Why Microsoft Excel Basic Skills Tests Are Critical for Hiring Now

Microsoft Office is one of the most popular software products on the market. In fact, many say MS Excel® is the most popular application in the MS Office® suite because it is used by 99.99% of businesses worldwide.

The reason Excel is so popular is employees at all levels use it to format, organize and manage data. Business leaders can create financial, sales and inventory reports to make decisions that impact strategy and growth goals.

Virtually all staff, from data entry clerks to senior executives, organize, create or manage data. This means organizations need employees who can:

• Set up and format spreadsheets
• Enter data to prepare accounting, payroll, and marketing reports
• Use formulas and functions to sort, organize and classify data
• Create and use advanced features such as macros and pivot tables
• Build detailed financial reports and database analyses

Why Employers Use Microsoft Excel Basic Skills Tests

Organizations list Excel proficiency as a requirement for many jobs. However, it is difficult for HR teams to determine if candidates have the required skill level for a given position. According to The Interview Guys, over 77% of applicants embellish their qualifications on their resumes and during interviews, and around 65% overstate their capabilities when they apply for highly sought-after jobs.

Businesses worldwide use Microsoft Excel basic skills tests to verify applicants’ knowledge and experience level, and many partner with eSkill, an industry-leading assessment provider. These are some of the reasons why.

• Extensive Assessment Library
  The eSkill Assessment Library contains hundreds of validated skills tests. In addition to using Excel Skills Tests for different release years, HR leaders can use other assessments such as Data Entry, Data Checking, and Numerical Proofreading to make good hiring decisions. 

• Customizable Excel Skills Tests
  Since every company has different needs, a one-size-fits-all Microsoft Excel Basic Skills Test may not be practical. With the eSkill Talent Assessment Platform^TM, HR teams have the flexibility to create tests that are customized for each of their job roles.
  
  HR teams can choose a pre-prepared Microsoft Excel Basic Skills Test, designate the difficulty level, and add or remove questions. If they prefer, they can create their own assessments by selecting questions from multiple skills tests. For example, if you were on the hiring team for a medical institution that was hiring data entry operators, you could build an assessment using questions from the Excel Skills Test, Typing 10-Key Data Entry, Medical Typing, and Medical Terminology Assessments, and add proprietary questions if needed.

• Job-Related Simulations
  The easiest way to determine which applicants are best qualified for a job is to give them tasks they would do if hired and evaluate their performance. The eSkill Talent Assessment Platform^TM offers MS Office®, Chat, Multitasking, and Digital Literacy Simulations. So, if you were hiring customer service representatives and needed to ensure they had good Excel skills, you could build a test using questions from the Customer Service Skills Test and include questions from the MS Word® and Excel Simulations.

• Dedicated Client Assessment Expert
  Every eSkill client is assigned a dedicated assessment expert. So, if you have a question or problem, you can instantly get the help you need and get help developing and implementing a complete hiring, onboarding, or employee development strategy.

Why Employers Need Microsoft Excel Basic Skills Tests

More and more organizations that require employees to have data management experience are implementing an industry-leading assessment solution like the eSkill Talent Assessment Platform^TM to administer and manage assessments like Excel skills tests. Online tests provide them with measurable data for all applicants so HR teams can instantly weed out unqualified applicants. Then they can focus on top candidates and quickly move them through their hiring process.

Organizations can also reduce hiring costs and decrease initial screening time, eliminating hours Hiring teams would typically spend reviewing resumes and scheduling interviews. Many eSkill clients have cut hiring costs by up 70% and expedited time-to-hire by 60%.

Companies also want to avoid hiring mistakes. Hiring the wrong candidate is every manager’s worst nightmare because it wastes money, hurts productivity, and often deflates staff morale. A study by LinkedIn shows the average cost of a bad hire can range from $17,000 to $240,000 when you include recruitment expenses, staff disruption, negative impact on customers, incomplete projects, and potential litigation.

Companies want to hire high-performing employees who will stay for years, and the first step is hiring top candidates with the right experience and reducing turnover. Losing a top employee can cost a company up to twice the employee’s salary. For technical jobs, the cost can be 100-150% of the employee’s salary and range as high as 213% for a C-level employee.

Do you want to learn how Microsoft Excel Basic Skills Tests can help you improve hiring outcomes? Contact us to request a demo.