Your business is growing, you have decided to change direction or you need to replace an employee that let you down. What do you do next? Hire a new employee. For so long the typical hiring practice has been, put out an ad for the currently open position and then simply interview the candidate. Their resume was the showcase and generally you could assess everything you needed to simply by having a ten minute conversation and a quick glance over of the candidate’s resume. How times have changed!
Today, many companies have taken on the practice of internal hiring; Using a team of HR staff dedicated solely to finding candidates that fit your requirements and company culture. While this may seem like an effective approach for some, for many results still fall short of the ultimate goal, hiring a credible employee that will do the job. Today some businesses have turned to Pre-Employment testing to provide optimal candidates.
What is Pre-Employment testing? It is a form of testing used to screen job applicants, and can include testing of cognitive abilities, knowledge, work skills, personality, emotional intelligence, and language proficiency.
So why use Pre-Employment testing? When utilized efficiently, it can help companies determine which candidates will perform the job well, and can decrease turnover and improve morale.
According to the American Management Association, pre-employment testing has been growing rapidly over the last fifteen years. The American Management Association recently released the following data:
- 70% of employers did some sort of job skill testing
- 46% of employers use personality and/or psychological tests on applicants or current employees
- 41% of employers test applicants for basic literacy and math skills
Pre-employment testing can help a business reduce turnover. Utilizing specific tests can allow you the ability to fine tune the ‘type’ of employee you desire, filtering through those that may be highly efficient in certain areas while lacking in others, ultimately providing you with the most well-rounded employee possible.