profile updated Jul 16, 2008, 10:09 AM
Jamie was a nice enough young guy. Fresh out of college, eager and outgoing, he impressed the hiring manager for a financial services firm as perfect for the sales position. But a SkillSurvey 360 pre-hire survey turned up warning signs the hiring manager decided to ignore. Six months later Jamie was gone and the company estimated it was out $130,000 in training and lost opportunity.
That SkillSurvey includes such a case study on its website is a testament to its confidence in its pre-hire assessment. (Not to mention it's just the kind of cautionary tale mom used to tell.)
SkillSurvey is a niche player in the world of reference checking and pre-hire testing. It puts its faith in the collective opinion of a candidate's co-workers, supervisors and others who complete a 360-like feedback survey. Since the request for the feedback is sent from the candidate, SkillSurvey says it has a completion rate of 75 percent.
The company was founded in 2001 by Doug LaPasta and Martha Mincer who spent the first two years focused on product development and funding. In 2005, LaPasta received provisional patent protection from the US Patent Office and the company officially launched eReference, the initial version of the web-based reference checking technology.
By the end of 2007, a new version was released, marketed as SkillSurvey Pre-Hire 360TM. It was name a Top HR product by Human Resource Executive while the American Business Awards named SkillSurvey a Stevie Award Finalist for "Most Innovative Company."
The company grew rapidly, selling its tests directly and via partners Taleo, PositionManager and Verifications.It also added Passive Candidate Compiler - an add-on product that allows subscribers to collect and search in-depth passive candidate information based on an "opt-in" option used in conjunction with reference provider surveys
In 2008, the American Business Awards named SkillSurvey Pre-Hire 360 a finalist in the category of Best New Product/Service. Today, nearly 30 percent of the clients are on one or another of the Fortune lists and include Citigroup, GlaxoSmithKline, Reebok, Manpower, Boston Scientific, Kohl's, and Scottrade.News & Updates 
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SkillSurvey Names Joe Klimowicz as Vice President Technology (PRWeb)
SkillSurvey, Inc. an on-demand reference checking service, announced that Joe Klimowicz has joined the company as vice president, technology. Previously, Klimowicz was chief technology officer at Verilaw Technologies, Inc., and a Verilaw co-founder. Aug 28, 2008, 12:20 PM
Products & Services
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Pre-Hire 360
On-demand reference check that utilizes the 360 feedback concept to assess a candidates skills and competencies. Employers can select from a 2,000 title library or work with the company's experts to develop a custom survey. The survey is completed and scored online and can be bought individually for $59 or in volume for less. -
Passive Candidate Compiler
Leverages the Pre-Hire 360 references provided by the high-performers. Because the survey collects detailed contact information for each reference, compiler can create a searchable database of passive candidates. Company says the database is opt-in by the references. -
Professional Services
Customized survey development and followup validity analysis to correlate the Pre-Hire 360 survey results with actual job performance.