Getting to the Right People Quickly

Many but obviously not all companies use candidate testing to shorten the external list of possible new-hires or employees seeking new jobs within the organization. Are there "right" and "wrong" ways to give them, and how should they be used properly?

Commonly Tested Categories

A 1995 report on pre-employment testing published by the Society for Human Resource Management recognizes that a number of standard tests are available as "most organizations do not have an interest in developing their own." The focus for testing may incorporate four categories, she says:

Cognitive tests measure learning and thinking ability.
Specialized tests measure specific skills.
Personality tests look at the habitual ways that people act.
Interest tests measure work interests.
This research paper found that of the companies who shared data on internal testing, primarily cognitive and specific skills testing was administered to non-exempt populations while "exempt populations and/or executive management receive personality and interest tests. Often the personality and interest results are utilized for succession and career planning."

The author states many of the corporate test administrators interviewed warned that "cognitive testing can present challenges in the area of adverse impact. It is imperative that the tests offered be job-related and used as a diagnostic tool; not as the sole basis for selection. To ensure the job relatedness, a job analysis should be conducted before any test is selected, designed and administered."

One Recruiter's Caveat: Tests Should Be One Tool of Many

Shaula Evans, a Dallas-based recruiter, once worked for an agency using standardized testing for clerical candidates. The advantages were obvious: verification of candidate's skills on software packages; results broken down into basic, intermediate and advanced functions; and objective test scores could be given to clients.

However, there were many problems; i.e., nervousness caused competent users of office applications to test poorly, problems only called for one right answer when many could be given, credit couldn't be given to those who "learn on the fly and figure things out as they went.

Evans also gave online testing for IT candidates developed by two firms. Similar to office applications test, these tests often only recognized one correct answer where multiple answers may be correct. Moreover, many of the tests tended to measure a broad general knowledge of different technical skills. "However, most IT candidates have specific knowledge of very specialized niches; they can know their stuff yet still score poorly on a very generalized test."

Recruiters need to understand exactly what test scores are representing, she explains. "This is particularly true of psychological profile testing. Test results are not a helpful tool unless recruiters have the knowledge or training to interpret them accurately. I think that test scores need to be considered along with all of the other information we obtain on a candidate in the course of a thorough recruiting process--interviews, reference checks, portfolio/samples, etc."

Standardized tests present a conundrum to recruiters, she believes. "On one hand, whether we are in agencies or working on a corporate level, we have an obligation to verify the skills of our candidates. For example, I am shocked at how few IT agencies in my experience use any kind of skills testing. On the other hand, the types of testing that I am familiar with may not give an accurate assessment."

Evans says the solution to these problems lies in how the tests are used. "I have seen recruiters dismiss seemingly qualified candidates based on test scores, with which I disagree. Test scores are one tool among many that we can use to assess a candidate."

In the end, recruiters need to understand exactly what the test scores are representing, she explains. "This is particularly true of psychological profile testing. Test results are not a helpful tool unless recruiters have the knowledge or training to interpret them accurately. I think that test scores need to be considered along with all of the other information we obtain on a candidate in the course of a thorough recruiting process--interviews, reference checks, portfolio/samples, etc."

LISA BASTIAN / E-cruiter.com