In order to hire the right employees and maximize their effectiveness in the organization, you need to apply effective assessment solutions. These are structured methods of assessing potential employees on a range of key criteria. These solutions can also be applied to existing employees too.

When used in the hiring and selection process, assessment solutions allow you to choose the right candidate for the job through the use of a number of structured systems. By using tested criteria, these solutions make sure the people you hire are not only the best for the position in question but also evaluate whether they can fit into and thrive in your existing company culture.

When it comes to employee selection and recruitment, many companies still stick to the old methods of recruitment. These methods - interviews, resume reviews, background screening and so on - are still valid but are nowhere near enough to determine whether a candidate is suitable not only to do the work you're hiring them for, but also whether they will fit into your organization and be committed to its long term success.

Modern assessment systems comprise skills and abilities tests, behavioral and personality assessments, structured interviews assessments and simulations, cultural fit, job fit and career fit, realistic job previews, leadership assessments and can include custom-built assessments.

At the screening stage you can use skills and abilities tests developed for a range of positions across various industries. These tests provide instant results allowing you to maximize your time and resources during the recruitment process.

Then you can use behavioral and personality assessments to help you reliably assess personality traits and behaviors. These assessments are available for a whole range of positions.

Another key component is the use of structured interviews. These help you gauge job applicants with greater accuracy, objectivity and consistency, and make sure your new hires fit into your company culture.

As for your existing employees, assessment systems comprising a range of tests, interviews and simulations provide a perfect method to assess training and development needs. By accurately determining these needs, you'll be in the perfect position to formulate a training program that enhances your employees and thus your entire organization.

Examples are assessment centers and simulations. These enable you to evaluate performance levels and development opportunities for current employees as well as candidates. These consist of a wide range of stimulating and effective activities including presentation and role playing exercises, written analysis exercises and workflow simulation exercises.

These activities allow you to identify the real talent in your organization and make sure they are put in positions that not only mesh with their skills but also maximize their value.

Another important assessment tool is that of performance indicators. These allow you to predict how well your employees will be engaged in their work and if they are likely to stay with your organization.

Assessment solutions can also help with another problem that some firms face, that of employee retention. Employees leave organizations for many reasons but job dissatisfaction is high on the list. Job dissatisfaction can result from many factors including not fitting in with organizational culture to feeling undervalued or in the wrong role.

Proper assessment can improve employee retention in many ways. For one thing it can work at the hiring process by making sure that the candidate is someone right for the position s/he's applying for and also right for your company culture. Modern assessment covers such factors as cultural fit, job fit and career fit, to make sure your new employee is with you for the long term.

Ongoing assessment can ensure employee satisfaction by making sure an employee's talent is recognized and put to its best use.

Owing to the complex and highly specialized nature of these assessment solutions, you need to hire a firm with particular experience in this field. Given the benefits to your organization through the optimization of your human resources, this is highly cost effective.

Specialized firms exist with extensive experience in all aspects of assessment. They can offer specific solutions for various types of industry including the financial services, hospitality and retail sectors.

To find out how assessment solutions can enhance your company's human resources and ultimately employee satisfaction and your bottom line, check the web sites of specialized firms to discover the outstanding services available.