Wonderlics, transparency, and lessons from jocks

Thoughts and questions encouraged regarding this post

The most publicized employee screening process is taking place right now before the eyes of the world. Thousands of candidates from as wide a swath of backgrounds as humanly possible are competing for hundreds of positions in a variety of departments.

Some of the most sophisticated testing, both mentally and physically-centered, are being applied, along with relentless background checks and personal interviews. Despite gathering candidates together for a lengthy, centralized assessment, the employer's various divisions are traveling across the country to visit top candidates in the current hometowns for further interviews and evaluation of past and present performance.

In the end, 257 candidates will be automatically selected for probationary employment within 32 divisions of one of the nation's most recognized corporations. No equity will exist between the chosen, or with the incumbent employees they will join. Despite a few protections, all employment in the corporation is realistically at-will.

With the exception of a few call backs or opportunities to make a second impression in the future, the remaining candidates will never have a shot again.

Very few of us can imagine a selection process as arduous as this, except for the one we watch intently on the sidelines every spring: the NFL Draft.

With so few open opportunities for interviews right now, the opportunity to just "learn by doing" when it comes to selling oneself and understanding the processes employers go through to select "rookie" talent is a critical commodity in itself right now. However, when it is not possible to do, sometimes one can learn by what they observe. "The Draft" provides this opportunity, especially when you consider the vast publicly-available resources dedicated to its dissemination.

Think about it. Most cable networks will do a segment with some career counselor or advisor they contact for a few minutes. This does not compare to the number of full-time draft experts that ESPN, Fox, NFL Network, and other groups hire to provide insight and perspective. The media build-up to the Draft is the closest thing that sports has to Presidential election coverage.

As a result, there are plenty of places to see examples, in very obvious ways, of the lessons taught most often by career advisors. For example, simply Google "Andre Smith," and you will see a textbook example of someone who is sacrificing enormous opportunity by not balancing his talent with character and professionalism. Draft sites at NFL.com and elsewhere treat prospective players like commodities, providing "up" and "down" selection updated on an almost daily basis.

Then there's the assessment process. The NFL Combine, where draft prospects are evaluated as a group, might be the most visible example of mass supply talent evaluation available to the public. The multi-day exercise combines physical strength, agility, and endurance tests with personality profiling and tests of intellectual acumen.

The Wonderlic Personnel Test is perhaps the most referenced component of the Combine process. This actual HR assessment tool is utilized to gauge the capacity of draft prospects to process information and decision options quickly and effectively. The scores are not only made available to the teams considering the draftees, but also to the public, giving them a chance to see how these athletic supremacists would compare to the averages of various professions.

As a whole, the process for candidates of the NFL Draft is the best available example of how elite organizations consider and assess available talent. It also provides a view into the passion, commitment, and determination that the young men who seek to be picked must possess, regardless of their relative ability. If you happen to know anyone who is going through this process, sit down with them a little while and ask them what it is like. See what they have learned about appreciating hard work and personal discipline. Both of these qualities of character not only make a prospect excel in the evaluation process, but they reinforce the importance of pursuing passion when faced with the intense workload often found in those things we truly love.