There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding which pre-employment testing provider is right for your hiring goals. 82% of companies use some form of assessments in the hiring process. Use this checklist to better understand what your needs are and how different testing options can provide solutions:
1. Know your roles: Gain a full understanding of the jobs for which you’re planning to administer pre-employment tests. What are the requirements for each role? What makes someone “successful” in that role?
2. Think about what types of tests you want to use: Different pre-employment testing providers offer different types of tests. Once you know what your jobs require, you should start to develop a sense of what types of tests can help evaluate those qualities.
3. Decide when to administer the tests: If you want to be able to administer tests upfront as a screening tool, you might opt for a testing provider that offers shorter tests that provide a positive candidate experience. You may also prefer a subscription pricing model over a pay-per-test model. If you’re willing to test later in the process, you can use tests that are longer, more intensive, or even pen and paper tests.
4. Project your hiring needs: In the next year, will you be hiring a few new people, or many? Are you hiring consistently over time, or do you have seasonal pushes?
5. Estimate your budget: How much can you afford?
6. Determine how quickly you want to get up and running: Some assessment providers can get you up and running in minutes; others may require several months to implement and train you and your hiring team.
7. Ask if the tests are validated: Pre-employment tests only provide value if they predict better hiring outcomes. Testing providers should be able to provide validity information to demonstrate their tests have predictive validity.
8. Familiarize yourselves with legal issues: Not all tests are created equal. Tests like mental health or medical exams are typically illegal across the country. Other tests, like the Myers-Briggs and DISC assessment, are great tools to use for current employees but shouldn’t be used for making hiring decisions, because they are not legally defensible.
9. Determine what level of customer support you need: Some testing providers might provide chat or call center support, while others may offer more one-on-one consultative support.
10. Find out if it integrates with your ATS or HRIS: If you use an ATS or HRIS, this is a boring but often important question to ask.
11. Understand why you want to use assessments: Consider the goals you have in implementing testing – whether that’s finding candidates with better soft skills or just raising the bar on your quality of hire, your goals will have an impact on the types of tests, and the provider, that you choose.
Need more guidance? Check out 6 Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Assessment Provider.
