Pre-Employment Assessment Software Streamlines Candidate Selection Process, Reduces Costs
Friday, December 2, 2011 at 4:59PM
With unemployment rates lingering above nine percent, competition for open positions has become increasingly fierce and many businesses simply don’t have the time needed to accurately screen and hire new employees.
Although the abundance of job candidates might seem like a benefit for employers, sorting through hundreds of unqualified candidates in order to find the right person for the job has become an increasingly time-consuming and costly proposition for many businesses.
To help streamline the process, an increasing number of companies have begun using third-party pre-employment assessment software. In fact, the pre-employment assessment market has reportedly grown by fifteen percent over the last year.
By performing in-depth behavioral analyses of the company’s current top performers, and creating candidate interview questions specifically designed to identify the same behavioral traits in those applying for the same position, third-party employee assessment providers achieve far greater accuracy in matching the best candidate for the position.
Companies that partner with third-party employee assessment software providers typically see a statistical increase in productivity and a reduction in employee turnover over time which translates into a healthy ROI.
The wealth of data gathered can also be used to improve the overall candidate interview process, and help the company identify future career paths.
Although the use of pre-employment assessment software can be beneficial to virtually any business, large or small, enterprises that employ upwards of forty employees in the same role stand to gain the most.
How is your business coping with the abundance of job candidates caused by the current economic climate? Please share your thoughts by posting a comment below.
Reader Comments (3)
We use the usual method of screening possible employees. We haven't really used any software for assessing applicants but I'm certain that this suggested software will be of great help.
I noticed that your 'assessment' tests are really biased against introverted, quiet, or shy people. Thanks for helping to screw us quiet people out of jobs we might've gotten if not for your tests.
Ali, good pre-employment assessments are neutral toward your workplace characteristics—that is, until you begin to answer the questions. If your core behaviors indicate that you are an introvert, then of course the resulting behavioral reports will show that. The question then becomes employer-related: Are you a close match for what the potential employer is looking for?
Depending on the job, an employer may seek people who are more outgoing, thinking that only an extrovert can excel in the position. For some jobs (door-to-door sales, mall kiosks, public speaking) that stipulation may be valid. For many jobs, our research shows that it is counterproductive to be an extrovert and very productive to be more introverted. In some positions, extroverted people may spend more time socializing and less time taking care of the tasks at hand. That is why fit to the job is the most important factor. Everyone fits somewhere, so some jobs require a person to be more “extroverted” and other jobs require more “introversion.” The desired quantity of the characteristic is the “X” factor.
That is why it is important to just be yourself when taking a PeopleAnswers assessment. There are no good or bad characteristics; the subtle differences are what make each one of us unique. Each person will be a strong fit for some jobs and not as strong of a fit for others. The assessment does not exclude you, but instead helps to find that natural fit so you can look forward to going to work every day at a job that only asks that you to be yourself to succeed.