It can be difficult to find the right employees, even during the recent economic downturn when a huge number of CVs land in your inbox every day. Many eager jobseekers are enlisting the help of professional CV writers to highlight their potential and maximise their chances of gaining your interest.
Unfortunately this means that some potential employees are claiming to have experience and skills they don’t have, and are over-selling themselves. But if there’s one way to find out if this is the case it’s online tests. These ensure that applicants have to back up the claims they make on their CVs and prove they have the knowledge, through answering relevant questions set by you.
Not only this, but online testing can help narrow down the field among several candidates with similar qualifications. A wide range of skills can be tested, including grammar, maths, writing and knowledge of computer applications. Using online test scores to find the perfect employee can be the difference between finding the ideal candidate for the job and employing a candidate who may lack skills in key areas.
Although many people claim to hate taking tests, online tests are much less nerve-wracking than sitting at a desk in a room full of strangers. As most applicants would happily do just about everything online, taking a test is likely to be no exception. We are becoming more accustomed to social media, taking part in personality quizzes and such like, so taking part in online tests is unlikely to be a stressful experience.
With regards to your recruitment costs, online tests will save you time which saves you money. The less time you spend interviewing people by phone or in person, the more time you’ll have available to speak to more suitable applicants. Relying on a CV to determine if an applicant is qualified for the job may waste precious time, resulting in more advertising costs in the long run.
Another advantage of online tests is that they are a good deterrent for jobseekers that are under qualified or not that keen. Applicants are unlikely to sit through a test if they don’t think they are right for the position. But without online tests they may feel that they can fill any skills gaps in on the job training, and what have they got to lose by spending a few minutes emailing you their CV? Online tests require commitment from applicants as they have to set aside time to complete them to the best of their abilities.
If you’ve been using a recruitment agency to fill a position, online tests can enable you to find the right candidate without these extra costs. Once you’ve found the right testing program for your business, it is something that you can organise yourself and take control of. It means that you’ll no longer have to scrutinise hundreds of similar CVs wondering which one belongs to the ideal candidate.
