Can the candidate do the job? This is the main question hiring managers are trying to answer when assessing a candidate during the interview process. Do they have the right skills and are they the most qualified candidate for the job?
These are difficult questions to answer, considering the little amount of time you get to spend with the candidate. You can only derive so much from a resume, application, online profiles, and references.
A practical application such as skills tests can help hiring managers more effectively assess candidates’ skills before and during the interview process.
Here are the top benefits for including candidate skills tests in your recruiting process:
1. More Time With Qualified Candidates
Skills tests will tell you right away if a candidate has the right skills. If they don’t, you can remove them from the candidate pool. If they do, you can decide if you want to interview them. The end result is you can spend more time interviewing qualified candidates rather than using the interview to figure out if they are actually qualified for the job.
2. Time Efficiency
Companies can easily create a skills test to meet their hiring assessment needs. Once you’ve created your skills assessment, you can host it online and have candidates complete the test as part of the job application process. You can automate the process, use it as a tool to screen candidates and free up time for your hiring manager to pursue the most qualified candidates.
3. Objective Assessment
Subjectivity and hiring bias are always a concern. Having all candidates complete the same skills test provides you with a quantifiable method to assess and compare candidates. They are more effective than pre-interview calls and other methods of resume screening. Skills tests will give you a strong and more objective assessment of candidates’ strengths and shortcomings.
4. Verification
On paper, an applicant can seem like the perfect candidate. There are also candidates who are highly skilled at the interview process. Skills tests can provide you with some verification as to whether or not a hiring manager thinks a candidate is qualified. They provide you with a secondary type of assessment that can verify if the candidate is worth calling for an interview or considering for the job.
While skills tests do not provide you with a holistic view of the candidate, they do allow you to effectively assess and compare their skill level. Use these tests as part of your recruiting process to help you cull your candidate pool and spend more time with the most qualified talent.
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IQ PARTNERS is an Executive Search & Recruitment firm supporting clients across the country. We help companies hire better, hire less & retain more. We have specialist teams of recruiters in Executive Search / Board & C-Suite, Technology, Media, Digital & Marketing, Accounting & Finance, Financial Services & Insurance, Cannabis, Startup, Data Science, Consumer, eCommerce & Retail, Operations & HR, Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Engineering, Legal & Professional Services, Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences, Non-Profit & Sustainability, and Sales. IQ PARTNERS has its head office in Toronto and operates internationally via Aravati Global Search Network. Click here to view current job openings and to register with us.
