Our Services

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They will change your perspective on hiring
There are many benefits to be gained by using the various assessment products offered by Stephen A. Laser Associates.​

Benefits to your organization will include:

  • Reducing the direct and indirect monetary costs associated with hiring or promoting the wrong person.
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  • Increasing the likelihood of a good fit between the candidate and the job as well as the candidate and your organization.
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  • Providing additional information to management about key interpersonal factors which affect job performance.
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  • When used in connection with promotional decisions and succession planning, the process identifies an available pool of candidates who, with proper development, can assume additional responsibility in your organization.
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Our assessment processes are tailored to the needs of our clients because we recognize that our client's needs are just as individual as the people we assess. 
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  1. Business & Industry
    Our services oriented to business and industry include supporting the hiring process through a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether there is an appropriate fit between the job applicant and the job requirements and culture of the client organization. Additionally, we can assist in promotional readiness and succession planning to identify key personnel for additional responsibilities in the organization.
  2. Public Safety​​
    We offer a wide selection of services for jobs involving a high degree of risk such as police, fire, and emergency dispatch candidates in the public safety sector. The services for public safety candidates are separated into two tiers: (1) for entry level applicants, and (2) for promotions and advancement of command personnel.
  3. Municipalities
    Municipalities are increasing their use of more selective screening. We offer Individual Assessments for municipal candidates including, but not limited to: Village Manager, Chief Financial Officer, Public Works Director, Recreation Park Director, Building and Planning Directors, Civil Engineer, Public Works Laborer, Records Clerk, Administrator, Planner, and Right of Way Inspector. An increasing number of municipalities are utilizing a psychological individual assessment for all employees who will interact with the general public or a large number of coworkers as part of their duties . These assessments are discussed in detail with key municipal decision makers with respect to specific skill sets and particular qualities. ​​​
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Public Safety ​​

Public Safety:  Individual Assessment 

Individual Assessments are conducted at our office and include an in-depth oral interview and a tailored test battery. The tests we use assess a wide range of attributes, including mental ability, communication and interpersonal skills, responsiveness to authority, judgment and decision making, and relevant personality traits.  We use valid, well-researched assessment instruments, which minimize adverse impact to comply with federal regulations.  Results are reported via e-mail, fax, regular mail, or a combination of the above. Our reports are written in everyday language without technical jargon, or complex graphs and charts.  Human Resource professionals, public safety supervisors, and fire/police commissioners are the targeted audience for the report, and they are written to be easily understood by our user group.

We provide the client with same day feedback on the applicant's qualifications, within a few hours after the candidate leaves our office. A detailed written report is available for distribution to the client within 3 business days.

Key Features of an Individual Assessment:

  • Examines essential personality and cognitive skills associated with effective job performance.
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  • Employs an in-depth interview to assess employment history and career goals along with a person's approach to handling work assignments and interacting with people.
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  • Provides same day verbal feedback to organizations regarding suitability for employment; a detailed written report delivered by e-mail, fax or standard mail.

The Law Enforcement and Police Officer Exam (LEAP)

The Law Enforcement and Police Officer Exam (LEAP) provides a measure of predicted performance as related to the on-the-job competencies as well as the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for an entry-level police officer.   This comprehensive examination is administered to entry-level law enforcement officers.   Persons who successfully pass the comprehensive examination will be eligible to move on to the next steps of the recruitment process.

The Law Enforcement and Police Officer Examination (LEAP) was developed to test for the knowledge, skills, and abilities important to perform the job of an entry-level police officer. The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions, which tests the following competencies as divided over five sections.

Section I:         Memory

Section II:        Reading and Writing

Section III:       Judgment

Section IV:      Interpersonal Skills

Section V:       Math & Spatial Reasoning


This test meets the requirements for fairness as set forth in the Uniform Guidelines for Employee Selection Procedures as defined by the EEOC and the ADA. Specifically, the test was developed according to the principles of content validity using a panel of Subject Matter Experts from a representative body of law enforcement agencies. The test is continually monitored for predictive validity.

The test is easy to administer and takes about 2.5 hours to complete. Municipalities can oversee the administration on their own by utilizing the steps and procedures outlined in our Administration Guide, or choose to have our firm’s trained test administrators conduct the administration on the municipality’s behalf. Each test is sold with an accompanying Study Guide to assist the applicants in preparing for the day of the exam and to ensure fairness for all candidates. The Study Guide developed in conjunction with the LEAP is unique in that it contains 58 sample test items, unlike most Study Guides which typically contain no more than 10 to 15 sample items.


Emergency Telecommunications Specialist

The training time needed for an individual to become an effective dispatcher is lengthy.  Increase retention and save your agency money by selecting and training the most qualified and capable people to serve the community.  The Emergency Telecommunications Specialist Assessment is a comprehensive tool that combines the psychological individual assessment with innovative job simulations in order to measure the potential of candidates to succeed in the dimensions and skills required to be an effective telecommunicator (TC).

These dimensions include the following:

  • Multi-tasking Ability

  • Clarity of Communication

  • Listening Skills

  • Stress Tolerance

  • Memory and Retention

  • Reading and Spelling

  • Speed and Efficiency

  • Trainability

  • Interpersonal Skills

We provide the client with same day feedback on the applicant's qualifications within a few hours after the candidate leaves our office. A detailed written report is mailed to the client within 3 business days.

Key Features of an Emergency Telecommunications Specialist Assessment:

  • Examines essential personality and cognitive skills associated with effective job performance.

  • Employs an in-depth interview to assess employment history and career goals along with a person's approach to handling work assignments and interacting with people.

  • Uses simulated exercises to evaluate key dimensions.

  • Provides same day verbal feedback to organizations regarding suitability for employment; a detailed written report delivered by e-mail, fax or standard mail.

Promotional Individual Assessment 

A Promotional Individual Assessment includes all of the characteristics and benefits of an entry-level Individual Assessment (see above).  However, leadership, supervisory and managerial dimensions are evaluated and emphasized.

All of the characteristics and benefits of an entry-level Individual Assessments are included in promotional Individual Assessments.  Leadership, supervisory and managerial dimensions are evaluated and emphasized. 

Key Features of an Individual Assessment: 

  • Examines essential personality and cognitive skills associated with effective job performance.
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  • Leadership evaluation for first and second line supervisors, as well as command staff personnel.
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  • Provides detailed evaluation of key supervisory and managerial dimensions which are tailored to the department or agency's specific organizational culture and demands of the position.
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  • Employs an in-depth interview to assess employment history and career goals along with a person's approach to handling work assignments and interacting with people.
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  • Provides same day verbal feedback to organizations regarding suitability for employment; a detailed written report delivered by e-mail, fax or standard mail.

Assessment Centers

The Assessment Center is a means of identifying critical supervisory and managerial skills necessary for effective leadership within your department.

Candidates seeking promotion to command positions are permitted an opportunity to demonstrate their skills for that position through a series of exercises designed to simulate the job's tasks and responsibilities.  Given this opportunity, the participants perceive the process as fair and realistic.  Additionally, when objective, unbiased professionals (public safety psychologists) are rating their supervisory qualifications, this further reduces potential challenges to the selection process.
Moreover, the assessment center becomes not just a means of selection, but also one for development.  This causes participants to feel valued by the department and increases the overall positive impact of the promotional process.  In this way, we strive to avoid the demoralization and potential litigation that can occur in the wake of promotionals.

Key Dimensions Observed During an Assessment Center: 

  • Communication - clear and concise expression of ideas in writing and speaking; ability to field questions and challenges.
  • Decisiveness - ability to exercise authority and hold subordinates accountable; ability to act in a timely, proactive manner
  • Judgment - ability to identify a problem and take appropriate action; ability to analyze short-term and long-term implications of not acting
  • Thoroughness - ability to check, ask questions, investigate; accurate and thorough documentation
  • Commitment - demonstrates the integrity to support departmental policy even against resistance; considers the department's needs first
  • Interpersonal Skills - ability to foster teamwork to compromise, and to be assertive; demonstrates sensitivity, flexibility, and leadership


The Assessment Center consists of four phases: 

  1. Preparation Phase:  tailoring of the assessment center to your department
  2. Administration Phase:  each assessment center is a single day process for 4 - 12 participants
  3. Scoring and Reporting Phase:  our staff tallies the results and compiles a written report for the Commission to use in decision making
  4. Feedback Phase:  our staff conducts individual feedback sessions with participants geared toward professional development 


The customization, administration, and feedback phases are all conducted at your department's facilities.  Aside from providing the facilities, there is little needed from the department except for some collaboration with us in tailoring the process to meet your specific needs.  Commissioners are also welcome to sit in and observe the process. 

Throughout the Assessment Center, the assessors will be evaluating each candidate's skills.  The  assessors will achieve consensus in rating each candidate, and those results will be submitted to the designated party in the form of a detailed written report.  That report will include a rank ordering of the candidates on a scale of 1 to 100.  A pre-determined "cut-off" score will be set and used to delineate acceptable from unacceptable candidates for promotion.  One of four final recommendations will be made: Highly Recommended, Recommended, Marginally Recommended and Not Recommended.

In addition to the aforementioned ratings, a detailed written synopsis summarizing each candidate's strengths and developmental needs in the form of a narrative report will be provided.  These summaries are invaluable in providing pertinent "feedback" to those candidates interested in their future career development.  In our experience, the Assessment Center process is not only a valuable promotional tool, but it is also an excellent opportunity to develop a department's staff by better preparing them for future leadership roles. 

Feedback sessions, if they are desired, are conducted after the above mentioned reports are delivered and promotional decisions have been made.  In this way, the feedback sessions are more focused on the intended purpose of development instead of a participant's  attempts to argue points or ranking with the assessors.

Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP)

The Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) is a method for identifying the best qualified public safety job applicants by screening out marginal candidates early in the selection process. This program is conducted at your location and uses job relevant simulations to permit our staff of professionals the ability to observe and assess critical qualifications for fire service and law enforcement positions. Additional assessment information is gathered by way of an in-depth personal history and a writing sample.  Using this intensive, daylong process our staff will identify each candidate's respective strengths and developmental needs.  A detailed and comprehensive report will summarize the events of the PSP and include a ranking of the candidates who participated along with their respective scores.  This narrative is written in everyday language without technical jargon, or complex graphs and charts.  Fire/police commissioners are the targeted audience for the report, and they are written to be easily understood by our user group.
The job relevant simulation assesses the following public safety qualifications:

  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Communication Skills
  • Teamwork - Cooperation
  • Occupational Resiliency
  • Commitment
  • Assertiveness/Diplomacy
  • Composure
  • Public Service Orientation
  • Level of Maturity

The personal history covers other job relevant dimensions, with special emphasis on:

  • Work Attitude
  • Career Interests
  • Educational Training
  • Job Preparation


The writing sample provides an additional opportunity to assess the candidate's:
  • Clarity
  • Accuracy
  • Judgment
  • Common Sense
  • Thoroughness


Communities that are confronted with hundreds of job applicants, may need to reduce the number of candidates through oral interviews, written exams, and agility tests.  After doing so, a PSP is a useful tool to zero in on the most qualified candidates before utilizing the more expensive processes (i.e. medical exams, polygraph, and psychological evaluations).  A PSP will yield a rank ordering of all of the PSP participants.


Key Features of a Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP):

  • Screens out marginal candidates before an offer is made.
  • Uses simulated exercises to evaluate key dimensions.
  • Evaluates a large number of participants simultaneously.
  • Is completely staffed by our trained professionals.
  • Assesses critical public safety qualifications.
  • Confronts the motivation, maturity, and mastery issues within the guidelines of the ADA.
  • A detailed and comprehensive report including a ranking of the candidates along with scores.

Accommodations for a Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP):

  • Each PSP session can accommodate between 6 - 48 candidates and additional sessions can be conducted if necessary.
  • Each PSP session will run one-half day.
  • PSP sessions are run at your location or ours.
  • Multiple rooms (3-5) are needed for a PSP and it is dependent upon the number of candidates.


Municipalities​​

Municipality:  Individual Assessment 

Individual Assessments are conducted at our office and include an in-depth oral interview and a tailored test battery. The tests we use assess a wide range of attributes, including mental ability, communication and interpersonal skills, responsiveness to authority, judgment and decision making, and relevant personality traits.  We use valid, well-researched assessment instruments, which minimize adverse impact to comply with federal regulations.  Results are reported via e-mail, fax, regular mail, or a combination of the above. Our reports are written in everyday language without technical jargon, or complex graphs and charts.  Human Resource professionals, public safety supervisors, and fire/police commissioners are the targeted audience for the report, and they are written to be easily understood by our user group.

We provide the client with same day feedback on the applicant's qualifications, within a few hours after the candidate leaves our office. A detailed written report is available for distribution to the client within 3 business days.

Key Features of an Individual Assessment:

  • Examines essential personality and cognitive skills associated with effective job performance.
​
  • Employs an in-depth interview to assess employment history and career goals along with a person's approach to handling work assignments and interacting with people.
​
  • Provides same day verbal feedback to organizations regarding suitability for employment; a detailed written report delivered by e-mail, fax or standard mail.

Municipality: Promotional Individual Assessment 

A Promotional Individual Assessment includes all of the characteristics and benefits of an entry-level Individual Assessment (see above).  However, leadership, supervisory and managerial dimensions are evaluated and emphasized.

All of the characteristics and benefits of an entry-level Individual Assessments are included in promotional Individual Assessments.  Leadership, supervisory and managerial dimensions are evaluated and emphasized. 

Key Features of an Individual Assessment: 

  • Examines essential personality and cognitive skills associated with effective job performance.
​
  • Leadership evaluation for first and second line supervisors, as well as command staff personnel.
​
  • Provides detailed evaluation of key supervisory and managerial dimensions which are tailored to the department or agency's specific organizational culture and demands of the position.
​
  • Employs an in-depth interview to assess employment history and career goals along with a person's approach to handling work assignments and interacting with people.
​
  • Provides same day verbal feedback to organizations regarding suitability for employment; a detailed written report delivered by e-mail, fax or standard mail.

Business & Industry​​

Business & Industry:  Individual Assessment 

Individual Assessments involve a combination of testing and an in-depth interview of each job applicant, regarding suitability for employment.  Relevant dimensions are identified for each job position in question and the candidate will be rated in regards to several work-related dimensions.  Results are reported via e-mail, fax, regular mail, or a combination of the above. Our reports are written in everyday language without technical jargon, or complex graphs and charts.  Human Resource professionals and key managers are the targeted audience for the report, and they are written to be easily understood by our user group.  Since recruiting managers are working under tight time-constraints, we offer same day verbal feedback to their organization regarding the suitability for employment.  A detailed written report will then follow within 24 to 48 hours.

Key Features of an Individual Assessment:

  • Examines essential personality and cognitive skills associated with effective job performance.
​
  • Employs an in-depth interview to assess employment history and career goals along with a person's approach to handling work assignments and interacting with people.
​​
  • Provides same day verbal feedback to organizations regarding suitability for employment; a detailed written report delivered by e-mail, fax and/or standard mail.


Business & Industry:  Remote Individual Assessment 

A Remote Individual Assessment includes all of the characteristics and benefits of an Individual Assessment (described in the box above). 

When time and travel make it time-consuming and expensive to evaluate employees, Stephen A. Laser Associates offers procedures for assessing candidates from remote locations. We use an on-line testing protocol accompanied by a video-conference interview.  This process has proven to be fast, accurate, and highly credible.  All of the benefits and features of the Individual Assessment are maintained without the cost of travel and time spent to be assessed in person at our office.

Key Features of a Telephone Assessment:

  • Eliminates the costs incurred by travel from a remote location to our office.

  • Provides same day verbal feedback to organizations regarding suitability for employment; a detailed written report delivered by e-mail, fax or standard mail.

  • Speeds up the efficiency of the selection process.

  • Examines essential personality and cognitive skills associated with effective job performance.

  • Employs an in-depth phone/video conference interview to assess employment history and career goals along with a person's approach to handling work assignments and interacting with people.

  • The candidate completes all testing materials at their remote location at a time convenient for them prior to their interview.

In order to eliminate the cost of this option for the candidate, we offer a toll-free number for the interview.