December 17, 2019 Using Skill Tests in Recruiting

Everything there is to know about pre-employment skill tests and their importance.

December 17, 2019

In recent times, companies are facing a lot of challenges while recruiting candidates for a job. There is a lot of competition among candidates, as the number of candidates is quite more than the number of jobs. However, this does not guarantee that the most apt candidates are recruited for the concerned job. One reason for this is that the companies don’t use the most optimum procedures for selecting candidates for the job. This includes the methods of testing of skills and personality through appropriately designed tests. To mitigate this problem a properly structured pre employment skill test shall be used. Let see various aspects of pre employment of skill testing which can be used by the corporate to hire the best suitable candidates for their work environment.

Pre employment skill test

A pre employment test, as the name suggests is an assessment test to gauge the candidate according to various parameters and declare their level of suitability regarding the concerned job. This includes the testing of knowledge, cognitive abilities, work skills, emotional intelligence, language proficiency, personality etc.

When we talk specifically about pre employment skill test then test for computer literacy/internet knowledge, typing, ms office, criterion based testing (basic math, verbal etc.) and coding & database skills for C, C++, java etc. For a non IT job, the skill test comprises of testing the candidate based on Skills required for the job profile. For example in a job profile of banking and finance the candidates will be tested for their knowledge in banking operations and basic finance. Whereas for management jobs the core skills like marketing, HR, accounting, sales etc need to be tested. In addition to these skills the basic aptitude and reasoning are checked and given emphasis similar to the core skills.

Skill test service provider

The importance of pre- employment skill test is understood across the corporate and this has resulted in the adoption of these tests in almost all the recruitment process especially at the entry and the middle level job profiles. If the test is conducted by the company itself then they have to spend time, man-hours and other resources whereas, if they outsource this activity to a service provider then it is advantageous for both. The company saves time, money and resources and the service provider gets business. The companies specializing in conducting pre employment skill test consist of professionals and have structured procedures, variety of tests and well defined assessment methodology. The procedure for skill testing, in general, employed by these companies is mentioned below.

Design of test

Based on the skills to be tested the company designs a questionnaire. It is seen that the experienced companies have a repository of questions for almost every sector across corporate. They can design the questionnaire as per the difficulty level requested by the client company.

Testing of candidates

Nowadays, the tests are organized at the online platform. So, once the questionnaire is finalized, a hyperlink is generated and sent to the candidates to undertake the test. Necessary conditions for keeping the test secure and time-bound are ensured by the service provider.

Declaration of results

After the completion of the skill test, the results are prepared and communicated the client. In some cases the result is declared online based on the understanding with the client.

Assessment of the result

The results of the skill test have to be assessed thoroughly and appropriately to finalize the selected candidates. The assessment is an important process and it shall involve the contributions from the client company as well as the skill test service provider.

Based on the test and the results, the suitable candidates for any job can be finalized. It finally depends on the company to hire the candidates for their job. Hence, the involvement of the client company is needed at all the test processes mentioned above.

It is seen most of the time the results of skill test provide a fare picture regarding the candidatures of the persons taking the test. However the skill test should be backed up by further recruitment methods. Client companies often use methods like case study, group discussion and personal interview to judge the candidates.

How to select good skill test providers

There are a lot of service providers who provides services for pre employment skill test. To select an appropriate service provider, you shall consider following points:

The service provider shall have a good reputation and brand name.

The service provider must have ample experience in conducting a test.

The service provider should have a good repository of questions in across the sectors.

The service provider must have an established standard procedure for conducting test.

The service provider shall have efficient techniques for evaluation of results.

Benefits of pre employment skill tests

The pre employment skill tests are quite helpful for companies to hire the best suitable candidate from a large group. Since, the test procedure focuses on the skills that relate to the work profile, that’s why the candidates who prove themselves at these tests are found to be quite suitable for the job, as well. These skill tests are actually more objective than the interview, due to which the screening of the candidates from these tests are quite appropriate. The skill tests not just assess the skill level of the candidates; they also check the managerial qualities in the candidates. These features make the pre employment tests very reliable for the companies.

Conclusion

During a recruitment process not many candidates out of the total pool are appropriate for the job. To assess the pool for the right candidates, pre employment skills test are designed. These tools are very effective, if applied suitably. There are a lot of service provider companies offering their services for these tests. You can finalize the service providers based on their prior experience, methods employed and quality of assessment test. You can hire their services to get the best talent for your job profile.

Subscribe to Industry Today