When hiring people, you'll probably want to use some kind of personality assessment tool. But which method is right for you?
By David Lykken
Special to MPA
When you're hiring new people for your team, you'll probably use some kind of personality assessment tool. Of course, until you interview people and get a feel for them, you can't really know whether they're right for your culture. But, first, you've got to screen some of them out because you've only got so much time in the day.
So, which assessment should you use? There are dozens of them out there. In a recent radio show, I had a guest who highly recommended the Birkman Method. As my co-hosts and I tried to understand whether or not the method should work based on what it measures, something interesting occurred to me. It does work, whether or not I think it should.
In the end, use the system that works. The Birkman Method does apparently have a strong track record but, whatever you use, examine the data. Does it work? Use it. Does it not work? Throw it out. That's the only standard that really matters.
David Lykken is 40-year industry veteran who has been an owner operator of three mortgage banking companies and a software company. As co-founder and Managing Partner of Mortgage Banking Solutions, David consults on virtually all aspects of mortgage banking with special emphasis executive leadership development, corporate strategic direction and implementation as well as mergers & acquisitions. A regular contributor on CNBC and Fox Business News, David also hosts a successful weekly radio program called “Lykken On Lending” (www.LykkenOnLending.com) that is heard each Monday at noon (Central Standard Time) by thousands of mortgage professionals. Recently he started producing a 1-minute video called “Today’s Mortgage Minute” that appears on hundreds of television, radio and newspaper websites daily across America.
