Candidate Selection: A Definitive Guide
Learn of candidate selection to improve your candidate selection process and build a high-performing workforce.
PAGE CONTENTS
section one
Introduction
Test Partnership provides organisations with scientifically validated assessments that help make data-driven hiring decisions.
A crucial part of this process is the use of norm groups—benchmarking data that allows organisations to compare candidates against relevant peer groups.
Audio Reading: Test Partnership Standard Norm Groups vs Custom
Designed for accessibility: listen to the narrated post for your convenience.
By ensuring assessments are interpreted in the right context, Test Partnership helps clients make fairer, more effective hiring decisions that align with their hiring goals.
section two
What Are Norm Groups and Why Do They Matter?
Norm groups provide a benchmark against which candidate scores can be compared. Rather than looking at raw scores in isolation, norm groups help contextualise performance by comparing candidates to a relevant population.
This ensures that hiring decisions are not just based on absolute scores but on how a candidate’s performance aligns with industry or role-specific expectations. Without norm groups, organisations may misinterpret test scores, either setting unrealistic expectations or overlooking high-potential candidates who perform well relative to their peer group.
How Test Partnership Helps:
- Provides guidance on selecting the most relevant norm groups to improve fairness and accuracy.
- Ensures clients understand how to apply benchmarking data to hiring decisions.
section three
Ensuring Fair and Objective Comparisons
One of the main benefits of norm groups is their ability to create an objective and fair comparison between candidates. Without proper benchmarking, organisations risk making decisions based on arbitrary cut-off scores that may not reflect true job fit.
How Test Partnership Helps:
- Uses validated norm groups to ensure candidates are assessed against realistic and appropriate standards.
- Reduces bias by ensuring hiring managers compare candidates fairly.
- Provides transparent data insights that help improve decision-making.
By integrating these assessments, organisations can make confident hiring decisions that align with business needs and growth strategies.
section four
Customising Norm Groups for Different Hiring Needs
Different organisations have different hiring requirements, meaning that a one-size-fits-all approach to norm groups is ineffective. Test Partnership works closely with clients to ensure their benchmarking data is tailored to their specific needs.
How Test Partnership Helps:
- Helps construct custom norm groups that reflect relevant job roles.
- Helps clients set realistic expectations based on actual job performance trends.
However, Test Partnership would likely not recommend fully customising norm groups for each organisation, as validated general norms often provide a more statistically robust and predictive benchmark. Customised norm groups may limit comparability and reduce the reliability of assessment data.
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section five
Using Norm Groups to Improve Predictive Validity
Benchmarking candidate performance against well-structured norm groups increases the predictive validity of hiring decisions. By ensuring candidates are evaluated in the right context, organisations can better predict long-term success.
How Test Partnership Helps:
- Uses extensive research to build norm groups that accurately predict job performance.
- Helps organisations use data to improve hiring decisions and retention rates.
section six
Summary and Recommendations
Norm groups play a vital role in making fair, data-driven hiring decisions. By benchmarking candidates against relevant populations, Test Partnership helps organisations improve hiring accuracy, reduce bias, and increase predictive validity.
With tailored norm groups and expert guidance, Test Partnership ensures that clients get the most out of their assessments, making smarter and more informed hiring choices.
For more information on how Test Partnership can support your hiring strategy with norm groups, contact our team today.
