Home » Blog » Hiring » What are talent assessments?
Hiring
2 min read

What are talent assessments?

You say tomato, I say talent assessments. Seems like such a generic term – talent assessments.

What are talent assessments anyway?

Talent assessments are effective tools for managing people – hiring the right person for the right job, evaluating candidates for a promotion, managing and developing your team members, and ultimately understanding the people who make up your workforce. Behavior, personality, cognitive, skills, integrity, job knowledge, and a variety of other assessments are used to uncover different aspects of a person’s makeup.

Types of talent assessments include

  • Behavioral assessments – provide an accurate depiction, or pattern, of people’s core drives, and therefore insight into their needs and behaviors.
  • Cognitive assessments – measure someone’s ability to solve problems, think on their feet, reason and other mental capabilities required to excel in specific jobs.
  • Integrity assessments – test a person’s honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and prosocial behavior.

While each kind of assessment has useful applications depending on your objective, behavioral assessments are particularly revealing, powerful, and relevant to solving some of your most strategic and consequential people-related issues. Having a solid grasp — built on actual data, not observation — of how each employee can be expected to behave in a given role or work situation, and how to interface with and motivate them will allow you to anticipate, manage, and resolve people-related issues long before problems occur.

Cognitive assessments gauge learning aptitude through the analysis of answers to verbal, math, and spatial reasoning questions and measure an individual’s capacity to learn, adapt, and grasp new concepts in the workplace. When paired with a behavioral assessment, a cognitive assessment significantly increases your ability to predict on-the-job performance. Cognitive ability assessments are among the best predictors of training success and job performance across all job levels and industries. Several studies show that when you assess a candidate’s behavioral make-up and cognitive ability, you are many times more likely to be able to predict if they will meet or exceed job performance expectations.

Data-driven talent assessments can help you evaluate candidates, organize teams and develop employees, and give you unprecedented confidence and accuracy in the selection and development of the individuals you depend on to make your company successful. Learn more about The Predictive Index platform and how you can harness talent assessments to supercharge your workforce!

The latest from our blog

Hiring

What’s the difference between talent, ability, skill, and experience?

Discover the key differences between talent, ability, skills, and experience—and learn how to leverage them for better hiring,...

Hiring

What is construct validity?

Learn what construct validity is, why it matters in HR, and how to select scientifically validated assessments for...

Hiring

What is cognitive thinking?

Learn what cognitive thinking is and how diverse thinking styles boost innovation, problem-solving, and team performance in the...

Company Culture

What is workplace trauma?

Learn how to identify and address workplace trauma with empathy - creating a healthier, more productive organization.

Behavioral Assessments

Innate vs. acquired personality traits in the workplace

Discover the difference between innate and acquired personality traits, and how understanding them can improve hiring, engagement, and...

Behavioral Assessments

Another reason to fall in love with your Reference Profile: What your PI candy heart says

Most of us enjoy receiving a little token of love or appreciation on Valentine's Day. What else do...

Company Culture

Better Work, Better World at 70: PI celebrates a milestone anniversary

In 2025, PI celebrates its 70th anniversary, marking seven decades of innovation, helping organizations align business strategy with...

Talent Optimization

Harness PI like never before with Talent Optimization Essentials

Our latest software bundle, Talent Optimization Essentials, gives you the easiest way yet to propel your people (and...

Hiring

Interviewing & evaluating for leadership qualities (70 questions to ask)

Discover essential interview questions designed to evaluate leadership qualities in candidates, including evaluation tips for HR professionals.

Back to top
Copy link