So how does an employer ensure they cherry-pick the best recruit for the particular job? One route companies often take (approximately 80% of businesses, in fact) is to ask the shortlisted candidates to take a skill assessment test. As important as it is to ensure an employer recruits someone who has the personable skills and characteristics ideal for the role, it’s also imperative to balance those traits with talent and experience of skill sets. So, what is a skill assessment test, and why do employers use them?
What Is a Skills Assessment Test?
A skill assessment is very different from personality or psychometric tests, which assess a person’s character and personality traits to evaluate their suitability to a role. When assessing skills, employers are testing on certain things that would be part of the person’s daily duties and accurately measure task-related abilities that are relevant to a job. Typical skills that are tested include coding typing and proofreading, operating computers or machinery, language skills and programming. The assessments will commonly be tailored to the particular job role, and they are a sound indication of how a recruit would fare in the role. An employer will be able to separate and eliminate candidates from these tests.
Why Do Employers Use Skill Assessment Tests?
It has already been mentioned that employers use these tests to be able to further shortlist candidates for a role based on their talent and skill set. There are a few other reasons why companies may use these tests, though:
To help develop the current employee’s skill sets that will benefit the business in the long term To see if there is a need for any more training within the company, for example, testing current employees’ skills to gain information on any areas where there seems to be an overall struggle. The company can then invest in further training and development To recruit for an in-house promotion. Current employees may need to do an assessment as part of an application to progress their career within the company
Skill assessment tests can be very useful to a company that wants to evolve, whether it is with new job roles, current employees, training and promotion.
Examples of Different Skill Assessment Tests
It is recommended to look closely at what skills a role requires when applying for the job, and more particularly to define soft and hard skills and which ones are commonly assessed at the application stage.
Hard skills – These types of assessments measure someone’s skills in a specific area that are needed for a particular job. For example, a web developer would be tested on their coding abilities. Soft skills – Soft skills are defined as transferable skills that are needed in many jobs across the board. For example, time management is a skill needed in many roles. They can be harder to assess as there is not a right or wrong answer.
Below are some of the common hard and soft skills that are assessed by employers.
Hard Skills
Coding Languages
A website developing or online marketing company would most likely need to assess the coding skills of a potential recruit. There are different content management systems used when working on websites, and the candidate would need to be able to understand the different languages used within them all and apply them to develop pages and similar. The test would consist of example programs, and the person may be tested on not only their understanding and application but speed also.
Typing Skills
It is important that a person with a job role that involves essential typing skills is assessed on this so that the employer can evaluate if they are right for the role. Typing skills are likely to be tested for secretarial, and customer service roles and the tests may involve how many strokes per minute a person can do.
Software
Being able to use certain software packages is a necessity in certain roles, and some require more expert skills than others. Commonly, tests are taken in Adobe, Quickbooks and Microsoft, and these could be for roles in accountancy, administration, customer service or team management. A typical assessment may consist of a mock-up of the software where the candidate has to complete a certain amount of tasks within the program.
Language Translation
Business is often transatlantic, and companies need translators to help them communicate with partners, customers and associates. For this, they would need employees to be able to speak and write in a foreign language. The test for this may include a spoken and listening assessment where the individual needs to communicate verbally in a language and a written test which could include transcribing a passage. The assessments could consist of practical tests as well as written examinations, where scenarios are given, and the person has to answer how they would use the machinery in that instance.
Soft Skills
Time Management
Managing time and prioritizing workload is indeed a skill that is useful in many job roles. It is quite often hard to gauge if someone is good at managing time in an interview, so an assessment may be required. This could be assessed with work-specific scenario questions where the candidate has to choose which work to prioritize if they have limited time, for example. The employer could also set a test that has a short time limit where the employee has to complete a certain amount of work.
Communication Skills
Roles such as public relations, customer service, retail and similar, all require good communications skills, and so it is vital the employee has some. The employer may set a number of questions to test communication skills, such as explaining the internet to an ancestor or dealing with a customer complaint.
Organizational Skills
Being organized is a great skill many would like to have, but for certain job roles, organizational skills are a must. An assessment for this could be by sending a number of job lists and asking the employer to organize them into a constructed excel sheet. A practical assessment could be to ask the person to organize a set of papers into files.
Motivational Skills
Team leaders and managers would need to possess the motivation and be able to transcend that to their team. An assessment could be to ask the candidate to write three detailed ways of how they could maintain motivation within their team.
Preparing For a Skills Assessment
These assessments do not have to be overwhelming with preparation and practice. Here are some tips of how a person could ensure the best performance in the skills test.
Find out what the skills assessment test is that you will need to take by looking at the job advert or online in forums and websites. This will mean you can then revise anything you may need to. Take time to prepare for the test, look over the basics of the skills, practice them and try to find mock papers online. This will give a great indication of the format of questions you be asked, in addition to allowing yourself to brush up on skills. Try and research online or by talking to others what types of questions may appear in the assessment and if there is a certain area that may be tested more, ensure you are on top of this.
In the assessment itself, try to remain calm, read the instructions carefully and do not rush answers. Try and get a good sleep the night before the assessment to give yourself top energy and performance ability.
Final Thoughts
A high majority of employers are likely to require future recruits to take assessments that highlight relevant skills needed for the role. This may be a test of hard skills that are specific to the job or transferable soft skills. They are not there to catch people out, and do not have to be overwhelming, as with some good preparation and practice, they can be passed successfully. Ensure you are aware of any assessments that may be part of the recruitment process and identify if they are skills you possess. The next step is to revise and be ready for the tests.
