What are Some of the Best Tools to Assess Performance Prior to Hiring?

Talent assessments are an important tool in any company’s recruiting and hiring toolbox. Throughout the interview process, it’s easy to be taken in by someone with a brilliant personality, only to discover they aren’t quite the right fit once they are on the job. Assessments help you measure skills, potential performance and retainability and improve the quality of your hires.

“A consistent and thorough interview process increases your chances of a great hire!  The cost of a bad hire is more expensive then you think!” says Sharon Tsao, CMO, Contemporary Staffing Solutions.

Pre-Screening Assessments

A thorough talent assessment process begins with your applicant tracking software. (ATS) Most platforms allow you to create a pre-screening assessment to help evaluate which candidates to interview. When applicants submit their resume online, they are given a pre-screening personality and behavioral test. The tests are automatically scored by the ATS for fit.

Emotional Intelligence Testing

Emotional intelligence is based on an individual’s empathy skills and his or her ability to read the emotions of others and react accordingly. Strong emotional intelligence is critical for long-term professional success. Emotional intelligence testing can be conducted on its own or as part of a personality or behavioral test.

Sample Task Testing

A candidate can tell you he or she is proficient in certain skills, they can submit excellent work samples and even provide glowing references. But if you really want to measure someone’s skills, they must be tested. Develop realistic scenarios and tasks required of the role and assign them to candidates.  They key is to have them work through the task in person. If you assign “homework,” you can’t be certain that the candidate will do the work on his or her own.

Cognitive Assessments

Cognitive testing helps you measure candidates’ memory, reasoning, accuracy, reading comprehension, mathematical aptitude and perceptual speed.  Cognitive testing is most valuable when it is used in tandem with other tests to give you a more complete picture. Just because someone is highly intelligent, doesn’t mean he or she has emotional intelligence or the personality to thrive in your environment. Conversely, just because someone may score average on a cognitive assessment doesn’t mean he or she can’t succeed.

Background Screenings

Drug screens, background checks and credit checks are important tools in rounding out your assessment of a candidate. The results of these types of screenings can provide insight into a person’s ethics and motivations.

Putting It All Together To Find Exceptional Employees

Investing in professional assessment tools can be expensive. They also require a great deal of training to get your team up to speed on how to use them and how to properly evaluate the results to ensure that you ultimately choose the right candidates. By working with a professional recruiting firm, however, you have access to great tools like these – and more – without adding to your costs.

At Contemporary Staffing Solutions, our recruiters pre-screen and pre-assess every candidate based on your unique criteria before we recommend anyone to you. When our recruiters do send candidates your way, you know they have the hard skills, soft skills and the personality to excel in your work environment. If you are seeking great talent and you’re looking for new ways to improve your recruiting process, contact the recruiting experts at Contemporary Staffing Solutions today.