Testing for Employment Increases

In a time when many people are searching for work, potential candidates are finding themselves testing for employment with many companies.

Many companies have begun requiring candidates to undergo some form of employment test. Screening in this way helps employers better choose the candidate with the right skills and personality, according to an article by Inevsotrs Business Daily. American Management Association recently completed a survey that found 44 percent of its members use tests to help choose employees.

There are many reasons companies benefit from employment testing. Because screening eliminates unqualified candidates, companies often save time interviewing, reduce turnover and reduce costs. Tests help similar companies that may choose the same candidate, such as Google and Microsoft, evaluate employees' personalities for a better fit.

"One company seeks a person who can build relationships and avoid conflict, while another prefers someone who is aggressive and thick-skinned because the culture encourages open disagreement," the article notes. "Prescreening tests can ask questions that reveal these competencies."

However, when companies create employment tests, it's important they pick the right questions to ask potential candidates. Employers should know about the specific position, determine the qualities that make a successful candidate and then create questions.

"Most screening tests work for entry-level and service-oriented jobs, but not for CEOs and senior-level positions," the article adds. "For a waiter, companies can test for three specific attributes. But the role of CEO would require 20 complex characteristics, which makes it much harder to pinpoint the criteria for success."

Some major companies that have begun using employment testing include: Brinker International, which owns Chili's, On the Border and Romano's Macaroni Grill, and McMurry, a publishing firm. Other well-known companies, such as Yahoo and Southwest Airlines, have long abstained from such testing.

Posted by: jcheesman on 1/05/2009 at 9:21 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink