Candidate testing has come a long way since the days of paper-based questionnaires and basic typing tests. It’s still a fundamental part of recruitment when using it to identify the best people for the job, but it’s not just a box-ticking exercise. Your recruitment testing can do much more, used to its full potential it will increase candidate and client loyalty, adding value to your service. Here are 5 ways that testing adds more value that you could be making more of, ultimately adding value to your bottom line: 1) Engage with your candidate By asking your candidate to complete an assessment, you are creating another reason to engage with them. The more you get to know the candidate, the better. It’s a win-win on both sides. You learn more about them, their capabilities and behaviour and vice versa. The candidate gets to know you, your brand and what you stand for – hence the feeling of trust and loyalty increases. By asking your candidate to sit some tests, whether they are knowledge or behaviour based, it’s saying ‘Look how seriously I take finding you the right job Miss/ Mr Candidate. I am invested in getting to know you.’ By giving genuine, useful feedback, it only develops the connection further. 2) Increase placements by finding the best fit Trying to jam a square peg into a round hole never works particularly well. Recruitment tests shouldn’t be a box-ticking exercise. The results you are generating with your candidate are a blue print for understanding their transferable skills, their motivators and how agile their brain is (i.e. can they learn quickly and switch between tasks). Use this inside knowledge to find roles where the candidate will flourish. They’re happy, the client is happy with an engaged and capable new team member and you are enjoying another successful placement, with the possibility of repeat commissions. 3) Whittle out the wasters Even if you are the most optimistic, positive recruiter, you will know that not all candidates are the real deal. Some are not interested in finding a job especially if it takes an ounce of effort. Some recruiters might argue that good candidates are tricky enough to find as it is, let alone asking them to jump through hoops. I would counter this by asking if the candidates are good enough, if they are not prepared to invest 10 minutes or so in an assessment that will help shape their career (or at the very least, give them a pay cheque). 4) Raising the bar for perms Looking to the client side, rather than at candidates, of course your client wants to know that you’re putting forward the best people. They want to know that you are sourcing the best candidates and that you’re investing your savvy recruiter know how to shortlist the cream of the crop. When pitching your candidates, how about a more appealing overview? A profile outlining background experience, transferable skills and that they scored in the top 10% for their prioritisation skills, or for Microsoft Office, or that they are well above average for the ability to learn. Not only are you offering more than your recruitment competitor but the added extra information is likely to spark the interest of your client. 5) Peace of mind for temps Testing for your temp workers is just another area to create more value. Even if the assignment is a short one, your temps might get placed multiple times and you need to know who your best people are. A basic skills test covering literacy, picking and packing or numeracy is a good place to start. For temps where English might not be their first language, it comes down to more than who has the best skills. A literacy test gives some peace of mind around health and safety, for example, understanding instructions and induction material. Again, your clients want to know your temps have at least the basic skills to deliver. How about including in your pitch that all candidates have been screened and have passed a literacy test, or they have achieved over 75% in identifying product defects. There is so much more to candidate testing than meets the eye, whoever your supplier is, make sure you are using it to add value to the already amazing service you offer. ***** ISV.Online is the leading supplier of skills testing software and services to the UK Recruitment Industry. Used by 9 of the top 10 UK agencies, by number of offices, and 7 of the top 10, by revenue, ISV.Online offers candidate skills assessment and evaluation software and online training tools, allowing agencies and in-house HR/recruitment teams to validate the skills of potential candidates and existing employees across a wide range of areas.
