According to the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), at least 68% of employers use some form of skills tests for hiring and training. While employment assessments have been used primarily in the private sector, government agencies are increasingly adopting this highly effective practice.
Government organizations at the state, federal, and local levels are all using skills tests, and with great success too. They leverage these assessments for pre-hiring screenings and analyzing existing employees’ abilities.
Many online skills tests are available to government agencies that want to improve their hiring process. These assessments can streamline screening when evaluating applicants for positions such as firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, 911 operators and for administrative positions.
How Skills Tests Improve Government Hiring Practices
Pre-employment testing has drastically improved the government hiring process at all three levels. These screening tools allow government agencies to assess candidates more efficiently to fill essential vacancies within key departments. In addition, skills assessments allow these agencies to quickly eliminate any prospective candidates who do not possess the requisite abilities for a particular role.
Another benefit of skills testing for state, federal, and local governments is that it reduces the cost of hiring. Human resource personnel do not need to purchase physical testing documents. They can also limit the number of interviews they need to conduct by administering skills tests early in the screening process.
While skills testing offers tremendous advantages for the government agencies that use them, they also benefit the communities in which these entities operate. Government agencies can hire the best possible candidates by screening all applicants with pre-employment assessments. This approach results in community members receiving a higher quality of service from staff and emergency responders that they depend on every day.
Download the Executive Report on this page to see examples of the kinds of assessments Federal, State and Local Government Agencies are using to hire and train great people.
