Customizing and Creating the Ideal Pre-Employment Test

Skills tests are an invaluable part of pre-employment testing. They enable companies to identify the core skills and abilities essential for new employee success without relying solely on a candidate’s résumé or self-evaluation of their skills — which is important when you consider how many résumés contain inaccuracies and exaggerations.

These tests allow hiring professionals to evaluate job candidates thoroughly, effectively, and efficiently. Roughly half of all candidates lack key qualifications, so the ability to narrow down an applicant pool swiftly makes great business sense and avoids wasted resources.

When skills tests are part of the hiring and pre-employment process, they can give applicants a more realistic job preview. After all, employers spend thousands of dollars to find great people to fill vacant roles. When candidates understand expectations upfront, they’re less likely to say “yes” to an offer and then leave prematurely when it’s not a good fit.

Used in conjunction with interviews and résumé reviews, skills tests can offer employers a 360-degree view of a candidate.

Adding Canned and Custom Skills Tests Into the Pre-Employment Process

Skills tests offer significant benefits, but not all tests are created equal. This is particularly important to consider when deciding between canned tests and custom test solutions.

Canned skills tests are pre-developed and, by definition, designed to be highly generalized. Their validity covers the widest possible group of jobs. A test developed for call center job candidates measures general skills that tend to be useful for all call centers, such as mastery of products. But this test can’t assess for specifics, such as policy or performance expectation differences between organizations — and those seemingly minor distinctions can be the defining factor in whether an organization develops an excellent reputation or a poor one.

Any position that requires specialized skills should be measured by custom testing. Fortunately, constructing a custom pre-employment test isn’t as daunting as it might seem. Pre-employment testing software, like TestGenius, lets employers choose from several canned skills test templates and then build on those to create job-specific, customized tests. Employers can edit the format while adding video, audio, images, attachments, and even calculators.

Tips to Maximize the Advantages of Pre-Employment Skills Testing

Like so many other hiring processes, pre-employment skills testing shouldn’t be a “set it and forget it” tactic. Instead, employers should be prepared to review and refine their tests routinely. This maintenance is important for several key reasons:

1. Jobs and technology don’t remain stagnant.

Jobs change over time; technology changes constantly. An administrative assistant job description from 2001 would look incredibly different from one in 2021. To keep up with the necessary skills, background, and experience, employers should review their assessments regularly to ensure they account for changes in roles and technologies.

2. Companies are being held to ever-higher candidate testing validity standards.

Organizations can get in trouble when their hiring tools or tactics aren’t compliant with various hiring regulations. Maintaining a high degree of legal defensibility during hiring involves working with a testing partner that understands how to eliminate the risks associated with creating tests and offers compliant pre-employment testing tools.

3. Upgrading processes makes companies stronger.

As the 2020 pandemic showed, every employer needs to be more innovative and flexible. And they were, especially in hiring. Many companies had to use more technology in the hiring process to facilitate remote hiring practices, including canned and custom online skills testing. Even with the end of the pandemic within reach, regularly evaluating what works and what requires a pivot is important. Reviewing and revising employment tests keeps organizations moving in a positive direction.

Hiring top talent shouldn’t be left to gut instinct or chance. The right custom or canned skills tests can identify the best candidates and streamline the entire hiring process.

If you’re ready to make employment testing tools and skills testing part of your hiring process,contact the team of experts at TestGenius today.