The Client
Lithia Motors, Inc. is a Fortune 1000 and Russell 2000 company that sells 24 brands of new vehicles and operates 83 stores and 152 franchises in 12 states in the Western United States and over the Internet through “Lithia.com-America’s Car & Truck Store.” Lithia also sells used vehicles; arranges finance, warranty, and credit insurance contracts; and provides vehicle parts, maintenance, and repair services at all of its locations. Lithia retailed 95,255 new and used vehicles and had $2.51 billion in total revenue in 2003.
The Solution
Wonderlic Personnel Test- Revised (WPT-R): The 50-question WPT-R, is a revised version of the WPT which has been used by thousands of organizations since 1937, is a 12-minute, timed test of cognitive ability 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 only those candidates who are most likely to succeed.
Online Testing Helps Lithia Manage Growth
Since Lithia Motors went public in 1996, the company has gone through tremendous growth. In the ensuing eight years, the Oregon-based automotive retailer has gone from five dealerships to 85 dealerships across 12 Western states. Steady expansion means Lithia’s 55 recruiters are constantly busy, managing the more than 2000 applications they receive every month, says Emily Malone, Accelerated Management Program Coordinator.
Every applicant considered for employment is required to complete the Wonderlic Personnel Test - Revised (WPT-R), which is a 12-minute, timed test that measures cognitive skills such as ability to follow directions. It’s a part of a successful recruiting strategy Lithia has relied on for years, Malone says. “The WPT-R helps us hire better quality applicants and weed out those who won’t provide value,” she says. “It’s a valuable tool.”
However, the growing number of applicants was making the logistics of delivering the test more challenging. In the past, recruiters gave each candidate a paper-based version of the WPT-R and set a 12-minute timer, often setting up several candidates in different testing locations within the office. “Sometimes there would be three or four timers beeping all at once. It was hectic,” Malone says. “To sit and monitor each candidate for 12-minutes while there are a million other things going on just wasn’t working.”
Lithia wasn’t willing to give up the test it had relied on for so long, but they did find a way to deliver it more efficiently—last year Lithia transitioned to an online version of the WPT-R, which requires far less manpower than the paper-based alternative.
Now, all Lithia applicants take the WPT-R online at one of the dedicated testing computers located in each of Lithia’s recruiting sites. The online tests automatically control test time with an on-screen countdown clock, eliminating the need for individual timers. “Applicants can see how much time they have left and the computer cuts them off when their 12 minutes runs out,” Malone says. “That alone is a huge help, and it makes the testing process more consistent.” In the past, if there was too much going on, some applicants might have gotten extra time to finish before their recruiters responded to the beeping, or recruiters may have gotten distracted from starting the timer right away. “This way we can guarantee everyone gets exactly 12 minutes.”
Malone also likes the fact that the online test-timer pauses if there is a slow loading page, ensuring that applicants don’t get short-changed when the server isn’t performing at top speed. “That’s a big deal if all you’ve got is 12 minutes,” she notes.
Once applicants complete the WPT-R, the test is automatically scored and results are emailed to the recruiter in a matter of minutes along with a “bell curve” chart indicating where the applicants’ scores fall in comparison to other candidates and employees in the position for which they are applying. Before, says Malone, recruiters had to manually grade each test with a scoring key. “Automated scoring saves our recruiters a lot of busy work. And, if applicants are interested in positions at one of the other dealerships, recruiters can easily forward their test scores to the appropriate recruiters. We are definitely happy with the Web-based version of the WPT-R. It’s so much easier when the online testing system does it all for you.”
