online pre-employment testing

When the COVID-19 pandemic began (and changed life as we knew it), the economic impacts were unprecedented. While many businesses struggled, others faced increased demand and had to adapt their processes and operations to meet the moment.

Part of that shift involved hiring processes, as more business often meant the need for more employees. For many HR departments, moving to online pre-employment testing was a way to source new hires while adhering to social distancing guidelines that make in-person assessments nearly impossible.

Now, as businesses around the country reopen, employers are evaluating the current state of testing as it pertains to the new rules of operation. With 72% of job seekers expressing hesitance about returning to physical office spaces and almost 40% of employers putting measures in place to reduce employee capacity and maximize the distance between workers, many don’t know what to choose: return to in-person pre-employment testing or continue with online exams?

Let’s dive into why online pre-employment testing should remain a staple of hiring processes; we’ll then answer some lingering questions employers might have about how to use it moving forward.

Determining the Role of Technology in Your Hiring Process

Online testing isn’t new. It is only new to those employers forced to use it in light of the pandemic. Some still have questions and reservations; many worry about applicants cheating by either having someone else take the test for them or using technology to help them find answers. Just like applicants can make their skills sound better on a résumé, employers fear that some candidates could try to make themselves look stronger on assessments than they actually are.

There is no doubt employers should be vigilant — but that’s true regardless of whether testing occurs in-person or online. It’s critically important to ensure that these assessments truly test the skills needed for a position so that the time and resources put toward advertising are worth it in the end. Employers in the U.S. spend roughly $4,000 and 52 days hiring a new worker, and that investment shouldn’t be wasted.

Part of ensuring that online pre-employment testing remains safe and protects your investment, then, is using a testing platform like TestGenius that lets employers test 100% online or 100% in-person if they want to — we also provide a hybrid option that combines in-person test proctoring and online testing. This hybrid approach enables employers that have limited time and resources the ability to assess candidates remotely. Further, employers have found that merely threatening to give a proctored confirmatory test to those who advance in the process is enough to discourage cheating.

Embracing Online Pre-Employment Testing

Viewing online pre-employment testing solely in the context of the pandemic limits the ability to see just how much of an asset it can be in hiring processes long after the pandemic is under control. As businesses develop plans for post-COVID recovery, skills testing will become even more crucial.

Hiring the right talent will be more important than ever, and pre-employment assessments should play a key role. When adopting online pre-employment testing or incorporating an online-proctored hybrid, it’s essential to take full advantage of technology in the hiring process while remembering these three things:

1. Keep connecting. Making online assessments one of your primary methods of screening applicants can feel a bit like you’re distancing from prospects — even after social distancing becomes unnecessary. Trust that you still have the ability to connect with employees or candidates and build relationships with them. Develop a plan for touch points to help ensure engagement remains high and authentic.

2. Trust the results. You may feel wary of online test results when comparing them with in-person results, but there’s no need. Online assessment results are scientifically sound. Trust that you’ll become more comfortable with these findings as you see them bring an influx of great candidates over time.

3. Remain agile. Flexibility has been more necessary than ever over the past few months, and that won’t change. Being agile and ready to pivot when circumstances change should be a top priority as you implement this new kind of testing and prepare to meet any changes the future might bring.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered numerous aspects of the business landscape, including the shift toward using online pre-employment assessments. Long after the virus is under control and the world moves on, online pre-employment testing should remain a key part of your hiring processes.

Try a demo of one of the most flexible skills testing applications on the market to see how it can strengthen your hiring processes.

Due to so many companies going remote in the wake of COVID-19, countless businesses are using technology in the hiring process to screen applicants from a distance. Some are integrating online pre-employment testing into their hiring processes — rather than traditional proctored testing — to keep everyone safe during the crisis.

It’s similar to what happened with remote work during this pandemic. Many companies avoided embracing telework policies until they were forced to make the change (at least temporarily) only to discover that employees are more productive under a remote setup. According to one survey, 63% of workers and managers say productivity has either stayed the same or increased since the pandemic forced teams to work from home.

Online pre-employment testing may very well become a more regular part of hiring processes — a new normal, if you will. But when social distancing restrictions loosen and proctored, in-person testing once again becomes an option, will businesses keep pace with the online approach or revert to the old way of test proctoring? For many, the answer could be both.

Online and Proctored: A Perfect Match?

If the answer is both, then the conversation turns to how this approach can be done. Online and proctored can successfully coexist, but employers must first determine when each option works best on its own. Skills and ability testing, for example, lends itself to unproctored internet-based testing; confirmatory tests to verify those results should probably be supervised.

Fortunately, online and proctored pre-employment tests can be used simultaneously. On occasions when neither option seems like a perfect fit, companies should consider a hybrid solution that includes remote proctoring. Remote proctoring allows proctors — whether human or AI — to confirm identities, observe test-takers using webcams and microphones, and ensure that everyone follows the rules.

This method makes sense for many employers, but it’s particularly useful for companies that are concerned their applicants could either have someone else take the test for them or find another way to bolster their results. Further, remote proctoring adds an extra layer of protection to avoid the test content itself leaking online; remote proctoring guards against collusion and inaccurate results.

When Using Both Makes Sense

Before fusing online pre-employment testing with proctored testing, you should ask yourself three key questions:

1. Can remote testing show you what you need to know about an applicant?

Is the skill you’re testing for something that can be judged remotely? If that’s not the case, and you’re hiring for a position that requires physical ability, that should tell you that testing should likely be done in-person. But if the skill is something that can be done away from the office, the advantages — especially related to safety at this moment — of online pre-employment testing might be enough to sway you to offer it instead of in-person testing.

2. What are the stakes of the test?

Note the type of skills you’re testing for and determine the stakes of accurate results. Jobs with high pay and good benefits result in higher-stakes hiring situations. Are you doing police and fire testing? If so, accurate results are critically important — and the results are more likely to be contested.

Considering that, security surrounding these tests must be a priority. If the exact test you give begins to circulate online, test-takers can find the information they need to pass regardless of whether they have the knowledge or skills necessary. Remotely proctored testing can help ensure secure assessments that truly test applicants for even the most high-stakes job.

3. Do you have the resources you need?

Finally, determine whether you have the necessary resources to do remote testing effectively. Do you have the hardware, software, time, funds, and knowledge to make remote proctoring part of your hiring processes? Do you have a partner who can give you the testing resources you need? Confirm all of this before getting started.

In the end, online pre-employment testing with a remotely proctored testing option can be a solution for businesses maximizing their use of technology in the hiring process. This hybrid approach is more than capable of collecting secure and accurate results, setting itself up to be a viable pre-employment testing option used by companies for years to come.

To find the best testing solution for your business, contact us.

Why Businesses Should Keep Using Online Pre-Employment Testing Long After COVID-19

How Proctored and Online Pre-Employment Tests Can Coexist