MISSION VIEJO : Testing Shows Skills, Traits of Workers

Craig Ryan, owner of an Irvine-based computer installation company, noticed that the pairs of workers he was sending out to job sites were spending more time arguing than installing.

The problem, Ryan later found out, was that the workers were arguing about who was in charge.

“If you get two aggressive types, they fight head-on all day long. But if you have two passives, nothing ever gets done,” said Ryan, president of PacifiCom.

Ryan solved his problems by sending his workers to the Saddleback College Career Assessment Center.

The 15 workers were given a battery of tests, revealing their personality traits, skills, goals and even physical abilities such as vision and dexterity.

Using the information given to him by the assessment center, Ryan paired his teams by personality type and compiled a list of qualities to help him in finding future employees. The result was less arguing, higher productivity and less turnover.

“The men feel better about their job because they’re happy,” Ryan said.

Although the center’s primary purpose is to test the skills of Saddleback College students, coordinator JoAnne Alford said evaluations such as the one performed for PacifiCom are part of the college’s growing role in business and the community.

Over the last year, the center has tested about 150 employees from firms throughout South County. Most community colleges have extensive career assessment programs with a strong link to business, but prior to Saddleback’s program, the only local choices for South County businesses were expensive private consultants, Alford said. Saddleback charges $50 per person assessed.

So far, five South County companies have taken advantage of the program. Some, like PacifiCom’s Ryan, have used the center to overhaul an entire firm. Others, such as the Mission Viejo-based Unisys Co., use the center for pre-employment testing. With a high number of foreign-born employees, Unisys contracts with Saddleback to perform English proficiency tests for prospective job applicants.

The outreach to businesses has helped the career center, administrators said. First, money from the testing is put back into programs for students, said Dan Pelletier, a career counselor at the center.

And after compiling a composite of the ideal employee for each firm, the college has an easier time referring students who are looking for jobs.

“Since they know exactly what we’re looking for, I call them when I get an opening,” Ryan said. “I think it’s an important link between the college and the community.”