How we use pre-employment tests and job-simulation tests

In the recruitment setting, when you need to hire key staff, you may occasionally need to extend the process with various pre-employment tests and job-simulation tests.

Tests

Many of our consultants are certified to use DNV GL-accredited testing tools. These tests measure personality factors and aptitude for the specific challenges the position might entail. This gives us a good insight into whether the candidates are suitable for the position at hand.

Testing tools are a means of avoiding the typical pitfalls of recruitment. If you are handling your own recruitment, beware the temptation to go with a gut feeling, first impressions or someone who reminds you of yourself. With pre-employment tests, you benefit from a more impartial assessment of your candidates.

 Tests can be conducted in different phases of a recruitment process. If there are many applicants for a position, we can test the applicants for general aptitude early on in the process. To do that, we map the skills and abilities needed for the given position objectively, so we can focus on the most suitable candidates. We might test the applicants for their numeracy skills if the position is in accounting, or give them a literacy test if language skills are key for fulfilling the duties of the job.

A personality test may be the next step. Here we test the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to the demands of the position. A typical example would be to test how someone copes under pressure and in stressful situations.

Job-simulation tests

To get a pointer on how likely candidates would perform in practice, a job-simulation test may be useful in rating how they complete authentic tasks entailed by the position.

The candidate is given relevant assignments framed in a realistic situation – and for many applicants, the job-simulation test might be the decisive factor that gets them the job. Because this is where you as the client, assisted by us, get to compare candidates who have so far ranked equally. 

The benefit for the candidates is the chance to demonstrate their skills in practice, especially those that might be difficult to provide proof of: their job conduct in a specific situation.

It takes a bit of extra time to carry out a job-simulation test, but the time is well-spent in preventing mismatched appointments.