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(p. 38-48)
Supplier Focus: Skills Testing
By Jeff Reeder
Staffing firms are testing as never before, in an effort to boost
their relationships with clients and ensure an efficient candidate
match. An appropriate skills test – whether delivered in your office
or via the Internet – can help ensure that your candidate is well
placed and that your client is happy. Trends in the space can only
help make skills testing and assessment the must-have value add.
(p.40)
Wendell Williams of ScientificSelection.com has helped one staffing
firm move from temp workers to full-service hiring, including sourcing,
screening, interviewing and on-site management. “I think they are
leading the pack in the marketplace and their sales show it.” Williams
says. “Their clients have measurable, reduced turnover, higher productivity
and higher training pass rates…. It’s not a magic trick. The client
just uses better screening tools to screen out a greater percentage
of people who might turn over and screen in smarter people with better
job skills.”
(p.46)
“I have other clients in their sections of the market who are moving
from the ‘skills-test’ library approach to offering composite hiring
of test batteries that evaluate not only a specific technical skill,
but the ability to learn, biographical data, job fit, and so forth,”
says Williams of ScientificSelection.com. “I think this is a strong
early trend.”
(p.47 first column)
The Rise of the Prescreen
Testing advocates see early testing as the best way to manage the
entire staffing and hiring process. Williams says that one of his
clients uses testing at the pre-employment stage, rather that at the
“new employee” stage. This is echoed by many staffing firms and testing
experts.
(p.47 sidebar)
What’s Next: Simulation
Simulated tests are those that enable a candidate or testee to work
through a test project in real time, either via the Web or in-house,
via a simulation that mirrors what their real task might be.
Testing consultant and expert Wendell Williams is all in favor of
simulation. “I find it amazing that organizations are still highly
reluctant to use behavioral simulations even for jobs requiring a
considerable amount of inter-personal skills such as selling or managing.
Folks continue to believe that self-reported tests and interviews
are strong indicators of interpersonal skill….If this was true we
would see pro sports teams using interviews and tests instead of tryouts.”
(p.47 last column)
Do Your Due Diligence
Along those lines, it is wise to investigate the vendor before you
institute a testing program. Many testing veterans offer a cautious
approach to a testing strategy, and advocate due diligence. “Vendors
seem to be capitalizing on user misunderstanding,” Williams warns.
“They claim that their tests are validated, but… a careful probing
shows many test vendors have no idea what they are talking about…
Their tests are not validated. Nor were they even developed to predict
job performance.” Make sure you ask what the test was designed for,
how it was validated, and how it is to be applied.
Media contact: Donna Lehman, MarketUP, LLC ~ 510.525.1474 ~
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