Pre-Employment Testing

Pre-employment testing is becoming an increasingly popular tool used by organizations to evaluate job candidates before extending a job offer. These tests assess a candidate's cognitive abilities, skills, personality traits, and behavioral tendencies. In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss what pre-employment testing is, the different types of pre-employment testing, the benefits of each, and how it can help streamline the recruitment process, improve the overall quality of hire, remove bias from the recruitment process, decrease employee turnover, and improve the candidate experience.

What is pre-employment testing? Pre-employment testing is the practice of evaluating job candidates using standardized assessments to assess their cognitive abilities, skills, personality traits, and behavioral tendencies. The tests are designed to measure the candidate's ability to perform the job they have applied for, and they can vary in length, format, and complexity. Pre-employment tests can include aptitude tests, personality tests, skills tests, and behavioral tests.

There are several types of pre-employment testing, including:

1. Cognitive Ability Tests: Cognitive ability tests are used to measure a candidate's cognitive aptitude, which refers to their mental capacity for reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking, and learning. These tests are often used to assess a candidate's potential for success in a particular job.

2. Personality Tests: Personality tests are used to assess a candidate's personality traits, such as their degree of extroversion or introversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. These tests help predict how a candidate will behave in the workplace and whether they are a good fit for the company culture.

3. Skills Tests: Skills tests are used to evaluate a candidate's proficiency in a specific set of skills required for the job, such as computer programming, writing, or data analysis. These tests can be used to determine if a candidate has the necessary skills to perform the job.

4. Behavioral Tests: Behavioral tests are used to evaluate a candidate's behavior in specific work-related situations. These tests help predict how a candidate will react in a given situation and how they will interact with coworkers and supervisors.

The benefits of pre-employment testing 

Pre-employment testing can provide many benefits to organizations, including:

1. Streamline the recruitment process: Pre-employment testing can help organizations narrow down the candidate pool more quickly, allowing them to focus on the most qualified candidates for the role. These tests help companies reduce the risk of a bad hire, by gaining valuable candidate insight in advance of an employment offer

2. Improve the overall quality of hire: Pre-employment testing can help organizations hire employees who have the skills, cognitive abilities, and personality traits necessary to perform the job successfully. Far too often what is listed within a candidates resumes does not accurately reflect their skill set and ability. 

3. Remove bias from the recruitment process: Pre-employment testing can help remove unconscious bias from the recruitment process by focusing on objective measures of job performance. While humans by nature have unconscious bias, pre-employment testing allows candidates to show their strengths and weaknesses and eliminate recruiter bias by having data and science narrow down the hiring pool. 

4. Decrease employee turnover: Pre-employment testing can help organizations hire candidates who are a good fit for the job and the company culture, reducing the likelihood of turnover. SP Data Digital leverages existing top performers both internally and those of our clients to be able to gauge a candidates likelihood of success and reaching optimal performance. 

5. Improve the candidate experience: Pre-employment testing can provide candidates with a more thorough and transparent evaluation process, which can improve their experience and perception of the company. In addition, Customized pre-employment tests can give candidates great insight into what their day to day role and responsibilities will be once hired. 

Pre-employment testing can be an effective tool for assessing job candidates and improving the overall quality of hire. However, it is important to follow best practices to ensure that the testing process is fair, valid, and effective. 

Here are the top ten best practices for pre-employment testing:

1. Use Valid and Reliable Tests: Ensure that the pre-employment tests you use have been validated and are reliable. This means that the tests have been shown to accurately measure the skills and abilities they are designed to measure, and produce consistent results over time.

2. Align the Test to the Job: The pre-employment test should be aligned to the specific job for which the candidate is applying. This ensures that the test is measuring the skills and abilities that are most relevant to the job.

3. Use Multiple Tests: Use multiple tests to assess different skills and abilities. This can help provide a more complete picture of the candidate's strengths and weaknesses. SP Data Digital leverages skill based, behavioural, cognitive and personality tests to get a holistic picture of every candidate.

4. Keep the Test Short: This one is key, while you want to get a good understanding of each potential candidate, tests that are too long can cause fall out. Keep the test short and focused on the skills and abilities that are most important for the job. This can help reduce candidate fatigue and increase completion rates leading to a larger funnel of potential hires. 

5. Inform Candidates: Inform candidates about the testing process and how the results will be used. This can help increase candidate buy-in and reduce the likelihood of legal challenges. And whenever possible, show the candidates their results. Not only does this show your company is transparent, but it can also lead to candidates having an “ah ha” moment about their self. 

6. Ensure Privacy and Confidentiality: Ensure that the testing process is private and confidential. Candidates should feel comfortable providing honest responses without fear of retaliation or discrimination.

7. Administer the Test Fairly: Ensure that the test is administered fairly to all candidates. This means providing candidates with the same instructions, timing, and materials. This allows for a true apples to apples comparison and again removes any bias from the process.

8. Use Trained Administrators: Ensure that the test is administered by trained professionals who are familiar with the testing process and can answer candidate questions. Have assistance available for candidates should anything occur during the testing in which they need support to resolve. 

9. Use Test Results Wisely: Use test results as one factor in the hiring decision, but not the only factor. Consider other factors, such as work experience, education, and references. While pre-employment testing is an extremely valuable tool, companies cant rely ONLY on the test results. 

10. Monitor and Evaluate: Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the testing process over time. This can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the testing process is achieving its intended goals. It is recommended to track open rate, completion rate, and overall results. Tracking employees for the first 90-180 days post hire can also provide valuable insights. Is the candidate performing as well as expected? Are they still with your company – each of these pieces of information are critical to consistently improving and refining both your hiring profile and recruitment process. 

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your pre-employment testing process is fair, valid, and effective, and helps you make better hiring decisions.

How to Identify a Vendor for Pre-Employment Testing

Choosing the right vendor for pre-employment testing is critical to the success of your program. Here are some tips on how to identify a vendor that can provide the testing solutions you need:

1. Look for experience: Look for vendors that have a proven track record in providing pre-employment testing solutions. Choose vendors that have worked with companies similar to yours and have experience in your industry.

2. Consider customization: Choose a vendor that can customize their testing solutions to meet your specific needs. The vendor should be able to tailor the tests to align with your organization's values, brand, and culture.

3. Evaluate the technology: Ensure that the vendor's testing technology is reliable, user-friendly, and compatible with your existing HR technology infrastructure. Or find a suitable staffing company that can assist in managing the entire process with you. 

4. Check for validity: The vendor's tests should have a high degree of validity and reliability. The vendor should be able to provide data on the effectiveness of their tests, including test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity. 

5. Check for compliance: The vendor should comply with all relevant laws and regulations related to pre-employment testing, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines.

6. Understand the Candidate flow and experience: Putting yourself in the shoes of your candidates will provide you with great insights as to how your company will be portrayed. Take the testing yourself and see how valid you find your results as well as what your candidates will experience in the hiring process 

When to Complete Pre-Employment Testing in the Recruitment Process

The timing of pre-employment testing in the recruitment process can impact its effectiveness. Here are some tips on when to complete pre-employment testing in the recruitment process:

1. After the initial screening: Pre-employment testing should be conducted after the initial screening of resumes and applications to identify the most qualified candidates.

2. Before the interview: Completing pre-employment testing before the interview can help hiring managers identify the most qualified candidates and tailor interview questions to focus on areas where the candidate needs further evaluation. It also allows technology to assist in reducing the amount of interviews needed to fill a role by only focusing on those who meet testing expectations. Time=money. 

3. After the interview: Completing pre-employment testing after the interview can help confirm the hiring manager's assessment and provide additional data to make a final hiring decision.

How to learn from pre= employment testing

Pre-employment testing has become a valuable tool for companies to assess job applicants' skills, abilities, and personalities. The results of pre-employment testing can provide valuable insights into a candidate's potential fit for a particular role or the organization as a whole. However, understanding the results and using them to make informed decisions requires a deliberate and strategic approach. We'll explore how to learn from pre-employment testing results and use them to make better hiring decisions.

1. Understand the purpose of the test: Before interpreting the test results, it is essential to understand what the test measures and why it is being used. Different tests may measure different skills or qualities, such as cognitive abilities, emotional intelligence, or job-specific skills. Understanding the purpose of the test can help ensure that the results are interpreted correctly.

2. Consider the context: It is important to consider the context in which the test was administered, such as the test's timing in the recruitment process, the job requirements, and the candidate's experience level. Test results can be influenced by factors outside of the candidate's control, such as test anxiety or unfamiliarity with the testing format. By considering the context, we can gain a more accurate understanding of the results and use them more effectively.

3. Use a benchmark: Using a benchmark or comparison group can provide valuable context for interpreting test results. Comparing the results to those of other applicants who have taken the same test can help identify areas of strength or weakness in the candidate's profile. Using industry benchmarks or the results of top-performing employees can provide additional context and help identify candidates who are likely to be successful in the role.

4. Combine with other information: Pre-employment testing results should not be the sole basis for hiring decisions. Instead, the results should be combined with other information, such as resumes, references, and interview performance. By considering multiple sources of information, we can gain a more holistic view of the candidate and make more informed hiring decisions.

5. Provide feedback: Providing feedback to candidates on their test results can be a valuable learning experience for both the candidate and the organization. Sharing the results can help candidates understand their strengths and areas for development and provide them with feedback on how they can improve their performance in the future. It also demonstrates the organization's commitment to transparency and fairness in the recruitment process.

6. Evaluate the effectiveness of the test: Regularly evaluating the effectiveness of the pre-employment test is critical to ensure that it is providing valuable insights and contributing to better hiring decisions. Analyzing the test results of hired candidates and comparing them to the results of those who were not hired can help identify areas where the test could be improved or modified.

7. Continuously improve the process: Finally, learning from pre-employment testing results requires a commitment to continuous improvement. By analyzing the results, evaluating the effectiveness of the test, and incorporating feedback from candidates and hiring managers, the pre-employment testing process can be continuously refined and improved to ensure that it is delivering the desired outcomes.

In conclusion, pre-employment testing can be a valuable tool for organizations to assess job candidates' skills, abilities, and personalities. However, interpreting and using the results effectively requires a deliberate and strategic approach. By understanding the purpose of the test, considering the context, using a benchmark, combining with other information, providing feedback, evaluating effectiveness, and continuously improving the process, we can use pre-employment testing results to make better hiring decisions and drive business success.