Applying Assessments to the 2012 Presidential Election

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1 1 Applying Assessments to the 2012 Presidential Election Ready. Test. Go.

3 Ready. Test. Go. 3 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION QUALIFICATIONS TO BE PRESIDENT PRESIDENTS AS LEADERS ASSESSMENT AND THE VOTING PUBLIC INFORMATION FOR THE VOTERS CONCLUSION ABOUT WONDERLIC

4 4 INTRODUCTION Election season takes information overload to the extreme, mixing messages and often confusing voters. It isn t easy to get the same objective measures across the candidates. All we really want to know is whether a Presidential candidate can do the job. Assessments are often used in business to determine whether leaders can do their jobs. Can you imagine what a Presidential election would be like if the voters were able to use assessments to make their decision?

5 Ready. Test. Go. 5 QUALIFICATIONS TO BE PRESIDENT The requirements for the office of President of the United States aren t extensive: One must be 35 or older, a U.S. resident for at least 14 years, and a natural-born citizen. 1 In fact, most job descriptions have more requirements. If the list of qualifications is so short, how do we determine who s qualified to run for President? Some believe the President should have a working knowledge of government functions, having served in Congress as a Representative or Senator. Others believe that prior military service gives the President experience to be Commander in Chief. In today s society, some business experience is also expected so that the President has better insight into the U.S. economy. What we see, however, is that when it comes to the qualifications for President, the court of public opinion ultimately makes those determinations. 1 Maskell, Jack. Qualifications for President and the Natural Born Citizenship Eligibility Requirement. Congressional Research Service

6 6 PRESIDENTS AS LEADERS Since the government is like a large enterprise, the President could benefit from experiences and qualities similar to those of CEOs. Research indicates that high-performing CEOs possess these behavior traits: 2 Realistic optimism: These leaders act with certainty but make decisions based on realistic premises. Subservience to purpose: This trait supports the desire of a leader to contribute to the progress of an important professional goal. Finding order in chaos: Leaders express this behavior by managing complex situations and seeing opportunity through any number of obstacles. An individual s personal experience and expectations weigh heavily in their opinion about the attributes that are essential to success, whether thinking about a President or CEO. A voter will use their personal experience and values to help discern which qualifications are most important. 2 Menkes, Justin. Three Traits Every CEO Needs. HBR/Better Under Pressure three_traits_every_ceo_needs.html

7 Ready. Test. Go. 7 For the role of President, a recent survey found that a person s perception of crucial traits depends heavily on political affiliation. 3 As noted in the table below, the difference between a behavior qualification (Earn trust) verses some skills capacity (Exercise financial discipline) makes it difficult to determine a standard set of qualifications. Party Affiliation Democrats Republicans Independents Most Important Trait for Presidential Candidates Ensure a strong global position Earn trust Exercise financial discipline If too much subjectivity means voters aren t likely to establish a standard set of qualifications, perhaps adding objective measures to the process would make it easier to compare candidates. 3 PDI Ninth House. Which Leadership Traits Are Most Important for an Effective U.S. President?

8 8 ASSESSMENTS AND THE VOTING PUBLIC For most jobs in the U.S., employment testing adds the objectivity that we don t generally see in evaluating Presidential candidates. These days, even applying for a minimum-wage job may include a test of your basic skills or a questionnaire assessing your work ethics, customer service skills, or likelihood to turnover; from there the bar only gets higher. For example, those who aspire to be police officers can expect to be screened for mental stability and judgment. It is also common to test a potential executive s personality and mental ability to see if they have the right qualities for leadership.

9 Ready. Test. Go. 9 Similarly, voters could make more informed decisions if candidates were given such tests. Relevant tests and assessments used for making employment decisions that the public might find useful include: Cognitive Ability: Years of research have shown mental ability to be the single best predictive factor of successful on-the-job performance. 4 There is a family of tests that provide an estimate of general aptitude or intelligence. These tests assess a person s ability to learn, understand instructions, adapt, make good decisions and solve problems. Personality: Assessments of personality indicate a person s natural tendencies and preferences which are related to how they behave in a given situation. There are many personality tests used as part of interview and performance management processes. Common assessments include those based on the Big 5 personality traits. These personality assessments are used to help predict a candidate s job performance as well as how that employee will respond in certain situations. Leadership Assessments: Cutting-edge leadership assessments evaluate which individuals will be strong leaders within an organization. Similarly, voters could use these assessments to identify the candidates who have leadership characteristics that are most likely to be successful. Assessment Centers: Some assessments are built to mimic everyday tasks, as well as extraordinary challenges that could arise in the course of performing a job. The various exercises and problems that are presented as part of the assessment center are typically more elaborate and hands on than a paper-and-pencil test. Examples of such exercises are: sorting, assigning and prioritizing work to direct reports; role playing within a group, acting out an important summit meeting; delivering bad news to the public; or reacting to a crisis. These simulations would give voters insight into how a Presidential candidate would actually react in a variety of tough situations. 4 Schmidt, Frank L.; Hunter, John E. The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin Volume 124. Issue 2. Pages

10 10 INFORMATION FOR THE VOTERS Gaining information about candidates isn t as simple as we would like. Campaign managers spin messages about candidates, often oversimplifying complex issues. For example, military spending is not just about the military, but also about programs to support veterans, jobs created by government contractors, resources for emergency-response teams, and the economic conditions of the towns surrounding military bases. Also, voters may default to whichever candidate is endorsed by their party of choice when the right information isn t available. As the years go by, however, each party s position on issues changes, just as a voter s opinions change. Election season can make it hard to truly research what makes candidates fit for office. But voters care about getting accurate information, and objective assessment measures could provide a clearer look at a candidate s qualifications so that an election is less about spin and more about fit.

11 Ready. Test. Go. 11 CONCLUSION During a U.S. Presidential election, voters absorb a lot of information about candidates, much of it unclear. Objective assessment measures would give voters insight into a candidate s capacity for taking on the duties and responsibilities of President. While instituting measurement assessments for Presidential candidates is not something done today, objective assessments play an important role in filling many leadership positions. A bad hire can slow productivity and damage employee engagement. Applying rigor to the interview and evaluation process helps companies see more insightful profiles of job candidates.

12 12 ABOUT WONDERLIC Are you ready to move beyond gut instinct into unbiased data when it comes to selecting the best new employees? Our assessment strategy takes you beyond the resume and interview and into the world of real information. Cloud-based, job-related and legally defensible you re not just testing. You re diving deep into each candidate and coming out knowing who your top choices are, no crystal balls needed. Cognitive ability, personality, skills, qualifications and integrity all critical components when selecting the right hire harmonize to give you a complete picture of each candidate in just minutes. Plug our assessments into your hiring process without worrying about integration and adoption. Our strategy is easy to use, lightning fast and ready to go. Ready. Test. Go. Ready. Test. Go.

Voter Registration Guide

Voter Registration Guide Ventura County Elections Division MARK A. LUNN Clerk Recorder/Registrar of Voters 800 South Victoria Avenue Ventura, CA 93009-200 (805) 654-2664 venturavote.org Revised 6/20/7