3 Reasons to use Pre-Employment Testing as a Hiring Tool
Pre-Employment testing involves the use of standardized questions, computerized scoring, and scientific analysis to predict on-the-job attitude and performance among job applicants. While no system of testing is 100 percent accurate, since they rely on test takers answering questions correctly and honesty, using them is still far better than subjectively picking people because they “seem right.”
For those not convinced they should add pre-employment testing to their hiring lines, here are three reasons which might sway you.
1. Avoid the $150,000 mistake
It is estimated that one bad salesperson hire can cost a company $150,000 in the first year alone due to onboarding costs, lost opportunities, and existing business chased away by ineptness. For non-sales positions, the expense can still be considerable, which is why testing is recommended for everyone and not just salespeople.
By employing tests such as the CPQ before making any hiring decisions, HR costs can be kept to a minimum and more market share can be captured thanks to better salespeople, managers, executives, and support staff.
2. They are objective.
It is easy to be swayed by charm, good looks, an impressive resume, an expensive watch, and other superficial characteristics when speaking with a job candidate face to face. As too many hiring managers have learned over the years, these characteristics do not necessarily lead to great job performance.
Some applicants have mastered the art of interviewing well to get their foot in the door, only to slack off once they are hired. This is especially dangerous to your bottom line when candidates are given a salary or draw against commissions for the first few months.
Pre-employment testing removes a lot of the opinion and personal bias from hiring which allows for better decision-making. Objective hiring based on scientific test results can also protect you from lawsuits in the event a disgruntled applicant makes a claim.
3. Improve the work environment.
Pre-employment testing helps achieve harmony in the workplace by putting people in the positions where they are likeliest to succeed and filtering out those whose personalities will not fit within the culture.
Ambitious people naturally want to be around other ambitious people with whom they can share war stories, trade tips, and compete against. Likewise, those who are more nurturing and hand-holding in nature tend to want others with a similar viewpoint around them while they work.
As you can see, putting an A-type outside sales hunter in a customer service representative role will likely cause some clashes within that department. Likewise, a nurturer will likely fail when placed on a team with demanding sales quotas and a highly competitive spirit, also causing an uncomfortable work environment.
Pre-employment testing is an affordable, convenient way to find out what makes your candidates tick before committing to hiring them. Rather than continue to play the guessing game when hiring, you can stack the odds in your favor by getting a more accurate picture of how your potential hires are going to perform when actually are on the job.
Start testing today!
