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Pre-employment tests help companies determine which applicants are most qualified (and suitable) for a particular job role. These tests evaluate the candidates' suitability for a particular role through job-knowledge tests, personality traits, intelligence, and physical ability. Organizations must ensure that their pre-employment tests are compliant with the guidelines provided by EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and other laws.
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This pre-employment testing guide is a comprehensive guide for recruiters, hiring managers, recruitment managers, HR people, as well as job candidates – especially in technology companies.
This guide will walk you through the use, benefits, common mistakes, and best practices of pre-employment tests in detail.
Pre-employment tests were formally first used to recruit for the US Army in World War 1: the Army Alpha & Beta tests and were administered to over 1.75 million recruits.
With pre employment testing, the US Army had goals very similar to employers today. Some requirements for the test were:
Whether the Alpha & Beta tests were successful or not for their intended purpose is up for debate, but the US Armed Forces have kept updating their recruitment process and administer the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) to this day to select recruits.
On an average, companies in the United States spend about $4,000 to hire a new employee and it takes them up to 52 days to fill a position source
By using pre-employment testing, companies can
Pre-employment testing has come a long way since its inception during World War 1. For that matter, it has vastly changed from the days when companies use to take pen & paper tests on their premises.
To align with the disruption caused by technology proliferation, today, organizations have moved to more sophisticated & simulation-based online pre-employment tests. Candidates can take these tests at any time & any place.
Apart from the common benefits, modern online pre-employment tests also serve a bigger purpose in the overall hiring process.
While making the recruitment process faster, sustainable, and more objective, pre-employment tests also help organizations-
“Almost 90 percent of firms that test job applicants say they will not hire job seekers when pre-employment testing finds them to be deficient in basic skills” (Greenberg, 1996, p. 24).”
Apart from being a great help to recruiters, pre-employment tests also help the hiring managers, members of the hiring team, the senior people in recruitment, operations & HR. They help the candidates have a bias-free, fair hiring process, allows them to prove their candidature & showcase their skills in a hassle-free manner.
Let’s have a quick look at how carefully crafted, calibrated & well-maintained online testing tools can help various stakeholders in an organization.
Spectraforce is a staffing solutions company with a diverse client base ranging from IT giants, Fortune 500 companies, and tech-savvy SMBs.
They needed interviewers with strong technical knowledge about various programming languages to assess the skills of candidates. The HR team didn’t have tests for these technologies, so the expensive billable technical resources had to spend time in creating these questions.
By using iMocha, Spectraforce was able to test the depth of candidates’ technical knowledge quickly. Now, the recruiting team does not depend on technical resources for test preparations.
This has helped the company reduce the hiring timeline from 4 hours to 3 hours.Read More...
4. Benefits of pre-employment testing for Recruiters
Nowadays, companies of all sizes use a pre-employment testing tool to get a better handle on the vast talent pool applying for the open job opportunities and select job fit candidates faster. While technology plays a vital role in increasing the number of applicants, employers today making it easier by implementing pre-employment tests into the recruitment process.
1. Reduced administration -
Online tests need not be specifically organized. Candidates can be attempt those anytime, and from anywhere.
2. Automatic process -
Instant automated results are just a click away, which saves a lot of time in manual test evaluations. Immediate post-test feedback helps in keeping the candidates motivated and engaged.
3. Data and complete test analysis -
Get actionable and valuable analysis and insights about the tests at micro as well as macro level.
4. Instant diagnostic reports -
Detailed reports enable all the stakeholders to analyze results with ease.
5. Ensure quality candidates -
Easily weed out poor fit applicants. Increase the chances of hiring high-quality candidates.
6. Eliminates human error in grading -
Automated scoring ensures that the skill evaluation process is free of human error, and it is more valid and reliable.
7. Minimize the risk of bad hires -
Accurately judge the candidates’ skills using scientifically designed questions and minimize the chances of bad hires.
8. Improve hiring decisions -
Make a better hiring decision by easily identifying job-fit candidates. Get valuable insights into the candidates’ job readiness and future job performance.
9. Reduce time-to-hire -
Avoid the unnecessary, low-value, and cost-increasing elements in the hiring process.
10. Increased productivity -
Increase the recruitment and hiring teams’ productivity by reducing unnecessary tasks.
11. Reduced hiring biases -
Avoid discrimination against candidates based on gender, age, race, region. Make hiring decisions purely based on candidates’ proven competencies.
12. Data handling & storage -
Avoid the hassle of manual management and storage of all candidate and test-related data.
13. Wider reach -
Allow applicants from remote locations to apply for jobs and appear for the initial round of testing. This improves the reach of the company.
14. Better candidate engagement -
Actively engage candidates early in the hiring process, Ensure higher candidate satisfaction through a seamless hiring process.
The challenge that I faced while hiring for Business Analyst or any other position in my team is reaching out to the right candidate. A typical job opening at Gett attracts almost 80-90 resumes. While, on paper, maybe 50 of them fit the bill, there is no sure way of knowing the right fit unless each one is interviewed individually. Another challenge was eliminating human bias while hiring. Since, our process was so dependent on resumes, telephonic, and personal interviews; there was a possibility however marginal that human biases could creep in. In the larger scheme of things, this played out as a significant factor.
As an analytics team head, I have a firm belief in data and data-driven decision making. With iMocha, we got the clarity we were looking for. I created a BA assessment emphasizing analytical and logical thinking skills. These assessments were used for 1st level screening.
As an analytics team head, I have a firm belief in data and data-driven decision making. With iMocha, we got the clarity we were looking for. I created a BA assessment emphasizing analytical and logical thinking skills. These assessments were used for 1st level screening. This eliminated over-reliance on resumes removed irrelevant candidates, and brought transparency to the process. Another major advantage is that there is absolutely no need for the candidates to travel down to our office, they can appear for the assessment from anywhere and iMocha's powerful anti-cheating measures ensure that it's a fair attempt. We finally got the right candidate, that too in ¼ the time it would have normally taken us.
-George Nichkov (Global Analytics Team Lead, Gett).
In this guide, we also cover topics such as:
