Pre-employment exams are a systematic, objective method of collecting information about candidates throughout the recruiting process. All professionally created, well-validated pre-employment exams have one common factor: they offer a quick and accurate way to learn about a candidate’s talents and personality qualities. Pre-employment evaluations, based on the type of exam used, can provide useful information about a job applicant’s capacity to execute in the work environment.
What are Pre-employment assessment tests?
In recent times, pre-employment exams have grown in popularity to filter and manage large applicant streams. The Internet has made it simpler than ever for job searchers to apply for employment; according to one research, every corporate job posting receives an average of 250 applications. Some job searchers, dubbed “resume spammers,” send out mass email blasts with their applications, disregarding needed credentials or job fit. With candidates spending just 76 seconds to complete reading each job requirement, it’s no surprise that recruiters find that more than half of job applications do not satisfy the position’s fundamental requirements. Consequently, most hiring managers lack the time and resources to properly evaluate each student’s application, with recruiters allegedly devoting just 6.25 seconds on average reviewing each CV.
Types of Pre-Employment Tests
Pre-employment examinations come in a variety of shapes and sizes. We’ll go through five different sorts of assessments: aptitude, character, emotional maturity, risk, and skills exams.
Aptitude Tests
Rational thought, problem-solving, and the capacity to acquire, assimilate, and apply new knowledge are assessed via aptitude tests. In essence, cognitive aptitude tests are used to evaluate a candidate’s general intellect or mental capacity. As per one research, 70% of companies sought individuals with problem-solving abilities, while 63% sought analytical abilities. These skills are tough to judge merely based on resumes and interviews, where aptitude tests come in handy. Aptitude exams may be utilized in virtually every employment setting, although they are most effective in mid and senior-level positions. Aptitude tests the most important skills for workplace success in a wide range of professions, so it’s no wonder that it’s the most consistent predictor of job satisfaction.
In contrast, research shows that mental aptitude tests are considerably more effective in predicting work success than other conventional hiring factors, with aptitude tests being twice as accurate as job interviews, three times as accurate as experience, and four times as accurate as educational level.
Personality Tests
Although personality tests are growing more popular among Hr managers, there are still some misunderstandings regarding what they are and how hiring managers could leverage them.
Personality tests are designed to answer the following questions: Will the candidate be happy in this position? Is the candidate displaying the behavioral qualities that have been related to job success? There are no right or incorrect answers on questionnaires, unlike aptitude exams. Rather, these assessments assess the degree to which persons have behavioral characteristics that are generally stable across time. By assessing if a candidate’s behavioral patterns are a perfect fit for both the role and the business culture, these qualities can help employers anticipate job fit.
Personality tests can assess various qualities, but the “Five Factors” or “Big Five Model” is the most often used personality test paradigm. Sociability, Conscientiousness, Assertiveness, Openness (to Knowledge), and Stress Tolerance are the five personality traits that regularly appear in empirical studies. The idea of personality “traits” is now broadly acknowledged. It has largely replaced Carl Jung’s earlier paradigm of character “types,” which was based on a theory of personality that classified people into each of two distinct types, such as loner or outsider, thinker or feeler, Form A or Type B. Growing evidence suggests that a tight dichotomy between two different kinds does not adequately represent the complexities of human personality; therefore the characteristics model is gaining traction in personality research.
Emotional Intelligence Tests
Emotionally intelligent tests are a relatively new evaluation area. Emotional maturity, or EI, is a relatively recent phenomenon that gained popularity in the 1990s. The idea of emotional maturity has become increasingly relevant in the workplace throughout time.
According to research, transformational leadership has been linked to crucial job outcomes like specific biochemical, collaboration, motivation, and decision-making. Deep emotional IQ has also been linked to organizational development. As a result, employers are becoming more interested in evaluating EI throughout the recruiting process.
Risk Tests
Risk assessments fundamentally assist businesses in reducing risk. The risk may take many forms, and different evaluations are used to assess various risks. A hazard assessment’s major value is that it aids businesses in reducing the danger of employees engaging in risky or unproductive work practices.
Skills Tests
Skills exams assess job-related abilities, such as verbal, numeracy, interpersonal skills, and more specific abilities such as typing and programming knowledge. These are abilities that applicants have gained via their schooling and work experiences; they do not necessarily represent fundamental ability but rather accumulated knowledge, whatever the applicant currently knows how to accomplish based on prior experience.
How to prepare?
Relax
Please remember that pre-employment testing results are simply one of many criteria that employers consider when determining whether or not you are qualified for the position. The impressive résumé you made is still important!
Set the stage
Many businesses need candidates to take the test before moving on to the interviewing process. Calculate how long it takes you to finish the exams if you are taking them remotely rather than at an employer’s office, and then restrict any distractions during that period.
Read the instructions
Skipping through directions is by far the most common error made by test takers. You may read and comprehend them in as much time as you like!
Get Familiar with the Tests
Personality, aptitude, and skills exams are the three major types of pre-employment exams. To feel more relaxed, familiarise yourself with the sort of test you’ll be taking.
Conclusion
In this climate, pre-employment exams may be quite beneficial to companies looking to hire the best people. Companies of all sizes may better manage the huge pool of candidates seeking available positions by incorporating pre-employment evaluations into the candidate selection procedure. While tech may be to blame for the rise in applications, it also offers a solution by making pre-employment testing easier to incorporate into the recruiting process.
