Credit Union Best Practices for Pre-Employment Skills Tests

From standardized skills tests for entry to mid-level Bank Tellers to Financial Consultants and Loan Officers, eSkill has job-relevant skills tests that measure the competencies required for any position in a credit union. Pre-employment testing enables organizations to objectively verify applicants’ skill sets and hire qualified talent with certainty.

Here is a look at best practices for using pre-employment skills tests in the banking industry.

1. Conduct a Thorough Job Analysis to Identify Required Skills

The first step in developing an effective pre-employment skills testing process that adheres to legal requirements is conducting a thorough job analysis. A job analysis typically includes:

• Standardized questionnaires for employees currently in the role and their supervisors
• A review of the existing job description
• Interview with in-house experts
• Shadowing to identify the exact responsibilities and tasks of a job and the skills, behavioral characteristics, and knowledge needed to complete them

After performing a job analysis, human resources (HR) professionals should use the information gathered to determine the competencies that are critical to performing on the job. For a more in-depth look at the process of conducting job analyses, eSkill’s e-book, “From Job Analysis to Candidate Selection,” provides expert advice from Eric Dreiband, former Chief Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

2. Select and Configure a Job-Relevant Pre-Employment Test

While eSkill’s user-friendly pre-employment testing platform makes it easy to select and customize skills tests, eSkill’s dedicated U.S.-based Client Success Managers are always available to provide unlimited training and support to employers. When creating a pre-employment test, it is important to ensure that it measures the exact skills, proficiency levels, and aptitudes identified in the job analysis.

eSkill offers the most extensive collection of pre-employment tests in the HR industry, with over 1,000 standardized employment tests and thousands of single-subject modules. Combine multiple tests to create a comprehensive evaluation or select from eSkill’s job-specific assessments.

eSkill’s top banking job-specific Skills Tests include:

• Bank Teller Skills Test
• Cash and Banking Supervisor Skills Test
• Financial Adviser Skills Test
• Financial Consultant Skills Test
• Loan Officer Skills Test
• Financial Analyst Skills Test
• Credit Analyst Skills Test
• Vault Clerk Skills Test
• Vault Supervisor Skills Test

eSkill’s top single-subject banking Skills Tests include:

• Financial Statements Skills Test
• Numerical Reasoning Skills Test
• Digital Literacy Skills Test
• Sales Concepts Skills Test
• Financial Customer Service Skills Test
• Business Communication Skills Test
• Inbound Call Center Simulation Skills Test
• Live Chat Operator Skills Test
• Critical Thinking and Reasoning Skills Test

3. Conduct an In-House Validation Study

Administer the selected pre-employment Skills Test to workers who currently hold the position. Compare workers’ test scores with job performance criteria such as sales quota achievements or supervisor ratings. Suppose a correlation exists between the job performance criteria and test scores. In that case, an employer can reasonably assume the test measures what it intended to measure and is a valid indicator of job performance. Simply put, if top-performing employees score in the top percentile of the tests, and if the opposite is true for underachieving employees, then the assessment is considered valid.

Developing a pre-employment testing process that meets regulatory and legal criteria and professional standards should not be taken lightly. The Talent Board’s research revealed that while 71% of organizations used pre-employment skills testing in 2019, fewer than half conducted in-house validation studies. Organizations must validate pre-employment tests in-house to adhere to the EEOC’s employment testing guidelines. With an in-house validation study, employers run the risk of legal repercussions.

4. Maintain Consistency in the Hiring Process

An objective and accurate evaluation of candidates’ skill sets is the most significant benefit of pre-employment skills testing. Without maintaining consistency throughout the hiring process, it is not possible to realize this benefit.

Maintain consistent employee selection procedures by:

• Administering the same Skills Tests to every candidate at the same point in the hiring process. Due to the automated nature of eSkill’s pre-employment testing platform, most employers choose to use eSkill’s pre-employment tests in the first step of the hiring process. Doing so results in the automatic shortlisting of top talent.
• Weighing the results in the same way for every candidate.

5. Leverage On-Demand Video Interviews

Employers can standardize the hiring process even further with eSkill’s on-demand video interviewing platform. Unlike traditional interviews or video conferencing apps, on-demand video interviews remove subjectivity from the hiring process by taking the interviewer out of the equation. Instead of interacting with a member of the hiring team, candidates self-record their responses to a prerecorded set of questions. On eSkill’s Interview Reviewer portal, hiring teams can easily establish scoring criteria and monitor that reviewers score responses consistently and fairly.

When credit unions partner with eSkill, they get access to the testing that tools that will ensure the hiring process is legally compliant and capable of predicting future job performance accurately.

Interested in Pre-Employment Skills Testing?

Learn more about the benefits of using eSkill’s customizable banking skills tests, behavioral assessments, and on-demand video interview platform to find qualified candidates quickly.

Request a demo today.