. This assessment helps you hire in the short term while focusing on long-term needs.

The PXT is called the Total Person Assessment because it evaluates thinking and reasoning skills, occupational interests and behavioural traits, and JobFit^TM technology gives clarity to its measurements. This helps in selecting employees as well as managing them. When team leaders are assured of job fit, they can train, coach, manage and promote the right people from within when positions open up.

Just as importantly, PXT helps predict job suitability, and it accurately matches people with the work they do. This helps leaders understand future talent demands and assess current talent inventory.

Organisational leaders often tell Profiles about their successes in using PXT for initial job placement, evaluating the best person to promote, succession planning, coaching and self-improvement. Its variety of reports helps employers solve the challenges of high turnover, poor training, organisational identity confusion, conflict and profitability issues.

If you are a leader ready to capitalize on the talent available, you should first envision success, then devise a plan that will help you achieve it.