Employment Tests Basics

Evaluate potential job candidates with employment skills testing

Before hiring a new employee, you will possibly want to use employment tests to measure their capabilities. Employment testing may involve rating a prospective employee’s skill level, personality, literacy, health and more.

To make an employee assessment, you can give a written or verbal exam. At the completion of the office skill testing, you can gauge the candidate’s answers to determine whether he would be a good fit for your company.

1. Know the legal issues. When using pre-employment testing on candidates, you must remain non-invasive and not violate their rights.

2. Research the different types of employment tests that you can administer. The type of position that you’re looking to fill will likely determine the employee assessment tools that you use.

3. Purchase skills assessment software. With a software program, you can streamline testing and receive results instantly.

 

Read up on the legality of employee skills assessment

In order to keep your company protected from lawsuits, you'll want to read up on the legal issues involved with administering tests to potential employees. You may want to consult with a lawyer as well prior to giving out any tests. As a general rule, employee assessment tools can not discriminate or violate the rights of the job candidate.
Try: Saterfiel and Associates has an informative page that discusses both sides of skills testing and how to ensure that you stay within legal limits when administering the exam. On Vault, you can find numerous recommendations in order to keep your personnel skill assessment tools legal.

Decide on the type of employment testing tools to use

You'll probably only choose a couple of tests to give an employee prior to completing the hiring process. For example, if you're looking to hire a typist, you may only need to give a knowledge and literacy test instead of a medical and physical exam. Choose tests that suit the position.
Try: The Texas Workforce website gives an overview of the most common types of employment tests given by a company. Tests include knowledge, literacy, personality, integrity, physical skills, aptitude, medical, drug and background check. The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology gives a comprehensive overview of employment tests as well as the advantages and disadvantages.

Buy employment testing software

Once you familiarize yourself with employment tests basics, you can set out to purchase software to help with your evaluation. You can find several skills assessment software packages on the market that can give an evaluation of a person's office skills, general knowledge, personality and more.
Try: Through Biddle Consulting Group, you can purchase OPAC, a type of software that can measure office skills, software knowledge and clerical abilities. Prior to purchasing, you can take a virtual tour of the program. Criteria has several web based software programs that employers can use to evaluate employees.

 

• Employers have found numerous benefits of employee skills testing. Reported advantages include lower turnover rate, less training, monetary savings and streamline the hiring process.

Copyright © 2011 Business.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

---