How do I sign up?
Go to the Contact Us page and fill out all fields.

What are behavioral and values profiles?
Behavioral and values profiles are a series of questions administered through an Internet Delivery Service. They measure certain behavioral characteristics and motivators of the respondent. See Profiles page.

How long does it take to fill out a profile?
Not more than twenty minutes.

What does a profile measure?
A profile measures the behavioral characteristics and core motivators of an individual. See Profiles, DISC, PIAV pages.

What does your training include?
Our training seminars are customized to answer a company’s specific needs, but generally include an introduction to the method, going over terminology, and then working through a customized curriculum with the group, doing exercises, examining hypothetical situations, etc. See Training pages.

Does hiring with profiles infringe on a person’s civil rights?
No. In 1964, during the formation of the Civil Rights Act, a case was brought before the Illinois state courts alleging that a job applicant was denied employment because he had failed a short psychological (IQ-type) test that was “culturally biased” against blacks. The case, though dismissed, led to the successful introduction of an amendment to the Civil Rights Act, which states:

Notwithstanding any other provision of this (Act), it shall not be unlawful employment practice for an employer to give and act upon the results of any professionally developed ability test provided that such test, its administration or action upon the results is not designed, intended or used to discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
-Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, Section 703h

What is the EEOC’s position on hiring with profiles?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), an agency of the Federal Government, issued the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures in 1966. This is an important reference for all U.S. employers and outlines a measurement called the “four-fifths rule,” that can be applied by the courts to assess evidence of adverse impact in overall hiring practices. Where the employer has not maintained data on adverse impact as required, the federal enforcement agencies may draw an inference of adverse impact of the selection process from the failure of the employer to maintain such data. In short, this can concern the employer’s under-utilization of protected groups as compared to the groups’ representation in the relevant labor market or, in the case of jobs filled from within, the applicable workforce.

To further clarify the intent of the law, Justice Burger of the United States Supreme Court stated in 1964 that “nothing in the Act precludes the use of testing or measuring procedures; obviously they are useful.”

What legal weight do profiles have in hiring practices?
Assessment profiles do not have controlling force in hiring. What the U.S. Congress has specifically forbidden is giving these devices and mechanisms controlling force unless they are demonstrably a reasonable measure of job performance. Far from disparaging job qualifications as such, Congress has made such qualifications the controlling factor so that race, religion, nationality, and sex become irrelevant. What Congress has commanded is that any test used must measure the person for the job and not the person in the abstract.

What is the status of hiring based on profiles today?
In today’s competitive corporate environment, the proper use of assessments as part of the hiring selection process can mean the difference between hiring the best people and becoming noncompetitive. Every company should do its own validation study to determine which assessment instruments are worth its continued investment. The types of instruments that employers need to be most concerned about are those that assess ability, aptitude, skills, and/or knowledge. These instruments are the most likely to have an adverse impact. Assessment instruments that assess personality traits, behavior or values, on the other hand, are least likely to have an adverse impact.

What does the U.S. Dept. of Labor say about profiles?
In all cases, the most crucial determination for any company is how the testing and assessment is implemented and managed. The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Division, has produced a highly informative guide for the workplace entitled Testing and Assessment: An Employer’s Guide to Good Practices. In Chapter 9, “A Review—Principles of Assessment,” the guide states:
Employers can effectively use personnel assessment instruments to measure job-relevant skills and capabilities of applicants and employees. These tools can help to identify and select better workers and can help improve the quality of an organization’s overall performance. To use these tools properly, employers must be aware of the inherent limitations of any assessment procedure, as well as the legal issues involved in assessment.

The guide also includes a review of a “comprehensive framework for conducting an effective personnel assessment program.”

What are the origins and background of the profiles you use?
Our profiles derive from the work of Dr. William Moulton Marston, who was born in Cliftondale, Massachusetts in 1893. Marston’s publicly recognized contribution was his invention of the lie detector. His work as a consulting psychologist led to the publication of his book The Emotions of Normal People in 1928. In it, Marston described the four-quadrant behavioral theory that is the basis for our profiles. Marston believed that people tend to learn a self-concept, which is basically in accordance with one of four behavioral factors (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance—or DISC). Using Marston’s theory, it is possible to apply the powers of scientific observation to behavior. Thus, we can be objective and descriptive rather than subjective and judgmental in our observations of how people go about doing their work and living their lives.

There are dozens of companies today that sell behavioral models based on Marston’s work as a basis for objectively describing behavior. Our assessment instruments enable employers to identify “patterns of behavior” in such a way as to make practical application of Marston’s theory.

How reliable are your profiles?
Our profiles have been compared to other behavioral assessments in the marketplace. Their Construct Validity has been endorsed through independent research studies and their Face Validity (representing the perceived accuracy of reports by respondents) has been documented at an overall average of 88.49%. Many detailed validity studies are available through the Coughlin Group and other professional distributors. (See Validity Study page.) The basis for our profiles was developed in the late 1960’s and has never been challenged in court. It is widely used by business and government, including several federal agencies in the U.S. Marston-derived assessment instruments have been administered to over 30 million people worldwide and have earned the respect of many professionals for accuracy and validity.

How does the Coughlin Group fit into the assessment picture?
The Coughlin Group is a professionally certified TTI distributor. We assist our clients in the proper application of DISC assessments, leading to improved working relationships and enhanced talent management throughout the international business community.

What is a good reference work to understand testing in general?
A very good reference is Testing and Assessment: An Employer’s Guide to Good Practices. United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Division, 2000. This guide outlines the essential concepts of employment testing in easy-to-understand terms and explains the professional standards to be followed when designing a personnel assessment process. This updated version also contains links to a number of current websites that provide additional information and services.

Access to this valuable guide can be had at: www.onetcenter.org/guides.html.