What are the Benefits of Pre-Employment Assessment Tools?
Pre-employment assessment tools are a must if you want to speed up the hiring process. Most employers are using talent assessment tools to make their recruitment process faster and more streamlined (Lighthouse Research & Advisory, 2024). Throughout the hiring process, employers aim to gather as much relevant information as possible from their candidates. Unfortunately, traditional screening processes, such as phone and in person interviews are lengthy and time consuming.
Pre-employment testing tools help in reducing the time spent on reading resumes, conducting interviews, and the costs associated with hiring. Tests will increase the quality of hires and simultaneously reduce less qualified candidates. Ultimately, this leads to an improvement in turnover and workforce productivity.
Types of Pre-Employment Testing Methods
There are many different types of pre-employment testing methods- consider what metrics your company needs to make informed hiring decisions.
1. One-Way Video Interviewing
One-way video interview platforms allow recruiters to send preset questions to candidates. Candidates can record their reply at any time, from anywhere. One way Interviews can cut out phone screens or initial interviews while giving recruiters valuable experience, personality, and culture fit information about their candidates.
Also Read: What is a one-way video interview?
2. Skill Testing Tools
These tools assess the hard or technical skills of candidates- the type you learn on the job, in classes, or in training. Skill tests are available for software development skills, language skills, sales driving, customer service, IT support, and more.
3. Aptitude Tests
Aptitude tests measure candidates’ natural ability in areas like numerical, verbal, and nonverbal aptitude. This can include tests that cover verbal reasoning, spatial or numerical reasoning, and more.
4. Personality Testing
Personality tests may give recruiters an idea of the motivations, values, and work style of their candidates. There are many different types of personality tests, some geared directly towards company culture fit, and others more general in scope.
5. Typing Tests
Typing tests can gauge words per minute (WPM) and accuracy. These tests are useful for data entry or secretary jobs, where accuracy and typing speed are critical.
6. Coding Tests
Often used in more technical jobs, these tests allow recruiters to measure the candidate’s coding knowledge, logical skills, and technical knowledge. They can be specific to a certain coding language or style, and can help recruiters without coding knowledge hire competent employees.
Benefits of Pre-Employment Testing
Pre-employment tests offer a wide range of benefits that not only help streamline the hiring process, but also strengthen the organization so that new employees will be successful in their positions. Pre-employment testing helps in increasing the company’s turnover, customer satisfaction, and sales. Choosing pre-employment assessment tools shouldn’t be taken lightly. Let’s have a look at the benefits that a good tool can offer.
1. Empowers Recruiters
Pre-employment assessment tools allow recruiters to broaden their hiring horizons and hire for positions they themselves are not familiar with. Using the data gathered from pre- employment testing, recruiters can make better informed hiring decisions even if they have limited familiarity with the technical aspects of the role. Many companies report that using pre employment assessment tools allowed their recruiters the flexibility to find better talent by broadening the range of pre screenings (Gangwani, 2023).
2. Reduces Screening Time
Hiring managers and recruiters report that using pre employment screening helps them to prioritize the best candidates without spending time in phone screening or initial interviews- saving time (Gangwani, 2023). In a 2024 study, 59% of companies polled found that pre employment screening tools were critical in saving time and automating important tasks. (Lighthouse Research & Advisory, 2024).
3. Cuts out Spam
Pre employment testing tools cut through the noise by providing proctored, accurate test results- candidates who applied via a bot or candidates lacking the proper skills will be flagged, allowing recruiters to focus on the applicants that really shine.
4. Empowers Better Hiring Decisions
56% of companies found that implementing pre employment assessment tools in their hiring process led to better quality hires (Lighthouse Research & Advisory, 2024). Skill assessments provide insight that resumes can’t- illuminating the actual skillset and experience level of applicants. Skill assessments can help recruiters wade through the noise of candidates advertising a higher skillset than they actually have, and find candidates capable of proving their experience level.
5. Enhances the Candidate Experience
55% of candidates report that a smooth hiring process that makes their time feel respected factors heavily into their perception of the company (Lighthouse Research & Advisory, 2024). Pre employment assessment tools streamline the hiring process, and make candidates feel as though the company is interested in their skills.
6. Inspires Efficiency
44% of companies found that adding pre employment assessments to their hiring process actually helped to speed it up, not slow it down(Lighthouse Research & Advisory, 2024). While this may seem counterintuitive, utilizing pre employment testing can cut down on other parts of the hiring process, such as initial interviews and phone screening. This allows recruiters to prioritize and shortlist candidates efficiently, leaving them more time to focus on their most important interviews.
7. Reporting and Candidate Insights
Pre employment screening results update instantly, allowing recruiters the freedom to review results at any time. Pre employment assessment results can make comparing candidates simple, and recruiters can send the results and resume to hiring managers for further review.
8. Discourages Bias
59% of companies rating fairer, more unbiased hiring as a large benefit of pre employment testing tools (Lighthouse Research & Advisory, 2024). By focusing directly on the skills a candidate has, rather than name, age, or education history, pre employment testing tools help recruiters to make their decisions based on hard data, not feelings. Pre employment screening empowers employers to hire with confidence by providing a road map of data to point back to for each candidate.
Conclusion
Pre employment testing tools can improve your company’s hiring process from start to finish, despite being only one step. By cutting out unnecessary phone screenings and freeing up recruiter time, Pre employment tools can provide recruiters with more bandwidth. At the same time, they can provide better insights into the interview stage, prioritizing candidates and providing easy review for hiring managers and staffing companies. Finally, pre employment screening improves hiring quality, not just the process. By encouraging diversity, skill, and competitive hiring, pre employment tools encourage better, longer lasting hires.
Resources:
Gangwani, V. (2023). Are Virtual Interviews Better than In-Person Interviews. International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Trends, 9(6), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.61137/ijsret.vol.9.issue6.108
Lighthouse Research & Advisory. (2024). 2024 Talent Acquistion Trends: Automation, Data, Relationships, and Transparency.
