You’ve read through a candidate’s resume and cover letter. You may have even conducted the first (or second) interview to get an idea of whether they would be a good fit for the team. But how do you gain a more holistic view of their qualifications for the job? Using a pre-employment assessment in the hiring process could be the best solution for your company, especially when hiring in the early-career space.
Most entry-level candidates lack significant work experience, which can be a challenge for hiring managers seeking a specialized skill set. Assessments can be useful to gauge how a candidate might perform on the job. While assessments are often used when hiring candidates in the software engineering industry, they can actually extend to a variety of different roles and can glean information that resumes and interviews alone don’t surface. Candidates can also benefit from assessments because it gives them an extra opportunity to showcase their talents, especially if they don’t perform as well in an interview setting. Whether assessments are the standard in your industry or your company is implementing them for the first time, here are a few things to keep in mind.
There’s no one-size-fits-all assessment for prospective employees. Any assessment you use should have direct applicability to the job. Determine what skills are most relevant to the position, such as knowledge of a specific coding language or communication skills like delivering presentations, and develop an assessment around it. This will not only help you determine the hireability of a candidate, but also reinforce what the job will entail (and if the candidate thinks it’s the right fit for them, too).
If you are hiring for a sales role, asking the candidate to make some mock cold calls or complete a timed writing challenge can be useful. If the role is in communication or marketing, writing copy or doing an edit test is a better option. Moreover, an analyst or consulting position might benefit from an assessment that involves creating a mock report based on a prompt. Some industries like management consulting use case studies as an integral, expected part of the hiring process.
Keep in mind that there should be no “pop quizzes” in recruitment. Candidates should always know in advance if they are expected to complete an assessment. They should also have an idea of when in the recruitment process they will take the assessment, so they can plan accordingly.
The best time to administer the assessment can vary by company and role, but in general, you should only ask a candidate to complete an assessment if they are a semi-finalist for the position. You may conduct the assessment during the interview itself, or you may ask the candidate to finish the assessment at home so they can do it on their own time. Assessments should not take long to complete – an hour or two at the maximum. If you offer the option of completing the assessment at home, give the candidate at least a few days to return it to you.
Assessments might require the candidate to complete a task using a computer, or it might involve a role-play with the hiring manager (for example, a customer service role-play involving a frustrated customer). Before administering an assessment, make sure any technology is ready to go and any employees involved are prepared. If you have asked the candidate to complete the assessment at home, you should also give clear directions and be prepared to answer clarifying questions.
Although a pre-employment assessment should be relevant to the position, it should not be a final work product that can be used for promoting your business. For example, if your hiring assessment is to create a 500-word sample blog post on a given topic, that blog post cannot be posted on your actual blog. The sole purpose of an assessment is to determine a candidate’s hireability, and any other use will demean trust in your company.
Aside from major discrepancies (like a candidate failing a coding challenge for a software engineering role), assessments should be used to get a holistic view of a candidate, not as the main factor to determine who should be hired. Employers can use assessments to judge not only skill, but also potential. If a marketing candidate generally does well on a blog writing test but hasn’t quite captured the nuance of your brand, that’s something the candidate would learn with experience on the job and further exposure to brand guidelines. An assessment can also be the final factor edging out one candidate over another if all other criteria are about equal.
With the labor market being as tight as it is, the last thing an employer wants to do is create a frustrating hiring experience that wastes a candidate’s time. Assessments should be fairly short, relevant to the position, and an indication that the candidate is likely going to receive an offer. Instead of a chore, make the assessment an opportunity to let a candidate’s skills shine.
Are you actively recruiting entry-level candidates? Download our latest report, "Understanding the Gen Z Candidate Experience" to learn more about what recent graduates and current college students expect from the recruitment and hiring process.