The New York Times recently reported on Google using automation to accelerate their hiring process in a time of rapid growth: Google Answer to Filling Jobs Is an Algorithm.
With 100,000 applications flowing into Google each month, were not surprised.

We commend Google for their use of testing to help select their workforce. Google is surely innovative in many ways, but on this one they’ve turned to a method many organizations have already been using to achieve volume hiring success.

As they have found through experience, relying solely on interviews and school GPAs is problematical. However, this type of testing is not new to the assessment industry. Combining biodata with personality testing and statistically linking the test to on the job performance measures is not new and essentially required by the professional standards for employee selection.

This process is called criterion validation. In fact, Taleo deploys a very similar methodology and design in our assessment content for campus and hourly selection. We combine biodata, personality, situational judgment, and cognitive ability questions into a single assessment. We also ensure the questions are statistically and practically related to the success criteria for the specific job group. With tailored assessments, each client can predict success criteria that are highly relevant to each job group, such as turnover reduction, sales performance, or dependability.

We believe that well designed assessments can deliver a more useful score than a simple GPA in terms of who makes the grade in an organizations hiring process.