Establishing a workforce requires the expertise of the employment section of your human resources department. An essential function of the employment section -- which consists of recruiters and employment specialists -- is sourcing candidates, reviewing applications and using employment tests to determine which applicants should become candidates for a role within your company. Employee testing is a reliable method used to make a final determination. Tests are generally administered by recruiters or employment specialists following interviews to determine whether you've narrowed the selection to the most viable candidates.
HR Employment Section
For internal promotions, employment specialists counsel hiring managers on whether a current employee has the requisite skills and qualifications to be promoted. Decisions to hire or promote should not be unilaterally made by the department manager or director. In both external hires and internal promotions, employee testing becomes a part of the selection process. It often helps to use an objective method to evaluate a candidate's true ability to perform the job duties. Employment testing for presentation skills and administrative capabilities is common for prospective employees.
Testing Public Speaking Skills
Some professional occupations require employees to deliver speeches, conduct training sessions and facilitate focus groups. Following the interview process, the candidate might be asked to deliver a presentation that demonstrates her public speaking, platform or facilitation skills. Evaluating a candidate's speaking capabilities enables hiring managers to observe tone, delivery method, ability to engage the audience and ease with which she interacts with an audience.
When considering a current employee who wishes to move into a role that requires excellent speaking and facilitation skills, it is wise to begin assigning certain public speaking activities to the employee rather than administering a test right away. The reason for this is that the employee might find that she doesn't really want a promotion or another position that requires public speaking as a significant portion of her job.
Testing Administrative Skills
For jobs that require administrative and clerical skills, a candidate must demonstrate that he's capable of performing duties such as typing, grammar usage, customer service and organizational skills.
The typing and grammar usage examinations are the easiest to measure and the most widely accepted. In addition, you will want to know how proficient he is with commonly used office applications such as Microsoft Office programs. When administering a test for administrative and support role positions, best practices encourage looking at skills in their totality. A fast typist does not make an organized administrative assistant who can handle complex issues in the absence of his manager. To evaluate customer service and problem-solving skills, it's common to administer an examination that provides scenarios that actually occur instead of purely hypothetical situations.
Outsourcing Versus In-House Testing
For employers that hire most candidates externally, outsourcing employment testing is a wise use of time and resources. Administering lengthy employment tests in-house takes an enormous amount of staff time. On the other hand, employment assessment and testing companies, temporary staffing and placement agencies also have tests specifically designed for in-house use with a variety of positions. Some employers purchase a standard test to be administered by human resources employment specialists, provided they are trained to administer the exam and are well-versed in evaluating completed examinations.
