The Phone Call I Have Never Received

The Phone Call I Have Never Received

Having been a distributor of the Orion Pre-Employment Survey for over 20 years, it dawned on me that there is one phone call I have never received from a client. I get calls or emails, with some frequency, asking for clarification and even challenging the results of a negative Orion outcome. However, not once in all this time has one owner or manager called to say they didn’t believe a positive, or glowing, Orion outcome.

It is human nature to want to believe the best of people. This becomes an even stronger inclination when we become emotionally invested in someone after doing an interview. Many of you have heard me describe this as the “Halo Effect”.

It is not my intention to suggest that you suspend your good judgment. It is, on the other hand, my intention to suggest you give yourself a “test” when you start leaning toward subjective “feelings” and ignoring objective data. The Orion Pre-Employment Survey is rated with an overall accuracy of 90%. The Drug scale is rated at 90%+ accurate and the Theft scale is rated at 90%+ accurate. Do you feel equally confident in your own “subjective” intuition about an applicant?

It is not uncommon to experience a rash of negative Orion outcomes. Equally, it is not uncommon to see a string of positive outcomes. Applicants tend to run in “Packs” like wolves. You may go a week and not see one good applicant and the next week they are all terrific. If you can explain why “Emergency Rooms” see a dramatic increase of activity during a Full Moon, you might be able to explain why applicants run in packs. I can’t, but I see it all the time, as do my professional peers.

Can a good applicant have a negative Orion outcome? Yes. However, keep in mind the odds. Statistically it’s a one in ten chance. As a hiring manager, I wouldn’t like betting my company’s future success, reputation and financial resources with those odds.

Sight Reading

What is “Sight Reading”? Attempting to determine the Orion outcome by reading how the applicant responded to the statements, without actually running the responses through the system. I can’t do it. You can’t do it. So, don’t try it. You might get lucky, now and then, but that’s not a good plan for the well-being of your company.

Exception: When scoring a paper version and viewing the applicants answer sheet, if the clear majority (over 50%) of the responses are any combination of 4’s, 5’s and/or 6’s, the resulting report will be a “Level 3 – High Risk” validity. When an applicant responds in this way, one of several things is taking place;

1. They are lying and don’t want to admit how they feel about anything.
2. They aren’t taking this seriously and basically blowing it off.
3. They are illiterate and can’t read and comprehend the questions at a 7th or 8th grade reading level. (English or Spanish)

Addressing Your Questions or Concerns

In the past, I tried to look at every report that came through. Often I would drop clients a note when I saw something troubling. Unfortunately, the volume of Orion reports being run has made it impossible to give each report that kind of attention. However, please know that we are always more than happy to look at any report you may have questions about. Helping you achieve the best possible hiring outcome is why we exist. You may not always like, or agree with, what we have to say, but you will always get our best possible interpretation of what we’re seeing.