Employee Profiling

“If your business were a bus, worry about having the right people on it first, instead of initially focusing on its bearings.”

Having the right people on your team is possibly the most vital part of owning a successful business. As entrepreneurs, we all understand the possible nightmares associated with hiring the wrong person too. At VPI, we have over a decade of profile assessment experience, and have helped several companies experience dramatic growth simply by helping them hire the right people and manage them well by understanding how to extract the most from each person.

Research says your chance of making a hiring mistake based on interviews alone is about the same as flipping a coin. The cost of documented per-hire mistakes begins at $10,000. Since 1954, MRA (VPI’s profiling system) has helped organizations beat the odds by using a comprehensive assessment system.

Or, if you’re downsizing, our profiles help you select, develop, and retain restructured teams for long-term success. Using our Online Profiler, save time and money at every stage. Candidates complete the profiling instruments from home or any location with internet access. Contact us for information about putting the pieces back together.

Far More In-Depth than the Myers-Briggs Test

So you have an ENTJ. You know what that is and you think that this is likely what you need for your newest hire. GREAT! But… do you know how this person acts under stress? Do they actually get MORE accurate in their work under stress, or do they snap? What happens to their energy level when the gloves come off? What if the person is the correct type, but can’t figure out which shoe goes on which foot? That famed test is extremely lacking when it comes to real knowledge about a person.

Our test also doesn’t just spit out info that you print off and read about the person. Juddy Arnold and Jared Cullop have both been extensively trained in deciphering the MRA format, and have a combined 12 years of intensive experience.

The system provides two graphs and three stanines for them to interpret. The two graphs show an intricate layout of a person’s personality in two states.

The first is defined by how the candidate intentionally presents his or her self to the world. It’s also who their social group likely knows them as, and who they want to be. This is the personality without a large amount of stress.

The second graph shows the person’s personality under stress. This also reflects who the candidate’s spouse knows them as… their “true inner self”.

There are four key factors to these graphs.

Ascendancy:

Positive ascendant behavior in antagonistically perceived situations. It is an outrush of energy to overcome that which is threatening, thwarting, opposing or blocking.

Characterized by the degree of:

1. Aggressive behavior – taking the initiative
2. Strong ego (self) drives: self directed, self motivated, self interest
3. A willingness (and need) to compete
4. A need to dominate – to exercise authority
5. Acceptance of personal risk
6. A concern for direction – a sense of purpose

Sociability:

Positive ascendant behavior in social situations. It is a positive thrust toward “people situations”.

Characterized by the degree of:

1. Drive towards others
2. Identification with group activities
3. Need to be liked by others
4. Need to work together in harmony
5. Outgoing behavior – to take the social initiative
6. To serve – to help

Emotional Accommodation:

Adaptive adjustment to environmental conditions. The degree of consistency and ability to handle repetitive situaitons.

Characterized by the degree of:

1. Relaxation
2. Stability
3. Need to identify with existing physical surroundings
4. Need to maintain the status quo
5. Adjustment to routines or repetitive activities

Readjustment:

Adaptive behavior in structured situations. The degree of compliance to that which is expected. It is a measure of conformity.

Characterized by the degree of:

1. Willingness to work within the rules/system/authority
2. Interest in and ability to work with details
3. Strong security needs – avoidance of personal risk
4. Need to seek assignment completeness – closure
5. Drive to adjust the system
6. Commitment to a discipline (body of knowledge and the rules for its employment) ie – Accounting, Engineering, Law, Medicine

VITALITY

It matters little what someone’s personality is like or how intelligent they are if they have little life or energy. For that, we overlay and interpret all factors through the lens of a Vitality Factor (VF). This is a measure of psychological/physical energy. High V-Factors show a high level of energy and awareness of physical surroundings. Other factors affecting the Vitality Factor are health, personality type (Group 1 profiles generally will be higher than Group 3 – Analytic profiles), position of employment (ie sales personnel in high pressure positions generally have a higher VF than most managers), and stress level.

The Picture Starts to Come Together

When combined, the above four traits are deciphered into a real picture of the person as they relate to that person’s overall vitality for each of the two personalities (ie: stressed vs. unstressed). Those personality types form 27 different pictures, which are broken down into 5 main groups.

There are three STANINE Values that we test for:

Comprehension Speed

The ability to receive, absorb, relate and utilize new information – The ability to reason.

Factual Judgment

The ability to apply previous experiences to new situations. The ability to select the best alternative from several in solving factual problems.

Comprehension Speed + Factual Judgment

A measure of the potential to accumulate factual observations with an equal ability to draw conclusions. Somewhat intuitive, if both are high.

Empathic Judgment

The ability to sense the feelings of others, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with what is being said.

“How Do I Get Started?”

If you’re accustomed to utilizing a profile test as part of the hiring and/or management process, wonderful. If you’ve been banking on sheer nerve when making your hires, we welcome you to try us just once. This is a service that has literally changed the effectiveness of managers for our clients. The information gained not only helps you hire the right people, but shows you how to manage and motivate the ones that you currently have. After trying this system, we often have a client who has his entire team take it so he can maximize their happiness and efficiency. It’s also a fun test that nearly everyone enjoys taking.

If, after reading the above, you would like to talk more to us about our profile, or would like to proceed with us, simply call Jared Cullop or Juddy Arnold at 865.357.8591. We will discuss pricing options, which start at just $100 per profile. You can also email your inquiry to jcullop@vpi-advisors.com. We then will give you the log in information needed to take the profile. All this can be done from anywhere in the world, as long as there’s a good internet connection. We look forward to talking with you.