The primary goal for staffing firms is to fill critical job roles by presenting their clients with top-quality applicants. This has become challenging because we are in an unprecedented talent shortage.
A Gartner survey shows the time required to fill a job increased by 18% from 2020 to 2021, which translates to an additional two weeks. And according to a ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage survey, 75% of companies have reported talent shortages and are having difficulty filling essential jobs.
This situation has put staffing firms in a difficult position. If they receive a job order from a client and cannot recruit good candidates, they invest hours of work and do not get paid. However, if they present candidates who do not meet clients’ requirements, they risk ruining a business relationship and their reputation in the industry.
Staffing firms need solutions that can evaluate large volumes of applicants to find the best candidates for jobs they need to fill. Therefore, top agencies are adopting industry-leading assessment solutions like the eSkill’s Talent Assessment PlatformTM so they can use staffing agency skills tests to quickly identify qualified candidates.
Which Staffing Skills Tests Are Most Popular for 2023?
The eSkill Assessment Library contains hundreds of validated job- and subject-based skills tests. When we asked staffing professionals which ones they used most frequently, these were the staffing skills tests they listed.
Basic Computer Skills
The number of jobs requiring at least basic computer proficiency increases yearly. According to a Brookings study, in 2002, 56% of jobs required low-level digital skills; nearly 40% required medium-level digital skills, and only 5% required high-level digital skills. By 2016, 23% of jobs required high digital-skill proficiency; those requiring medium-level digital skills had increased to 48%, and the share of jobs requiring low digital skills fell from 56% to 30%.
The Basic Computer Knowledge skills test measures general digital knowledge, such as operating systems, and the applicant’s ability to use the Internet and manage email messages. The General Typing skills test is perfect for measuring typing speed and accuracy.
MS Office® skills tests help you measure applicants’ MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint abilities. Job-related staffing agency skills tests such as Data Entry Operator and Data Control Clerk assess applicants’ knowledge of Excel functions, data organization, and data checking, which clients think are essential for employees in these jobs.
Industrial Trade Skills
Technical assessments are popular for staffing firms with manufacturing and industrial clients. Some popular subject-related staffing skills tests include Mechanical Aptitude, Basic Electronics, Basic Industrial Math, and Blueprint Reading. Popular Job-related skills tests are Assembly Technician, Electronics Technician, Maintenance Technician, and Welder.
Organizational Skills
Organizational skills are required for most positions because employees are assuming more and more responsibilities. So, candidates must prove they have multitasking, planning, and other related skills. This is especially true for remote employees, who now comprise around 40% of all workers.
Simulations
Staffing firm professionals love simulations because they show how well applicants perform in job-related situations. You can use simulations to evaluate digital skills, MS Office proficiency, and chat and multitasking abilities. For instance, suppose you are recruiting customer service representatives. The client wants applicants with good Word and Excel skills, who can manage multiple customer interactions simultaneously. You could use all four of these simulations in this case.
eSkill’s simulations are especially useful because they allow for shortcuts—multiple ways to get to the correct answer. This is a feature no other assessment solution offers.
Interpersonal Skills
Clients often overlook soft skills; however, according to a LinkedIn survey from LinkedIn, a lack of soft skills is responsible for 89% of all bad hires.
eSkill offers several skills tests that assess interpersonal skills, such as Emotional Intelligence, Time Management, Problem Solving, Leadership and Decision Making, and Change Management tests. You can set the parameters for scoring responses to emphasize specific skills and allow hiring team members to add comments that support and substantiate their answers.
Get Started with Staffing Agency Skills Tests
As a staffing professional, you want to deliver the best possible candidates to your clients. Staffing skills tests enable you to identify top candidates for open positions so you can expedite time-to-hire and improve your bottom line.
Implementing an assessment solution like the eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM can simplify your recruiting while improving overall outcomes. You will also lower hiring costs and decrease time-to-hire. Many eSkill clients have reduced hiring costs by 70% and time-to-hire by 60%.
The eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM provides you and your team with all the recruiting tools you need to improve the quality of candidates you recommend to clients, build your client base, and generate more revenue.
Do you want to learn more about staffing agency skills tests that can help you deliver the best client results? Contact us to request a demo.