With the average cost of hiring a new employee teetering above $4,000, you must select the right candidate for your accounting positions on the first attempt. If you choose wrong, then you are throwing away thousands of dollars. But how can you efficiently evaluate talent without extending the hiring process past the average length of about 24 days?
The best way to accomplish this goal is with skills testing. With that in mind, we have identified several useful skills tests that you can incorporate into your hiring process. Below, we highlight exams that you can use to fill accounts receivable, bookkeeping, and accounting clerk vacancies within your organization.
Accounts Receivable Skills Test
When assessing the talents of an accounts receivable candidate, you must measure both their hard and soft skills. Hard skills include job-specific abilities and competencies that directly relate to their responsibilities as a member of the accounts receivable department.
Soft skills are less technical abilities that are still required for employees to perform their core duties. For instance, attention to detail and communication abilities are considered soft skills.
The accounts receivable skills test is designed specifically for individuals applying for this department. The exam includes 20 multiple-select, simple select, and true/false questions. This exam covers the basic principles of accounting. It is one of the best ways to determine whether a candidate has the necessary abilities to take on an introductory-level accounts receivable position.
If your company seeks a more experienced accounts receivable team member, you may want to administer an accounting and bookkeeping principles exam. This longer skills test addresses a broader range of topics, such as accounting fundamentals and managing inventory.
In addition, you should consider incorporating an attention to detail skills test into your assessment. This soft skills test will measure a candidate’s ability to pay attention to minor details. It covers topics such as word analysis, word meaning, and finding errors.
Bookkeeping Skills Test
Like accounts receivable new hires, bookkeeping candidates must also possess a good balance of soft and hard skills. That is why we recommend administering some of the exams discussed above to these prospective employees as well. For instance, the basic accounting and bookkeeping principles exam can provide valuable insights into the candidate’s overall job knowledge.
There are also job-specific skills tests for this role as well. The FT/PT Bookkeeper exam measures a candidate’s ability to perform bank reconciliations, sales tax returns, and budget entries. It covers topics such as attention to detail, arithmetic, and customer service skills. Choose this skills test to assess candidates applying for an assistant bookkeeper, accounting clerk, or accountant position.
Since bookkeepers traditionally use Microsoft Excel, it would also benefit you to incorporate these skills tests into your assessment protocol. The basic Microsoft Excel exam covers the primary functions of the spreadsheet software, including common functions, data analysis, and worksheet formatting.
The Excel Functions exam conducts an even more in-depth analysis of an applicant’s Excel skills. The candidate must perform functions such as IF and VLOOKUP in Excel to pass this exam. A high score on the Excel Functions exam will indicate that the individual can navigate different real-world scenarios while using the platform.
Accounting Clerk Skills Test
Accounting clerk skills tests may need to cover both soft and hard skills. If the accounting clerk only needs to perform basic functions within the spreadsheet software, the standard Excel skills test will suffice.
The Excel skills tests are excellent for evaluating accounting clerk candidates. You can choose the exam or set of exams that best align with your company’s needs. If candidates are required to have a high-level working knowledge of Excel, they should be assessed using the more difficult exam.
If you want to evaluate candidates’ attention to detail and communication skills the Business Communication skills test is a great place to start. This exam includes questions on business meetings, writing skills, and communication in the workplace. Candidates who perform well on this exam have a high likelihood of interacting well with other team members. This competency will reduce the chances that the new hires will cause friction with existing team members.
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Interested in Using Skills Tests to Evaluate Accounting Hires?
If you want to gain access to hundreds of high-quality skills tests, then it is time to partner with eSkill. Our massive online library contains accounts receivable, accounting clerk, and bookkeeping skills tests. You can use one of our pre-built exams or build a custom test using our selection of questions.
Learn how eSkill can streamline your hiring process and help you identify top talent. Request a demo today and discover how you can use our large library of skills tests to your advantage.