Why You Should Implement Pre-Employment Skills Testing When Hiring

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The growth of your organization depends largely on acquiring the right talent. Your employees are the best asset of your company. One hasty decision and you could end up losing tens of thousands of dollars. 

You want the best candidate in your team, but what is the way to find the right talent? 

Traditional methods like screening CVs are not only going to ruin your energy and time but also give you wrong information about the candidate. It has been reported that nearly 25% of job aspirants make false claims in their CVs. Additionally, of all the CVs that you receive, 78% contain deceitful assertions.

Modern screening processes and hiring tools like pre-assessment tests help HR minimize hiring time and select the best candidates. It is an effective and objective way to match a candidate’s skill set and the company’s needs. 

In this article, we will talk about the benefits of implementing pre-employment skills testing in the hiring process. We will also talk about the benefits of different types of tests.

Benefits of Pre-Employment Skills Test

1. Attain higher productivity

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 A good candidate is always a valuable asset to the team and the company. To achieve excellence in any role, there are TWO specific attributes, Skill and Will. Both are equally important.

Certain job-specific skill sets always help a person achieve better results than someone with little knowledge. This increases the productivity of your company.

Pre-employment skill testing assists you in selecting the best candidate through its scientifically designed array of questionnaires. They predict an applicant’s performance on the basis of their knowledge, creativity, and skills. It creates a more competitive environment in your firm because no candidate is less deserving than the other.

2. Learn about a candidate inside out

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It is important to judge all candidates through a qualitative and quantitative approach. The design of pre-employment skill tests is as per the hierarchy of the position you are hiring for. As an added benefit, you can easily customize them if they don’t auto-fit your requirements.

For example, a senior leadership role requires more leadership capabilities and management skills than technical ones. However, you want your senior leader to have some technical skills. You can easily incorporate technical questions into the test and choose the right person. A good leader will bring massive benefits to your organization, be it ethical or monetary. 

The pre-employment skill tests provide a data-driven decision-making picture about the applicants. It is based on their responses to the specifically designed opinion pool. It is impossible for an applicant to make false claims of their abilities. 

3. Increase employee retention

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If the attrition level of your organization is too high, it is a matter of serious concern.

As per a report, the cost of replacing an employee is nearly 33% of that post’s yearly salary. We don’t need to remind you of the implications if too many employees are leaving your firm too soon. 

One of the primary reasons for a high employee attrition rate is a job profile that an employee does not like. However, the job crunch makes reluctant candidates apply for the role, in the hope of earning some money. You may not notice their unwillingness during the traditional hiring process.

Pre-employment testing will aid you with that.

It helps filter unenthusiastic candidates. Evidently, the ones who score well in the pre-employment skill test have a better understanding of the subject matter. Moreover, their knowledge complements their enthusiasm for the opportunity.

If employees appreciate their job profile, chances are, they will not resign due to job dissatisfaction. This increases your employee retention. 

However, a wrong hire means a low skill level. It leads to poor performance. Unhappy employees can ruin your organization’s culture and reduce the overall output of the company drastically.

4. Increase efficiency and reduce the hiring process time

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The conventional hiring processes are time-consuming. It takes between 150 to 230 days for an organization to hire a new person. This expends a high amount of energy of the HR personnel as well as the hiring manager. 

The number of job applicants is increasing rapidly. It has made the selection process a lot more complex. 

The impact of the delay is catastrophic.

You cannot expect the performance of a resource-crunched team to be exceptionally good. Each member has to bear the extra workload. If it is a senior position, the crew is like a blindfolded, unguided runner. There could be a major decline in output, team morale, and work-life balance as a result of this.

Well-structured pre-employment skill assessments are extremely quick, making the hiring process seamless and simple. This technique allows hiring managers to quickly screen out outliers in the early stages, with minimal effort. Finally, you'll have a list of people who are enthusiastic about the role.

There are also options available to funnel it down and select only a few from the bunch of candidates. A minimum cut-off score can easily help you to cut down on the interview time. 

5. Increase defensibility

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Pre-employment testing enhances the neutrality, fairness, and legal defensibility of your company's recruiting procedure. Additionally, it helps you achieve multiple business goals. 

These tests are finely documented and structured as per the federal guidelines. This increases their legal exposure. The standard and uniform method ensure that the hiring process is transparent and that any legal issues are quickly addressed.

6. Increase the social and cultural value of your organization

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An important factor that affects your company’s success is its reputation. In fact, 96% of students of the world’s top business schools agree that reputation plays a key role in their decision to apply for a job role. 

Pre-employment tests allow you to hire candidates who improve your company's image through their work ethic and approach to quality. Satisfied employees with their workplace's culture are more likely to give favorable feedback.

Types of tests you should consider

Employees are more than just office workers; they are also representatives of your firm. As a result, you might expect a candidate to possess a variety of subjective, objective, behavioral, and technical abilities.

Pre-employment tests’ design lets you thoroughly evaluate an applicant. Here is a list of tests to think about.

1. Job-specific tests

These types of tests are typically used when hiring someone for roles that require job-specific knowledge. In this way, a chosen candidate will have the required qualities right from the first day of the job. This will save money that you might need to invest in individual training courses otherwise.

2. Personality tests

You can use these tests to evaluate the candidate's characteristics and personality. It paints a clear image of the person, indicating whether or not he or she is a good fit for your company's culture. 

3. Cognitive assessment test

In certain cases, you can gain an impression of the applicant's mental capacity to work. Most firms combine this test with others to evaluate the candidate's core concepts of verbal and nonverbal reasoning, problem-solving ability, and numerical abilities.

4. Soft skill assessment

The most vital abilities that an employee must have are soft skills. 93% of employers agree that soft skills are crucial in recruiting decisions. They are also critical for your business’ growth and success. 

Good communication skills, dispute resolution abilities, teamwork, and honesty are all required to work as a team. It enables your employees to manage the business's internal and external stakeholders efficiently.

5. Integrity test

These tests help identify the reliability of the candidate. Conflicting and compromising situations may appear during the business procedures. How candidates respond to the situation is one of the areas you must administer as an employer. 

6. Emotional Intelligence test

This test is crucial for determining a candidate's emotional intelligence and relationship-building abilities. A high score in this area demonstrates their capacity to deal with conflict and lead a team through unpleasant situations.

Wrapping Up

That’s all for this article. Hopefully, you have understood the benefits of pre-employment skills testing and which ones to use during the hiring process. Don’t forget, a wrong hire may cost your business tens of thousands of dollars.

The finest thing you can do for your organization is to choose the most qualified individual. Pre-employment skill tests provide a systematic and structured procedure to hit the nail.

A combination of different types of tests will provide you with a comprehensive picture of the candidate's entire profile. This allows you to make an informed decision.

The best part?

It takes the least amount of time and money.