To say that small businesses are a significant part of the U.S. economy would be an understatement. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are more than 60.6 million employees working for small businesses and they account for about 47.1% of the entire workforce.
The past several months have been challenging for many small businesses. As Business Insider noted, the total number of small businesses in the U.S. fell by 29% during 2020. Even so, McKinsey found that there were more than 1.5 million applications for new small businesses in the third quarter of 2020–more than double the previous year.
For small businesses that want to set themselves up for future growth as the economy continues to recover, the most pressing challenge is hiring employees that have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful.
One of the best solutions available to help you find candidates for jobs is skills testing. By using eSkill’s Talent Assessment PlatformTM, you can reduce time-to-hire and save money, while ensuring that only the most qualified candidates make it through your evaluation process. And skills tests help you find candidates with the best Job Fit.
How Skills Tests Can Help You Find Candidates
When you post a job listing you are often flooded with resumes and applications, and many of the candidates lack the basic qualifications necessary to perform the job. While you can filter out many of these applications with a good ATS system, you will likely still be left with a huge number of resumes to review.
If you include skills tests in your hiring process, you can easily identify top candidates who have the required skills and knowledge to ensure a proper Job Fit and focus your efforts on them. With eSkill’s library of more than 800 job-based and subject-based tests, you will have all the tools you need to find candidates who are best suited for your company’s needs.
Because eSkill’s Talent Assessment PlatformTM integrates seamlessly into popular ATS systems, it is easy to add skills tests into your hiring process, which means candidates complete assessments before they submit their applications.
Once candidates submit their tests, you can sort the results by score, eliminate unqualified applicants, and promptly move highly qualified candidates to the next stage of your hiring process. You can also generate reports that provide detailed information on a specific candidate’s results and reports that summarize the results for all shortlisted candidates.
Customize Your Skills Assessments with eSkill Author
One of the best features of eSkill’s testing platform is the flexibility it offers. You can choose pre-written tests or create assessments that are customized to your specific needs. By using eSkill Author, you can select questions from a variety of tests and even add your own questions if desired. This ensures that your skills tests are focused on the most important requirements for the job you are trying to fill.
For instance, perhaps you are trying to find candidates for jobs in your company’s warehouse. You can have candidates take the standard Warehousing Skills Test which assesses a wide range of general skills, or you can include questions from the Forklift Operator or Delivery Driver tests.
You can also use skills testing to measure soft skills. This can go a long way in determining a potential hire’s Job Fit within your company. For instance, tests like Following Directions and Logical Thinking can help you to evaluate which candidates are best suited to working in your warehouse environment.
Hiring Employees for Your Small Business’s Future
Skills testing should not stop when you extend an offer. Assessments can also be integrated into your company’s training professional development programs. A new hire’s test results will show you their strengths and weaknesses, which can help you to tailor training programs that are specific to their needs.
When hiring employees for your small business remember that you also can use skills tests to direct professional development efforts and improve your company’s knowledge base. Not only do employees close any knowledge and skills gaps through training, but they can add new skills and enhance existing skills.
Even better, assessments can help you reduce turnover because employees appreciate a company that commits resources toward their development. If they are provided with the opportunity to learn new skills and grow professionally, employees are much more likely to remain with your company over the long term.
From hiring to training, skills testing can help you to work toward securing your company’s future, one employee at a time. When you find candidates with the potential to grow, your company will be in a position of strength.
Interested in Using Skills Tests to Find the Best Candidates for Your Jobs?
Learn how you can use eSkill’s Talent Assessment PlatformTM to give yourself an advantage when it comes to hiring and developing top talent. Request a demo today.