By Jillian Phipps
Polysciences, Inc. looks to PI to hire top talent and for team development
Rather read than watch? Check out Polysciences’ full testimonial below!
Jennifer Tenfelde, Director of Human Resources for Polysciences, Inc., a specialty chemical company located in Warrington, PA, has been with the organization for 15 years.
“We started using The Predictive Index (PI) because we were looking for a way to assess candidates that were not only going to tell us about their personality, but how their personality would relate to how well they would do their job and how well they were going to own their job,” says Tenfelde. Through MidAtlantic Employers’ Association, the company was introduced to PI.
“It’s a great tool to utilize to discover if an applicant is reactive or proactive, if they are going to own it or just be a follower, and it can even tell us if they are someone who can multitask,” says Tenfelde.
“It gives you a wide variety of information about a candidate that you would otherwise be blind to. It’s kind of like the cheat sheet to discovering a person without actually having to sit down with them for eight days and learn all about them. You don’t have that capability when it comes to interviewing. If I had to leave Polysciences and I didn’t have PI to utilize in my next job, I really would have a problem.”
Tenfelde explains that Polysciences not only uses PI from the hiring perspective but also in team development. “We want to make sure we have people who are not only communicators, but also people who will own it and be proactive so that they’ve got a full spectrum of drives represented,” she says.
“We also utilize it when it comes to inter-personal relationships. Why aren’t two people getting along? Well, let’s take a look at their PI Behavioral Assessment and see if maybe they just have unrealistic expectations of each other, and sit them down and go through their assessments. It’s been really great helping people to discover how to get decisions made with other leaders who might be motivated, as opposed to someone who tolerates a high amount of risk.”
The Predictive Index also helps the organization look at communications styles. “I’m an extravert. I probably drive some of our introverts nuts. But PI has helped me recognize this drive and what to do about it,” Tenfelde says.
“Overall, I would definitely recommend PI. I think it’s a great tool, it’s worthwhile. In fact, we liked it so much, we started utilizing the PI Learning Indicator and that’s helped us, between the two tools, make it so that our hiring process is a lot more effective.”
