Pre-hire assessments have been used for decades to give employers extra information when deciding who to hire. The use of such assessments continues to grow.

So, what is it that makes HR, recruitment and talent decision-makers turn to pre-employment tools when there is so much pressure on budgets, time and resources? This is a list of ten (well, actually 11) reasons why you should be using valid pre-hire assessments as a part of your hiring process.

What are pre-hire assessments and what do they measure?

Pre-hire assessments are objective, standard, reliable and valid tools that can be used to compare job applicants based on a variety of job-relevant criteria. They can include different types of skills tests, e.g. numerical or verbal reasoning tests, other apitude tests that measure competencies like the ability to concentrate, to multi-task or to handle information. They can also include job simulations like situational judgment tests as well as personality tests that measure an individual's soft skills and workstyles to create a personality profile.

 

Pre-hire assessments:

  1. Mitigate bias in the selection process.
  2. Predict job performance.
  3. Are legally defensible.
  4. Are resource savers.
  5. Reduce staff turnover and predict tenure.
  6. Are brand enhancers.
  7. Can showcase a job role.
  8. Identify the right talent for your business.
  9. Empower local decision-makers and hiring managers.
  10. Have come of age.
  11. Bonus: Checklist to spot high quality pre-hire tests

Truth No. 1

Pre-hire assessments mitigate bias in the hiring process.

We all think we're a great judge of character. However, did you know that the likelihood of a hiring manager making a poor decision is 50%? Or that only 14% of unstructured job interviews actually predict top talent? Or that 99% of candidates are hired based on first impressions?

50%

 

likelihood of hiring managers making a poor decision

14%

 

of unstructured job interviews predict top talent

99%

 

of candidates are hired based on first impressions

The trouble is, with only a resume, an interview and gut instinct, we aren't good judges of character. However, the good news is that we can compensate for human nature by adding assessment tools and test results into the mix.

Why are we so poor at doing this on our own? The reason is bias. We bring our own biases to the table when making decisions – including hiring decisions.

Some of the classic examples of bias are:

  • Confirmation bias
    We downplay or ignore anything that contradicts our preconceived ideas.
  • Attribution bias
    Certain attributes dictate skills.
  • Affinity bias
    We ascribe positive attributes or infer greater potential to someone because they remind us of ourselves.
  • Anchoring bias
    We give more weight to things than they merit.
  • Halo and horns bias
    We are over-reliant on first impressions.
psychometric tests reduce bias: icon for attribution bias

Attribution
Tall people make better leaders.

psychomtric tests reduce bias: icon for confirmation bias

Confirmation
Smart people wear glasses.

psychometric tests reduce bias: icon for affinity bias

Affinity
This candidate is just like me.

Pre-employment tests help reduce bias because, by definition, they are objective. They give your decision-making a solid foundation.

Truth No. 2

Pre-hire tests predict job performance. 

A business impact study will define the very specific mix of competencies that leads to success in your organization. Once you define these characteristics, it's a short step to pinpointing the assessment mix that will give you that profile picture of each applicant.

Some examples of the results that our pre-hire assessments have achieved include:

  • Uplift of 12.5% in sales per hour for new hires after two months at Sunglass Hut.
  • "High match" employees deliver 36% more revenue and 42% more profit than "low match" ones at a technology business.
  • 8% uplift in sales commission at localsearch.com.

Truth No. 3

Strong talent assessments are legally defensible.

Valid assessment tools are built on a foundation of the science behind behavior and capability measurement. This means each test has a body of evidence behind it - from its reliability and dependability over time, its consistency in how it is scored and its ability to benchmark and compare between people. Take all this together and you have robust evidence to inform decision making.

Reputable test suppliers have research teams staffed by psychologists and statisticians. They not only work to develop and refine new tests, but continually gather and publish data from real-world use of existing tests. It means they investigate, gender and other group differences in test scores and help clients understand their own data.

Real-life examples:

  • Outcome Health introduced an assessment process in "safe mode" to review how the tests functioned across different applicant groups. No adverse impact was found.
  • Credit Suisse proved scientifically that the aptitude tests used were gender neutral, fair and objective.

Truth No. 4

Pre-hire assessments are resource savers.

Pre-hire tests save time, energy and heartache. They speed up time-to-hire by helping you focus on the very best, very quickly. And they reduce hiring manager time spent in (video) interviews with poor quality candidates.

There have been some dramatic results reported by organizations:

  • Five hours of recruitment time per hire saved at Elkjøp.
  • 50% reduction in hiring manager time spent in interviews at Outcome Health.

Truth No. 5

Pre-hire assessments reduce staff turnover and predict tenure.

Getting better-fit employees leads to stronger employee engagement and retention. Customized assessments like Situational Judgement Tests can also support with showcasing your company culture and engage well-fit candidates.

Some examples of what this can mean to businesses:

  • Securitas Direct predicted those who would stay beyond the initial four-month time-to-competence period.
  • Jurys Inn determined the behavioral characteristics and values of those likely to stay with the business — and those likely to leave.
  • Transcom found that the top 10% of scorers on personality and cognitive ability assessments are 130% more likely to stay beyond the average tenure.

Truth No. 6

Pre-hire assessments are brand enhancers.

Pre-hiring tests and assessments give you robust information to supplement your decision making. They also say something about your company. Leading edge tests that show the job and your organization in the right light help differentiate you as an employer – just as sleek, integrated processes and feedback do. However, get it wrong and your use of assessment could be a brand detractor! So, choose well and bear in mind:

The relevance of the content — Be aware and avoid ability tests using outdated questions, personality questionnaires that don’t ask about work-related behaviors and assessments that bear no resemblance to the job or your company. 

The candidate experience – Make the assessment look great and work on any device. Work with consultants to design the overall process, where the tests fit in and adds the most value, and where decisions are made. Look at tools that can be used on a smartphone, tablet and desktop. Think about integration with your ATS to provide a secure, single sign-on experience. Also, make sure you can add your own logo, color palette and customized content. 

Act quickly – Make sure the results you get from your tests mean you can make decisions quickly – whether it’s sifting out those unsuitable for the role or homing in on the best people. Don’t risk your competitor being faster than you.

Engage, engage, engage – How you treat your candidates says a lot about your organization. Assessment tools give you the information to manage expectations with your applicants and the opportunity to engage with them. 

Make it cool – Great assessments are now available to be completed on a mobile device, via video or set within the context of your own business using your own real-world scenarios and examples. 

Some real-world examples of what this can look like:

  • Vodafone transformed its attraction and application process to attract younger, digitally savvy applicants by devising a web-based attraction game and an online assessment process.
  • A Multinational Engineering Company began using an online, messaging-format assessment developed for mobile devices. It’s different, innovative, accurate and a great candidate engager.
  • Nationwide uses a paperless assessment center that sets the business apart and is used to spot the highest potential candidates.

Truth No. 7

Pre-hire assessments can showcase the job.

Realistic job previews and situational judgment tests give you insight into how potential candidates respond to real on the job scenarios. – and they’re also great at showing candidates what the job is about. Work with us or work with an assessment provider to customize your assessments, using your real-world situations, and see how your applicants react. Make sure it’s
designed to completed on a smartphone. 

Real-life examples:

  • easyJet offers a realistic job preview of its cabin crew role — 'Try before you fly' — to help would-be applicants better understand the job.
  • O2 uses a situational judgment test and in-store technology-based assessment centers to improve the quality of its candidates.
  • Sunglass Hut uses a realistic job preview and situational judgment test to give candidates insight into the store's sales roles.
3 examples of realistic job previews: Sunglass Hut, du, flydubai

Truth No. 8

Pre-hire assessments identify the best-fit talent for your business.

As an organization, you have your own specific values, competencies and business strategy. What you’re looking for is likely to be different from what other companies value. Modern pre-hiring tests let you focus on the specific skills, abilities and competencies you need. Create your own profile and tailor your assessments to fit your specific needs.

Real-life examples:

  • Top performers deliver 50% more sales revenue than the average salesperson in Elkjøp stores.
  • Localsearch.com found that 82% of those likely to be low performers were filtered out of selection process early on.
  • The very specific behavioral and values set for Parks & Resorts' seasonal employees is assessed through a custom-built bespoke situational judgment test and an "audition" (interview).

Truth No. 9

Pre-hiring tests empower your local decision-makers and hiring managers.

You may have local managers reviewing applications, interviewing and making the decisions. However, it’s not the key focus of their job. You want to help them be consistent, be objective and ask the right questions. Pre-hire assessments helps you support them. Online assessments allow you to quickly and easily identify best-fit candidates based on the competencies needed to succeed in the role and business. Candidate reports and tailored interview guides make it easy for your local managers to be prepared for the interview and to ask the most relevant questions.

Real-life examples:

  • Ericsson designed a single, easy-to-understand assessment matrix, a single process and single report to support selection and promotion for a range of job roles.
  • Dubai Duty Free reduced the time taken to identify 50 candidates from 8.5 days to 0.5 days thanks to a standard assessment process and specific interview guides.
  • A technology business improved the consistency of its hiring manager interviews by using a company-specific interview guide mapped against the five key behavioral characteristics of commercial success.

Truth No. 10

Pre-hiring assessments have come of age.

Years ago, psychometrics were the domain of theorists and academics, but they have been transformed. Now they’re part of an enhanced user experience through shorter and engaging tests that are highly relevant to the job in question and optimized for smartphone use to appeal to everyone. And the transformation continues! AI is being trained to support scoring, interpretation and decision-making – legally defensible and fair, when done right.

Truth No. 11

Assessment quality can be spotted (and you can do it!).

It's simply not enough to use any pre-hire assessment. Although the quality of pre-hire assessments vary, their quality can be measured and evaluated.

Use the list below to check the quality of any pre-hire test or assessment.

9 Questions to Spot High Quality Assessments

  1. Is the assessment objective in how it is administered, scored and interpreted?

  2. Is the assessment reliable, accurate and consistent over time? Does it offer dependable results?

  3. Is the assessment valid? Does it measure what it is designed to measure?

  4. Does it differentiate between candidates? Does a stronger candidate receive a higher test score than a weaker candidate?

  5. Does the assessment deliver value for money? Will it result in tangible benefits to the business?

  6. Is the assessment standardized? Does it offer a comparison to normative or benchmark groups?

  7. Is it useful? Does the talent assessment add clear value to the talent process?

  8. Is it transparent and fair? Is the assessment and assessment process clear and fair for all candidates? Do candidates get appropriate feedback?

  9. Is it cheat-resistant? Test-takers must not be able to distort or fake test scores.

Want to Learn More?

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