With so many tests now available for pre-employment testing is there any one test that is better than others, and is there really any point in testing in the first place?

Pre-employment testing on its own is a relative pointless exercise, however when used in conjunction with other robust recruitment practices like interview skills and reference checks, they become an invaluable tool in getting the right person for the job.

The key to using maximising the use of the testing, is to choose the tests you use based on the role you are trying to fill, and customizing testing where necessary to actively seek the skills and behaviours you are looking for.

There are three basic styles of testing that can be useful for recruitment of new employees:

1. Cognitive testing | Effectively a basic and broader form of IQ testing, the results of these tests give a general understanding into a candidate’s numeracy, literacy and general reasoning skills. Benchmarking these tests against specific roles improves the value of the results and helps to establish acceptable minimum scores. For example you would expect an Operations Manager to score higher in the same test to a Pick-pack person.
2. Skills testing | Are tests designed to establish certain specific elements of a persons role. “We find testing candidates for specific skills, like logbooks, invaluable in establishing their industry knowledge and suitability to clients role”, says Marc Pember, Agoge Branch Manager. Skills tests can vary across a range of skills from typing and accuracy for office staff to accuracy tests for warehouse staff. “I strongly recommend establishing specific skills tests in your business”, says Pember, “it is well worth the investment”.
3. Personality / Psychometric testing | Are designed to give you information about a persons default behaviours from a personality perspective and are useful for making sure a person fits into the role.Agoge have an online test called ‘Styles of Influence’ which determines what peoples natural style is for influencing events around them. Some people are naturally empathic, while others are insulated. Placing an insulated person into a customer care role, will often lead to both unhappy customers and an unhappy employee, purely because the person is not ‘wired’ to be empathic, its not in their nature. Personality testing helps indentify this prior to a person getting the job, and when overlaid over existing helps to show weakness and strengths within your team.

In conclusion, testing can make a significant impact in helping you recruit the right people, and more importantly putting them into the right roles.