Administrative employees are often described as the glue that holds the company together. They ensure everything operates smoothly and always know where to find things and how to get things done.
Administrative staff need a variety of skills because they work in many different environments. They are responsible for ordering supplies, researching and compiling reports, managing appointment calendars, and scheduling meetings. They work with employees companywide and with customers and other stakeholders. So, they must be well organized, have excellent verbal and written communication skills, and be excellent time managers. Strong computer skills are also critical—administrative employees must have strong MS Office® skills and be adept at learning other computer applications.
How Companies Use Administrative Skills Assessment Tests
In the past, HR professionals could rely on traditional recruiting methods such as resumes and interviews to hire administrative employees. Unfortunately, this is no longer possible because almost 80% of applicants lie on their resumes.
When HR professionals use administrative skills tests, they can immediately see which candidates are best qualified for a job, rather than rely on possibly inaccurate information. These are some of the best practices organizations follow while creating assessments to test administrative skills.
Customize Assessments: Job requirements differ by position and department, so a one-size-fits-all administrative skills assessment test may not be effective, meaning that HR teams need customized assessments to match job roles. The eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM provides not only off-the-shelf tests but also the option to build assessments from scratch by selecting questions from multiple skills tests. For example, if an HR team for a hospital or healthcare company needs to hire an administrative assistant with strong MS Office® abilities, the members can build a test using questions from the MS Office® Skills Test and include questions from the Medical Typing and Medical Terminology tests.
Replicate Job Situations with Simulations: The best way to verify applicants can do a job is to give them tasks they will complete during a typical day and evaluate their performance. The eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM offers MS Office®, Chat, Multitasking, and Digital Literacy Simulations. So, if you are looking for an office manager with excellent Excel skills and good time management abilities, you can build an assessment using questions from the Office Manager and Administrative Coordinator Tests, add a Multitasking simulation, and add Excel questions from the MS Office simulation.
Video Response Questions: Some abilities cannot be assessed easily using written assessments, in which case HR professionals can use video response questions. With the eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM, video response questions can be added to administrative skills tests by setting up questions and designating scoring criteria. Hiring teams review and rate candidates’ responses.
Behavioral Assessments: High turnover is a leading cause of reduced productivity, and 89% of hiring failures occur because an employee is not a good fit for the job or company culture. With the eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM, HR professionals can use behavioral assessments to measure attributes such as problem-solving, time management, and critical thinking to determine whether candidates will succeed and assimilate into their company culture.
Why You Should Invest in Administrative Skills Tests?
Organizations worldwide are implementing industry-leading assessment solutions like the eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM to improve hiring outcomes. These are some reasons they see a quick return on their investment (ROI).
Identify Top Candidates: Well-designed, validated administrative skills tests help employers identify top candidates by allowing applicants to prove they can do a job. For example, if you are hiring an office manager, you can create an administrative skills assessment test that includes questions concerning situations candidates will encounter on the job. When you review test scores and individual applicants’ responses, you can easily see which candidates are qualified and which ones are not.
Shorter Time-to-Hire: If your company is like most, you receive hundreds, and maybe thousands, of applications for a single job posting. Reviewing them manually would require hours and is not a good use of your time. Administrative skills tests allow you to screen applicants by reviewing test scores and promptly move qualified candidates to the next stage of your hiring process.
Lower Hiring Costs: Implementing an assessment solution is an investment, but the cost is much less than that of traditional hiring. When you ask applicants to complete and submit administrative skills assessment tests, you can complete an initial applicant screening in minutes instead of spending hours reviewing resumes and scheduling interviews. You also reduce the risk of expensive hiring mistakes.
Minimize Unconscious Bias: Using administrative skills assessment tests helps improve quality of hire. All candidates complete the same test and are graded using the same criteria. Hiring team members evaluate candidates objectively without regard to name, race, religion, location, and other factors that do not impact an applicant’s qualifications and abilities. The tests are often automated, which means there is no chance that proctor bias could influence hiring decisions.
Get Started with Administrative Skills Tests
Organizations that want to hire top candidates use administrative skills assessment tests to get the measurable data required to evaluate candidates accurately, efficiently, and impartially.
Do you want to learn how administrative skills testscan help you recruit the best candidates and improve hiring outcomes? Contact us to request a demo.
