Pre-employment assessments have been used for decades as a way to evaluate job candidates and make informed hiring decisions.
According to a survey by the American Management Association, “almost 90 percent of firms that test job applicants say they will not hire job seekers when pre-employment testing finds them to be deficient in basic skills.”
It can come in the form of various tests for cognitive abilities, knowledge, work skills, physical and motor abilities, personality, emotional intelligence, language proficiency, as well as integrity.
As technology advanced, so have pre-employment assessments. Today, many companies use a variety of different assessment methods, such as online cognitive ability tests, skills assessments, and personality tests, to evaluate job candidates.
Additionally, advancements in research and data analysis techniques allowed for a better understanding of the link between assessment results and job performance which led to more accurate and fair assessments.
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the potential biases and limitations of pre-employment assessments.
As a result, many companies are now taking steps to address these issues and to ensure that their assessment process is fair and unbiased. This includes using multiple assessment methods, validating the assessments, and avoiding any potential bias in the assessment process.
A pre-employment assessment is a process of evaluating job candidates before they are hired. This can include a variety of different assessments, such as cognitive ability tests, personality tests, and skills assessments.
The goal of the pre-employment assessment is to identify candidates who are likely to be successful in the position and to identify any potential issues or concerns that may arise if a particular candidate is hired.
Cognitive ability tests, also known as intelligence tests or aptitude tests, are designed to measure a candidate's ability to think, reason, and solve problems. These tests can include measures of verbal and quantitative reasoning, as well as tests of spatial and mechanical abilities.
Many of these tests have been used by recruiters to assess candidate suitability over the past decades.
These tests are used to assess general cognitive abilities and potential for learning, which can be an indicator of performance on the job, for example, for roles that require problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making.
Personality tests are designed to assess a candidate's personality traits and characteristics, such as their level of extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability.
These tests can help employers identify candidates who have the right personality traits for a particular job. Examples of personality tests include the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), and the Big Five Personality Traits test.
This can be useful for roles that require a high level of social skills, dealing with different personalities, or roles that require working under pressure or stress.
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There are several different types of pre-employment assessments that employers can use to evaluate job candidates.
These assessments can be broadly categorized into three main types: cognitive ability tests, personality tests, and skills assessments.
Cognitive ability tests, also known as intelligence tests or aptitude tests, are designed to measure a candidate's general cognitive abilities and potential for learning. These tests can include measures of verbal and quantitative reasoning, as well as tests of spatial and mechanical abilities.
Examples of cognitive ability tests include:
Personality tests are designed to assess a candidate's personality traits and characteristics. These tests can help employers identify candidates who have the right personality traits for a particular job.
Examples of personality tests include:
Skills assessments are designed to assess a candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities in a specific area or field. These tests can include measures of typing speed, computer proficiency, or knowledge of a particular software program.
Examples of skills assessments include:
In addition to these types of assessments, employers may also conduct interviews, reference checks, and background checks as part of the pre-employment assessment process.
Interviews provide an opportunity for the employer to ask questions and learn more about the candidate's qualifications and experience.
Reference checks involve contacting previous employers and supervisors to verify a candidate's work history, education, and other qualifications, while background checks can be used to investigate a candidate's criminal record or other relevant information.
It is important to note that different employers may use different types of pre-employment assessments based on their specific needs and requirements.
Furthermore, for some jobs, the use of a single assessment may not be sufficient, and employers may use a combination of assessments for a more comprehensive evaluation of the candidate.
For example, for a software development role, cognitive ability tests and skills assessments may be used along with an interview to get a well-rounded view of the candidate’s skills and abilities.
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Not using pre-employment assessments can carry several risks for employers. Some of these risks include:
It's worth noting that pre-employment assessments are not a guarantee for success in hiring but rather a tool to help employers make more informed decisions.
Furthermore, even with the use of pre-employment assessments, employers should also consider other factors, such as the candidate's qualifications, experience, and references, as well as their fit with the company's culture and values.
However, not using pre-employment assessments can increase the risks of poor hiring decisions, which can have negative consequences for the employer.
Integrating assessments into an applicant tracking system (ATS) can provide a number of benefits for both employers and job candidates.
Here are a few:
It is worth noting that there is a possibility of a negative impact on the candidate's experience and potential legal issues if not done properly.
It’s important to make sure that the assessments are legally compliant, non-discriminatory, and job-relevant to avoid any issues.
Considering the downsides of not implementing a pre-employment assessment into your recruitment process coupled with the pros you’ll get from orchestrating an assessment with a digital tool, it’s not that hard to come to the conclusion that a tool like ATS is indeed essential.
The ability to identify ideal candidates before sending them to your customers for an interview means that you are already halfway ahead of your competitors toward the finish line.
With a robust digital tool like Manatal’s ATS, you can level up your pre-employment assessment game and ensure the most effective decision when it comes to the right candidates.
Not only does Manatal allow its users to manage and navigate through the recruitment pipeline within a single platform, but it is also packed with Collaboration & Activities feature that enables you to seamlessly manage communication with candidates and customers.
You can prepare and send out assessment questions to candidates within a few clicks while ensuring that interview sessions with them won’t be overlapped with one another.
Your customers would also have the ability to come in and check your candidate shortlist as well as leave notes and comments on particular candidates that they would like to connect with.
Moreover, Manatal also integrated Codility, an automated technical assessments service provider, into its platform. With Codility, recruiters can orchestrate a smooth technical skills assessment without having to pull their customers into a complex and time-consuming process.
For example, in an attempt to recruit a coder, web developer, or software engineer, you really need to make sure that the selected candidate actually possesses the ability to write specific codes, such as Python.
This requires an assessment from a professional coder, web developer, and so on. In doing so, it takes a big chunk of time from a recruitment agency’s customer to evaluate and confirm. As you can imagine, these people are already tied up with their daily tasks. The assessment process will likely be a hassle and take longer than expected.
When you have Manatal, you can simply send the Python test by Codility to candidates within the platform and get an accurate result back. Without having to take time from your customers, this will add much more value to your service.
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It is worth noting that pre-employment assessments are not the only decision-making factors - they should be used together with other methods, such as interviews and reference checks.
Additionally, it's important to make sure that the assessments are legally compliant, non-discriminatory, and job-relevant to avoid any issues.
To ensure the most effective assessment results, a digital HR tool is an essential piece for your process. With an intelligent tool like Manatal’s Applicant Tracking System, you will be able to streamline communication with both candidates and customers and run the pre-employment assessment on a single platform.
To elevate your recruitment game even higher and add more value to your service, Manatal is integrated with an efficient pre-employment assessment service provider like Codility.
You will be able to navigate through a pre-employment assessment for a position that requires a specific skill set, like code writing inside Manatal’s pipeline, and get an accurate result without having to bring your customer into a cumbersome process.
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