Do you know how to avoid bad hires?
The simplest way is to have a set of pre-employment assessment tests available at all interviews. These tests may sound like an extra step, but they are highly recommended if you want the best fit for your hiring position.
Here are all the details you need to know about pre-employment assessment tests.
What are Pre-Employment Tests?
In a nutshell, these tests are your most powerful tools to screen your potential candidate. Such tests are designed to test the mental and physical capacity of the candidate as well as their personality traits, qualities, and skills.
These tests can be mental, physical, and medical. Not only do these tests assess physical strength, but they also identify any mental condition that may reduce the productivity of your potential candidate.
Types of Pre-Employment Tests:
Since every company, occupation, and position varies from one to another, the tests differ too. Here are some popular types of tests according to the job position.
1. Cognitive Tests:
These tests are mainly done to measure intelligence and how smart and quick thinker the candidate is. Such tests include IQ tests, math skills, ability to communicate, as well as inductive and deductive reasoning.
2. Physical Tests:
Just like mental capacity, some positions need to have physical endurance. The physical tests are to measure the strength and fitness of the candidate. These tests also measure endurance, muscle movement, reflexes, as well as general well-being and posture.
3. Aptitude Tests:
The key to becoming the best candidate for any job is the ability to learn while at work. Aptitude tests measure the candidate’s ability to learn new skills while on the job.
4. Personality Tests:
Personal traits also make or break a good candidate. A personality test measures the candidate’s motivation, passion, willingness to adjust and grow, interests, emotional strength, etc.
5. Pre-Employment Medical Assessment:
Apart from the run-of-the-mill tests, many occupations require medical assessments as well. For example, you must undergo a series of strict medical assessments if you apply for a commercial driver’s job. Most of these tests include heart health, lung health, vision, and hearing, as well as drug and alcohol abuse tests.
How Should One Prepare For Pre-Employment Tests:
Do you know how they say practice makes perfect? Well, that holds for pre-employment tests as well. Here are some tips to help you ace your pre-employment assessments and land the job of your dreams.
1. Practice And Know Your Strengths
If you know the tests you will have to take to qualify for the job, you should start practicing as soon as possible. These exams are like your interview; the more you practice, the better you will perform. For example, if it’s a listening or communication test, you can practice online before you take the test.
2. Be Realistic:
Don’t take your tests lightly; these pre-employment tests are set to rigorously test the candidates to pick the best one. Do your research and be realistic about what you will have to go through.
3. Research
If this is your first time applying for a certain position, make sure you have done your research well. Not only about the company and the company culture but also regarding the type of tests you will be going through. For example, if a pre-employment medical is required, make sure you don’t consume caffeine or alcohol 8 hours before the exam.
Pre-employment tests are mandatory; many companies require you to sit through the test before you even go towards the interview process. So, make sure you are ready for the drill.
4. Have Clarity About Your Job Role
Every job responsibility is different. So, never think that you have all the ideas about your key responsibilities only by reading the job description. You have to conduct thorough research on your job role and understand your scope and possibilities of growth upon taking it up.
For example, if you are a tourism expert and a company is seeking an executive for a similar job role, you have to understand the locations you will cover. If you are already experienced in this field, make sure that you are being asked to take charge of tourism destinations which you are at least familiar with.
Also, have a clear idea about your job profile. Make sure that you do not lose your foothold or have to compromise your designation only because of a lack of clarity. Once, I met a senior content writer, and she explained how she had to compromise her position because she did not do enough research about her job role in the new company. Here is what she said.
“During the interview and my pre-assessment tests, I was told that I would be taking charge of certain websites and would be deciding every strategy for them. I was already a team lead and was managing projects. However, upon joining the new organization, I found out that I was reduced to the job role of just a senior writer, and I did not have the opportunity to lead a team or project.
I continued working with that organization for three months and quit the job after that. So, ask and research until you are completely sure and clear.”
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Make Sure That The Industry And Domain You Choose Are Ideal For You
I understand your priorities and the fact that you need to pay bills. However, before you take the pre-employment assessments, you have to know about the industry and domain you will be working for. For example, you are a web developer. Now, as a developer, you can work across a variety of domains, and your area of operations can be different. To put it simply, you can be a developer for websites, apps, or even e-commerce sites.
Now, you know how different the development part of these elements is. At the same time, these also belong to different industries.
Let me give you another example. If you are taking assessments for job roles in core companies and have job roles like telecommunicators or automobile experts to manage, you must be familiar with the industry terminology and, most importantly the latest updates.
Summing Up
Before you take a pre-employment assessment, you have to go through a lot of preparations. As mentioned in the guide, you will have to take different types of tests before you finally bag a job.
Along with honing your skills and knowledge that adhere to the requirements of a particular job, you also have to do a lot of background research. For example, you have to know about the background of the company, the details of your job role, and how the domain and industry function overall.
That’s it! It’s time to get geared up for your pre-employment assessment and bag your dream job. Wish you all the best!
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