Organizations nationwide across all industries are struggling to find the talent they need because of the talent shortage we are experiencing. So, a big question every HR professional is asking is how to attract qualified applicants with the right skills and experience.
HR teams need a well-planned strategy to recruit and retain top talent in this challenging hiring environment. So, many have implemented a skills assessment testing solution like the eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM to simplify their hiring and streamline and improve workflow.
What Is a Skills Assessment?
There are various types of skills tests for jobs that HR teams use to evaluate job applicants. The most popular is a skills assessment.
Skills assessments, or skills tests, typically include questions in multiple formats, such as multiple choice and true-false, and are administered online. There is no need to purchase booklets, answer sheets, and other testing materials. HR professionals simply email applicants a link to a skills assessment and ask them to complete and return it. Once candidates submit assessments, HR teams sort and review the results.
Behavioral assessments are another popular type of skills test for jobs. While skills tests measure a candidate’s acquired abilities, behavioral assessments provide insights into their core personality traits. The results help hiring managers determine which applicants are a good fit for a job and their company culture.
Hire Better and Faster with Skills Assessments
When used alone, both skills and behavioral assessments can help you hire better and faster. However, they are most effective when used together because they provide a comprehensive view of a candidate’s skills, abilities, and behavioral traits.
Here are some ways skills assessments can help you hire better and faster.
Streamline Hiring
Organizations often receive hundreds of responses for a single job posting, and many of the applicants are not qualified. Hiring teams must spend hours reviewing unqualified applicants’ resumes to find the few candidates with the right skills and experience. This is tedious and time-consuming and is an inefficient use of time.
Using skills tests for jobs streamlines hiring by enabling recruiters to identify top candidates and immediately eliminate those who are unqualified. They can focus their time and efforts on the applicants who are best qualified for the job, which makes hiring easier, faster, and more efficient.
The eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM enables hiring teams to create automated workflows that streamline candidate selection. During its 20 years in business, eSkill has helped clients reduce hiring costs by up to 70% and time to hire by as much as 60%.
Lower Turnover
With every new hire, two questions every HR professional and hiring manager thinks are, “Will this person work out?” and “Will they stay with our company long-term and contribute to our mission?” Unfortunately, many do not. A BambooHR survey shows that almost 70% of new hires leave within the first three months, and 90% of employees explore new opportunities even if they are not actively looking for a new job.
In addition to hiring qualified employees, organizations need to retain top talent and reduce turnover. U.S. businesses lose $1 trillion yearly due to turnover, and the cost of replacing an employee can range from one-half to twice the employee’s annual salary.
Skills tests for jobs help screen applicants for required skills and behavioral traits to determine which candidates are most likely to be successful in a job and adapt to the company culture. Research shows that using skills-based and behavioral assessments can increase the likelihood of placing the right person in the proper position by up to 80%.
Minimize Unconscious Bias
Unconscious bias refers to negative attitudes and stereotypes that can impact an individual’s decisions. It can also refer to preferential treatment, where a hiring team member favors a candidate because of a common trait or experience, such as attending the same university or enjoying the same hobby.
Hiring teams are instructed to judge candidates fairly and impartially. However, bias can taint even well-managed hiring processes. According to Bright Talk, 79% of HR professionals say unconscious bias influences recruitment and succession planning decisions.
Skills assessments help organizations minimize unconscious bias by focusing on candidates’ skills and abilities and reducing the emphasis on traditional criteria such as resumes, applications, and interviews. This allows hiring teams to make decisions based on hard data instead of gut feel.
Get Started with Skills Assessment Testing
Many businesses have revamped their screening and hiring to adjust to a new talent ecosystem. For many, this has included implementing skills assessments.
Skills tests for jobs are the ideal solution to recruit top candidates efficiently. As a leading provider of skills assessment testing solutions, eSkill is the perfect partner to provide your organization with access to top-quality skills tests and behavioral assessments.
Are you ready to learn how skills assessments can help you build your dream team? Contact us to request a demo.