Skills count, but what about testing ability?

 

When making any new hire, the primary purpose of bringing a new person on board is to benefit from their skills and abilities. And while a CV can tell you much about that person, there is still no better way to know with certainty what any individual is capable of than through practical skills testing.

But, asks Sharon Davies, managing director of recruitment technology company Talent Propeller, just how many employers actually do any aptitude testing at all?

“There’s nothing like a quick set of tests to see if someone is actually as capable as their CV claims they are,” Davies points out, “and yet very few prospective employers require candidates to provide any formal evaluation of the skills they will need to do the job at hand.”

While most employers skip testing altogether, others are inclined to provide ‘informal’ assessments. However, even this is insufficient, as Davies says informal assessments don’t provide an impartial way of comparing one candidate’s abilities with those of another.

“When you’re looking to hire, you want to find the candidate who is not only the best fit for your organizational culture, but also the one who has the skills to immediately add value. The first criterion can be assessed through interviews and checking of references. The second is best assessed through aptitude testing,” she adds.

A variety of formalised tests are available to expedite the process of identifying the most capable person for the job. They include assessments of personality to establish suitable career pathways and identify strengths and weaknesses; attitudes towards sales, customer service, career progression and even general feelings towards life are also evaluated. 

A Workplace Productivity Profile can be established, which helps predict if an individual will be a conscientious, productive and reliable employee.

“These characteristics have a definite bearing on the suitability of individuals for particular jobs,” notes Davies, “and yet many organisations simply don’t assess their candidates at all.”

Other testing evaluates more specific skills which may be of greater or lesser relevance for any given occupation. That includes testing of skills such as numeracy, spelling and grammar, and typing and data entry abilities.

While hiring the right person is a costly exercise, Davies says hiring the wrong one is even more expensive. “By including testing as an integral component of the recruitment process, employers can be sure of the capabilities of all candidates – and be sure than the person who gets the work is the best man or woman for the job.”