It's All About Productivity: Expanded WorkKeys System Gives Insight into Job Performance

June 23, 2006

IOWA CITY, Iowa—ACT has announced an expansion of its WorkKeys product line to give businesses further insight into how job candidates will perform once they're on the job. A set of "soft skill" assessments being added to the WorkKeys system will measure the match between an applicant, a job, and an organization. WorkKeys has been used for nearly two decades by more than 2500 organizations to measure foundational job skills and then target specific training to develop a more highly skilled and productive workforce.

"Job applicants and employees can have the skills and training needed for a job, but it can be a bad match if the person doesn't practice safe behaviors, if their attitudes don't meet corporate expectations, or if their career goals don't match the position," said Richard L. Ferguson, chief executive officer of ACT. "The WorkKeys system has helped businesses reduce turnover, improve morale, and boost the bottom line, by identifying how well an individual can apply foundational skills in a work setting. These new assessments will add to a company's understanding of how well a person will perform."

The expanded WorkKeys system will give companies the capability to measure job candidates and employees according to the following characteristics:

Foundational skills – Essential abilities in applied skills such as reading, applied mathematics, locating information and others (the current set of WorkKeys assessments)
Performance – A prescreening test that measures attitudes toward work and tendency toward risky behaviors
Talent – A selection and employee development tool that measures several work-related attitudes and behaviors such as dependability, cooperation, openness, assertiveness, and emotional stability
Fit – A measure of interests and values that assesses the fit between a candidate and the specific job the individual seeks to fill

"Our data show that far too many people are entering the workforce with gaps between their skills and the behavioral characteristics needed for the job," said Ferguson. "All indications point to an economy in which the skills situation is going to get worse, not better. To remain competitive and avoid expensive hiring mistakes, companies need all the tools that are essential to building a high-performing workforce."

WorkKeys is based on the most current research on the critical role individual attributes play in high workforce performance, employee satisfaction, and retention.

The assessments will be administered in a flexible and easy-to-use format that relies on the latest Internet technology. Components will be delivered to business sites and testing agencies that will administer them. The system is designed to comply with legal requirements for hiring. For high-stakes decisions, proctored administration may be required.

Job candidates will be able to complete the new assessments quickly and efficiently. Results will be available immediately and provide employers with a simple rating system that compares individual attributes to those of the general population.

The first of the new personal skills assessments—Performance—will be available in September 2006. The Talent and Fit components will follow later this year.