Pre-employment includes a series of different assessment tools that recruiters use to screen potential candidates to find the best match for their company. An employment assessment test software helps gather relevant and reliable job-related information on candidates. Most of these tests are completed online and are available in various types.
The employment assessment test software can help to improve your quality of hire, eliminate common hiring bias, improve legal defensibility, decrease employee turnover, and improve candidate experience. So, if you are thinking of implementing pre-employment testing in your hiring process, here are a few best practices to follow in order to make the most out of your initiative.
Research The Vendor Options
The most important step to take before starting with your pre-employment testing is to do your research on various vendors available. They offer different types of pre-employment testing in multiple formats. Make sure you learn about the services they offer. Ask questions about what kind of pre-employment tests they provide, what their onboarding process is, what their reputation in the industry is, what level of customer support is available, and whether their tests are customizable. These questions will help you ensure that you choose the best tool to meet your business needs.
Validity of Your Test Data
There are many measures you can take to validate the data in your pre-employment tests. Make sure the criteria that are being measured align with the job description and performance. A pre-employment test shows the criterion-related validity whose results can be used to predict job performance. The assessment scores can be used to evaluate and measure employee performance statistically. Pre-employment tests can also demonstrate construct validity, which can be evaluated by comparing its results to a similar test that assesses the same psychological construct.
Implement the Testing Responsibly
When using pre-employment testing, test selection is the key. This means that it is crucial that you choose the most appropriate tool for measuring relevant skills and characteristics for the applicable post. Picking an inappropriate test can lead to ineffective results that may not be helpful for candidate selection.
Make sure that you conduct an appropriate amount of testing. Research shows that tests conducted in 40 minutes or less have a 75% completion rate, while tests that go from 41-60 minutes have only a 66% completion rate. So, limiting the test to 40 minutes or less can decrease the number of candidates who fail to complete the process.
Align Pre-Employment Testing with Your Brand
Aligning your pre-employment tests with your brand can be a great idea. This can be done by customizing them as much as possible. You can opt for pre-employment testing software with customization features to showcase your brand in multiple ways, such as by uploading your company logo or implementing your color scheme to maintain brand consistency with your website.
Some companies also add team photos or videos to the assessment in order to make it a more interactive experience. This cannot only enhance the testing process for candidates but also give them a peek into your company culture and the job post they are applying for.
Employ the Test At the Right Time in The Recruitment Process
Once you get the pre-employment test prepared, you need to decide at which stage of the recruitment process you will use it. An efficient way is testing the applicants early on in the process, as it allows you to collect objective data before making any important hiring decisions.
If you have a large number of candidates, you can make pre-employment a part of your application. Though many companies hesitate to test early on in the hiring process, there are many benefits to doing it. It ensures that the applicants meet the minimum requirements before moving forward with interviewees.
Track Your Testing Completion Rates
Tracking the testing completion rates can help assess when and where candidates drop off. Thus allowing you to think about the steps to be taken to improve the process. It will also help you optimize the process and improve it to make your pre-employment testing even more useful over time.
Use the Test Results as Guidance
Remember that pre-hire assessment tests are not the ultimate decision-making tool and are only meant to guide you when making the final decision. So, do not solely rely on candidate test results when making a choice. However, you can combine your pre-employment testing with other selection methods like test assignments, job interviews, or trial days to ensure that you are making a well-informed decision.
Bottom Line
When implemented correctly, pre-employment testing can be of immense help in the hiring process. So get started by exploring different kinds of tests and find out which ones are the most relevant to your company and job post. These best practices of pre-employment testing will ensure that you get the best results and the right candidates for your company.