[IPAC-List] Calculating costs/savings for testing research

[Mark Hammer]

I think it is a weak spot in many people's skill sets, including my own.

It would depend upon the specifics of your organization, but do keep in mind that, more and more, the utility and cost-per-hire of developing assessment tools has to factor in average post-hire tenure.  When one is able to identify and retain good hires you don't have to dismiss (and who don't have to be replaced), that's one thing.  When you identify and hire good people who will leave YOU because they are that marketable and restless, the traditional utility model starts to flounder.  After all, it is predicated on the premise that selection of "best" necessarily leads to organization advantage.  Keep in mind that jobs vary in how quickly the hire comes up to speed, and in some environments, the productive portion of one's tenure (once all training and aculturating is done) can be annoyingly brief.  Again, that is not true of all jobs and all hires.  Which I why I suggest thinking about your own context, and whether conventional utility models are appropriate or need to be modified in some way.

Mark Hammer
Ottawa