Today’s economy is an unemployment rollercoaster, where hiring the best job candidate is a challenge. And contrary to popular belief, interviews are not the best indicators for selecting the right individual for the job. How do you know if your new-hire has the suitable skills, intelligence and attitude to perform on the job? A recent article from Forbes, titled “Stop Being Deceived by Interviews When You’re Hiring,” was spot on in addressing this issue.

Written by Don Moore, an associate professor at the University of California Berkeley, the article discusses the flaws of traditional job interviews and how evaluations and assessments are needed to aid in hiring the best job candidate.

2 Common Flaws of Traditional Job Interviews

Favoritism. Even if it’s unintentional, interviews are bias. Interviews are based on “good” first impressions, which means the most poised, charming and attractive candidates are more likely to be selected by the interviewer. As Moore points out, consequently, those individuals do not always have the best job performance.

Overconfidence. Managers tend to be overconfident when it comes to hiring. Everyone wants to believe they are experts at judging character. But sole judgment, like that taken away from an interview, is simply not enough to predict successful job performance. Instead of relying on gut instincts from an interview, it’s better to base hiring decisions on evidence so there are no surprises once the candidate is onboard.

So to hire the best candidate, in addition to interviews, pre-screening assessments are needed to figure out if the person does in fact fit the job! When discussing job fit, Moore highlights the fact that, “the best approach is to determine exactly how fit matters and explicitly assess that using a structured test or structured interview questions.”

In evaluating candidates, pre-hire assessments are useful in looking at skills, competencies and behaviors. In addition to a simple skills report, some assessments offer insight for hiring managers in preparing for interviews. For example, the ProfileXT®, a total person assessment used throughout the employee life cycle, includes an interview guide.