Pre-Hire Assessments 101

In-depth pre-hire assessments are becoming increasingly popular among companies looking to make data-driven hiring decisions. These assessments involve a series of tests and evaluations designed to provide a more complete picture of a candidate’s skills, personality, and potential fit within an organization.

Are Assessments Actually Useful?

To answer succinctly: absolutely. In-depth pre-hire assessments have been shown to be significantly effective in improving hiring outcomes. According to a study by Aberdeen Group, organizations that use pre-hire assessments are 36% more likely to be satisfied with their new hires, while a report by Harvard Business Review found that companies using pre-hire assessments see a 39% reduction in turnover and a 20% increase in productivity.

Assessments like the ones we provide here at PeopleFactors can really dive into the psyche of a candidate. Are you the type of person who tries to avoid the cats eyes on a motorway? Should you be quitting it all to pursue entrepreneurship? We’ll be able to tell.

Types of Tests

In-depth pre-hire assessments can involve a wide range of tests, each designed to evaluate different aspects of a candidate’s abilities and characteristics. Some common types of tests included in assessments like ours include:

  1. Cognitive Ability Tests: These tests assess a candidate’s reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
  2. Personality Tests: These tests evaluate a candidate’s personality traits and characteristics, such as extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability.
  3. Skills Tests: These tests assess a candidate’s proficiency in specific job-related skills, such as coding, writing, or design.
  4. Case Studies: These interviews ask candidates to describe how they would handle specific workplace scenarios or situations, allowing employers to evaluate their problem-solving and decision-making skills.
  5. Situational Judgement Tests: These tests evaluate a candidate’s ability to make decisions in specific work-related scenarios.

How The Data is Used

Once the assessments are completed, the data is analyzed and used to make more informed hiring decisions. For example, cognitive ability tests may be used to identify candidates who are more likely to perform well in complex or demanding roles; personality tests can provide insight into a candidate’s preferred work style, communication preferences, and ability to work well in a team; and skills tests can help identify candidates who have the technical expertise required for a specific role.

As well as using the data to make hiring decisions, employers can also use the information gathered during these assessments to inform onboarding and training programs – we even have a report for our subscription clients called the Development Report which dives into the candidate’s developmental potential. So if, for instance, a candidate scores lower on a particular skill test, employers can focus on providing additional training or resources to help the employee improve in that area.

So, it’s a fact: in-depth pre-hire assessments can be a powerful tool for organizations looking to make data-driven hiring decisions.

If you’re looking to see what all the fuss is about and try some of the most powerful assessing tools on the market, take our assessments for a spin with an On-Demand assessment anytime.