Finding the right candidate for the job is the most important responsibility held by hiring mangers, but many face a common problem; a quick interview rarely tells enough about a person to know if they would be a good fit for a particular position. Since it isn’t hard for applicants to present the best side of themselves during the course of a short question and answer session, more and more workplaces are relying on pre-employment testing to determine whom they should or should not hire.
According to one study conducted by the American Management Association (AMA), as many as 7 out of 10 employers regularly test either applicants are current employers using some form of a job skills test. Another 46 percent conduct a psychological test on either potential workers or current staff members and 41 percent of businesses use aptitude tests to make sure that workers and applicants have the basic literacy and/or mathematical skills for the job. The AMA also found that, of the candidates tested for the latter, more than one-third did not have sufficient skills to perform the job for which they were applying.
The type of test used for employee selection vary from company to company, but some of the most popular include:
General Cognitive ability tests, which measure an applicants ability to quickly learn information and use it to perform some sort of task or respond to correctly to questioning.
Personality tests, which are used to determine an applicant’s normal pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving. These test often include sections geared toward finding out how motivated a particular individual is and if they are trustworthy.
Job skills tests, which can be used to determine if the individual posses the necessary skills to perform the job they are applying for. Some skills that might be tested include the ability to negotiate, make decisions, explain information or close a deal. They can also be as simple making sure that the applicant can type at a predetermined minimal speed.
If the job in question is for a managerial position, an applicant may be required to take a test that shows whether or not they have the ability to manage other workers effectively.
Other popular forms of employment testing include background checks, drug tests, and for some positions tests of the applicants physical abilities.