Recruiting new employees can be as challenging for employers as it is for job seekers. Employers are inundated with countless resumes and must narrow down applicants to make hiring decisions. Pre-hire assessments—used by organisations to evaluate job applicants’ knowledge, skills, abilities, personality traits, and other relevant characteristics that are essential for job performance—play a crucial role in developing effective recruitment strategies. The primary role of pre-hiring assessments is to enable employers to make informed hiring decisions by identifying the best candidates for specific job roles.
Comprehensive evaluation
Pre-hiring assessments can take many forms, such as interviews, cognitive ability tests, personality tests, skills tests, and situational judgement tests. Research suggests that a significant 82% of employers use pre-assessment tests to evaluate candidates during the hiring process, to assess critical candidate skills like competence, attitude, aptitude, and personality. These assessments may be conducted online, in-person, or through a combination of both. The assessments enable employers to evaluate the candidate across a wide range of factors, like her or his:
- Ability to perform the job duties and responsibilities
- Potential to align with the organisational culture and values
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Problem-solving and critical thinking abilities
- Emotional intelligence and resilience
- Motivation and work ethic
Also read: 7 Hiring Issues in FY24 That Assessment Tools Can Solve
Optimise the pre-assessment phase
According to studies, companies that use pre-employment testing have reported a 39% lower turnover rate. Some of the critical factors to focus on during the pre-assessment phase of hiring are:
Identification of talent: Develop a screening process that includes an initial review of resumes and cover letters, screening through phone, and other pre-employment assessments that will help you identify the most qualified candidates. It is crucial to maintain an ongoing search for key positions to ensure a pipeline of potential candidates with specific profiles.
Reference and background checks: Conduct thorough reference and background checks to verify the candidate’s work history and educational background, and to identify any potential red flags, such as criminal records, that may impact their suitability for the role.
Technical assessments: Employers frequently use technical assessments during the hiring process to assess a candidate’s technical knowledge and skills in relation to the job they are applying for. Technical assessments can take different forms, including coding challenges, problem-solving exercises, case studies, and simulations. It is essential to regularly update these assessments in line with evolving job requirements and profiles.
Also read: Top 6 Assessment Tools in India for Recruiting and How They Help
Behavioural Event Interview (BEIs): In addition to the technical competencies required for a job role, it is important to identify the behavioural competencies of a candidate. BEIs are commonly used in the hiring process as well as in performance evaluations, employee development, and leadership development programmes. The technique helps to ensure that hiring decisions are based on objective evidence of a candidate’s past behaviour, rather than on subjective or biased impressions.
BEI is a structured interviewing technique that is used to assess a candidate’s past behaviour in specific situations to predict their future behaviour. The goal of a BEI is to obtain a more accurate and objective evaluation of a candidate’s competencies, such as communication skills, leadership skills, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities. These interviews also help identify areas where candidates may require further development or training.
Personality assessment: While identifying talent, understanding the personality of potential hires is essential. Some of the factors to consider include personal values, how one responds to stress at the workplace, and so on. There are several tools used for talent identification and development, like Hogan Assessments and DoSelect.
Cultural compatibility: Assessing the cultural fitment of a candidate during hiring is important because it helps to ensure that the candidate’s values, beliefs, and behaviours align with the company culture. Cultural fitment assessments help identify candidates who are likely to adapt well to the company’s culture, collaborate effectively with the existing team, and be productive and successful in the role.
Various approaches can be employed to assess cultural fitment, including behavioural interviews, reference checks, and personality assessments. These assessments provide insights into the candidate’s work style, communication approach, values, and attitudes, all of which are important factors to consider in evaluating cultural fitment.
While identifying talent, understanding the personality of potential hires is essential. Some of the factors to consider include personal values, how one responds to stress at the workplace, and so on. There are several tools used for talent identification and development, like Hogan Assessments and DoSelect.
At Embassy, we have prioritised fostering diversity by implementing a targeted and organic approach that aligns with our company’s role and culture. Our talent pool is sourced from various sectors including IT, education, finance, and business, not solely limited to real estate. Cultural fit is a significant consideration in our hiring process at Embassy Group. Our job descriptions provide a clear delineation of the skills required and the interviews are tailored based on these as well as discussions between the hiring manager and the Talent Acquisition team. Candidates undergo multiple levels of screening to evaluate their cultural fit, technical skills, and competencies. Further, to assess the competencies for roles in mid-management and higher positions, candidates are also assessed through psychometric tests. The results of these tests offer valuable insights into candidates’ strengths and areas of development, enabling us to make informed hiring decisions that match job requirements to the competencies of potential candidates.
Overall, pre-hiring assessments help to simplify and streamline the often-chaotic recruitment process. Pre-hiring assessments can minimise the chances of making a bad hire, which can be costly for organisations in terms of time, money, and productivity. By identifying the most suitable candidates for a particular role, pre-hiring assessments can also help organisations to build strong, high-performing teams that drive business success.
Author bio: Maria Rajesh, CHRO at Embassy Group, is a seasoned HR leader with a rich background in real estate, IT, and allied services.
Year of Incorporation: 1993
Number of Employees: 623
Key Executives: Karan Virwani, Aditya Virwani
Business Line: Property Development
Hiring Pipeline: 70-100 positions
Key HR Factor: Tech-enabled with multiple platforms and ease information of access to employees
Nice article and thoughtful. Great.