The Client
Redner’s Markets Inc. currently operates 36 Warehouse Markets and 11 Redner’s Quick Shoppe convenience stores throughout eastern Pennsylvania and eastern New York. It currently employs 4,000 people and the company continues to grow by three or four stores per year.
The Solution
Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT): The 50-question WPT, which has been used by thousands of organizations since 1937, is a 12-minute, timed test that accurately measures a candidate’s ability to learn a specific job, solve problems, understand instructions and apply knowledge to new situations. This test provides hiring managers with objective information about candidates and, based on minimum test scores, automatically eliminates a significant portion of the applicant pool enabling recruiters to focus their time on those candidates most likely to succeed.
WPT Helps Redner’s Find Quick Thinking Managers
Grocery store managers need to be able to think on their feet, says Randy Kostelac, Regional Recruiting Manager for Redner’s Markets, a Pennsylvania based grocery chain with 36 stores and nearly 4,000 employees. From customer questions to department problems, questions come up constantly and managers have to react calmly and rationally. “If you can think clearly when a lot of things are going on all at once, you can handle this job,” he says.
To determine just how clear thinking potential managers are, Redner’s has applicants take the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT) a 12-minute, timed measure of cognitive skills, such as the ability to problem solve and follow directions. “The WPT is one of the biggest predictors of success for our managers,” Kostelac says. “Candidates who get higher scores are generally better quality managers.”
Kostelac gives the test, along with two leadership questionnaires, to every management candidate he considers. Scores fall into one of three ranges: favorable, average, or unfavorable. ”It’s not a difficult test, but if they go too fast they can miss questions,” says Kostelac who likes the fact that the WPT is timed. “It shows how well applicants can think in high pressure situations.” Being able to think quickly and effectively is a critical combination, according to Kostelac. “Managers have to be able to do both to be successful.”
He also likes the variety of question types on the test, which includes math, vocabulary, and brainteasers, because it mimics the diversity of situations managers may find themselves in on any given shift. “How candidates do on the WPT shows how they will react in a situation where numerous things are happening all at once.”
Kostelac doesn’t necessarily cut anyone based on their test score, but he does use the scores to customize training curricula. “The WPT test scores help us identify candidates’ weaknesses so we can tailor the training to the individual,” he says. For example, if a candidate shows poor problem-solving skills, he might spend more time on the second shift where a lot of different situations arise and there are no department managers on duty to help out. “They’ve got to think quickly and give answers without help,” he says. “It helps them get more comfortable with the stresses of the job.”
