The Pros and Cons of Pre-employment Tests

It is essential in recruitment to hire the best candidate for the job. However, the hiring process sometimes requires more than just an interview. This is where pre-employment tests come into play.

You can use pre-employment tests to challenge your prospects and acquire crucial information that can impact your decision when filling the desired function or roles.

In this article, you will learn about pre-employment tests and the benefits and drawbacks of employing them during the hiring process.

What are pre-employment tests?

Pre-employment tests are an excellent approach to acquiring information about candidates. It can assist recruiters in making a more informed choice on who they believe is best for the job.

These tests vary depending on the type of job you are looking for. For example, a python programming test might be appropriate if you are hiring for a programming position. Others may face a scenario-based test for a receptionist position or a design test for a graphic design position.

While these tests should not take hours to complete, they should be comprehensive enough to give you the information you seek. In addition, pre-employment tests can demonstrate a candidate's suitability for the job and ability to perform it in the workplace.

Not everyone appreciates tests, yet they are an essential component of a recruitment process that is too wonderful to pass up. It can reveal more about an applicant than a sit-down interview or reading a resume.

The pros of pre-employment tests

There are numerous advantages to adopting pre-employment tests to justify their use in your recruitment process.

1. Lower worker turnover rates

You never want to lose high-quality employees, and pre-employment testing will likely reduce your odds. According to Aberdeen Group research, organisations that use pre-hire evaluation assessments will have a 39% reduced turnover rate.

Recruitment is expensive; it drains your funds and consumes a lot of resources. You may have numerous employees running the recruitment process, implying their working day is cut short.

With lower turnover rates, your business won't slow down, and you will be making tremendous progress with satisfied staff who are happy with their roles.

2. Testing is more objective than other aspects of the hiring process.

Other aspects of the recruitment process, including interviews, resume screenings, and so on, are not as objective as pre-employment tests. Pre-employment tests have specific requirements to complete and proof that the recruitment team will be searching for, depending on the role.

As a result, it is more specific to the job than a generic interview process. As each test has been built precisely for the function, the desired outcome of information is more likely to surface.

Pre-employment tests, while demanding extra organisation and effort, provide a good return on your resources.

3. It provides a level playing field because everyone takes the same test.

Everyone receives the same pre-employment test. It means that everyone gets an equal opportunity, rather than specific candidates being given preferential treatment. Unstructured interviews and screening calls are two examples of this. Your recruiters may inadvertently spend more time questioning one candidate than another.

Personal opinion and bias can easily infiltrate the recruitment process, so testing can help remove that bias and level the playing field for everyone. There is no getting around the results because everyone got the same opportunity to complete the test to the best of their ability.

4. It shortens the duration of your hiring process

While it is critical to devote time to the recruitment process, the process of writing a job description, reviewing resumes, and interviewing prospects can be lengthy.

You may gather a lot of data and information during pre-employment tests. While a structured/unstructured interview is still required, numerous interview phases are no longer necessary.

It is also vital to consider how long the recruitment process takes for the candidates since they may become bored or put off by it. It is a narrow line between gathering enough knowledge to make a judgement and going too far.

5. It may provide more information on the candidate.

Some pre-employment tests may concentrate on who the candidate is and what motivates them in the workplace. You may ask them to write out what they look for in a firm as a test, from the benefits package to personal morals and beliefs. It may provide you with additional information about what your company needs that go beyond the hiring process.

For example, many businesses are missing out on particular advantages, or they may believe that giving back efforts are crucial to their staff. If potential candidates mention this requirement for employment in the test, this donation matching programme guidance may be worth a look.

The cons of pre-employment tests

There are various drawbacks to pre-employment testing that should be mentioned. As with any process you implement, you should always consider the potential negative influence on the hiring process.

1. It does not always provide the whole picture.

While tests can help you expedite the interview process, they do not always present the complete picture. You may discover that certain holes in the test cannot be filled without a follow-up interview.

Other candidates may fare poorly on the tests yet perform well in an interview setting. It is important to note that each candidate will perform and respond differently in an assessment scenario.

2. The findings of tests can be vague.

Depending on how they are presented and who they are intended for, some tests can have confusing results. It might give you a bit more information, but not enough to make you want to skip a step in the interview process.

Ensure that the tests are detailed and that enough data and findings are extracted.

3. Tests do not provide a whole picture. 

Traits are frequently measured by tests. However, they overlook critical details. For example, they do not consider how eager someone is to learn on the job and progress. Test results do not always indicate who would be the best applicant for your organisation.

While the pre-employment test has its drawbacks, when done correctly, it can be quite beneficial to those who are hiring. They give informative statistics and eliminate any personal opinions from the equation, resulting in a more equitable procedure for all parties involved.

Source: The HR Director

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