Job hunting is never easy for candidates or companies, but we spend at least one-third of our lives at work. People want to work for companies that support our goals, and “get” them. On the other side of the table, companies want to be sure that the people they hire can do the job. Companies won’t hire anyone off the street, and there are many ways companies and candidates can get a feel for each other. Crafting a perfect resume and undergoing employment tests are a part of the ‘find a dream job’ process.
Providing a resume, a cover letter, and submitting a few compliance questions is the general expectation, but some companies ask for a little more: employment tests. They can range from personality assessments, or (in a very confusing personal experience) math tests. In my specific experience, this was a seemingly arbitrary exercise led me to ask, “why am I taking this test?”
I’ve asked this question to multiple human resources professionals, and the answers are similar: Employment tests are mainly used to get more information about potential team members. “It gives [teams] an idea of who the person is and sets the foundation for how they may prefer to communicate and collaborate, allowing teams to adjust accordingly. It’s a supplement that helps parties start off on the right foot,” explains Roxanne Janiczek, Director of People Operations at Yembo. She notes that tests can also help hiring teams target a specific candidate persona for recruiting purposes, but that they shouldn’t be used to determine whether or not a candidate will ultimately be a great fit. So let’s get into it: are pre-interview employment tests effective?
A little background on employment tests
When you think about it, the entire hiring process is a comprehensive assessment. From screening calls, rounds of interviews, and I would argue the first 90 days of employment, candidates are being evaluated from square one. Pre-employment testing can be a valuable part of the hiring process. They’re standardized and provide a degree of objectivity that simply cannot be done in an informal interview.
There are many different pre-employment assessments. These include:
Job knowledge
Job knowledge tests are perhaps the most straightforward of pre-employment test types. Especially for candidates that are applying for a role that requires specialized knowledge, it’s an effective way for companies to know that the candidate can do the job. For example, a bookkeeper should be able to complete an Excel exercise.
The limitation of this test is that it doesn’t account for a candidate’s potential to learn and grow into the skill. For a generalist candidate, they may not know as much as a specialist but they may be a fast learner. There are sites that will teach candidates job skills (often low-cost or free), but companies may miss out on an outstanding candidate by focusing too much on a job knowledge test.
Cognitive ability
Cognitive ability tests are used to measure a candidates’ intelligence. There’s different ways companies can go with this. Some employers may choose IQ tests while others may focus on specific skills: verbal ability, math skills, deductive reasoning being just a few examples. Companies that use these tests operate under the understanding that mental capacity correlates to job performance.
The pitfalls to cognitive ability tests? They can be discriminatory. In fact, some would argue that IQ tests are continuing racial bias and systemic inequality. Cognitive ability testing is a hugely debated topic across multiple industries, but companies that opt to include these tests during the hiring process will generally use test results as a guide, not a barrier to entry. And if that’s not the case? Run.
Emotional intelligence and integrity tests
To distill emotional intelligence and integrity tests to the true reason companies use them: Good companies employ good people. Logically, an integrity test can be a good measure of potential job performance. They rely on a person’s character versus their ability to recall a math skill. So a candidate that has a history of dishonesty might raise a red flag for some teams.
These tests aren’t foolproof though, answers can be faked. In some cases, questions can be illegal. For example, a question that asks candidates to respond to ‘I am easily distracted’ seems like a good way to find out how productive a candidate will be, but it may indirectly discriminate against candidates with ADHD, which would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Therefore, companies should not lean on emotional intelligence or integrity tests to weed out candidates.
Personality tests
Companies use personality tests to gauge whether a candidate will do well in a role and on a team. For example, on one of the marketing teams I’ve worked for we found out that over half of the team were INFJ personality types on the Myers Briggs scale. Talk about having a specific type! We worked extremely well together, even forming friendships outside of the company.
Teams might look at tests with the assumption that candidates who have certain personality traits would be more successful in the role. For example, companies might expect a sales executive to be outgoing and personable, which is a fair generalization. However, that’s not the case for every sales professional.
Personality tests are also limited when candidates answer the way they think they should answer. Companies should ideally use these tests sparingly during the pre-employment process, or at least have a clear outcome in mind with these assessments.
Physical abilities
Physical abilities tests measure a person’s strength and stamina. These tests are usually reserved for more labor-intensive or higher stress jobs. From relocations crews to firefighters, it’s expected that employees are able to meet the demands of the job. Beyond job duties, physical ability tests can reduce worker’s compensation claims and have a low risk of inaccurate results.
However, when tests stray too far into measuring what a candidate cannot do, or determine a candidate’s health, that is protected by the ADA and highly illegal. Key takeaway: asking candidates to lift a 50 pound object is reasonable, but a candidate’s gender, age, or ethnicity should never play into whether or not a candidate is qualified for the role.
Should a pre-employment test decide a candidate’s fate?
Absolutely not. There is no test that can capture the full measure of how well a person can do their job. However, if someone does not meet the minimum job requirements necessary to do their job, testing is an objective way to let down a candidate easily. That’s not to say that companies should hinge their decision on whether the person they’re interviewing can pass a test.
For example, teachers take post-baccalaureate courses, complete internship-esque observation hour requirements, and take multiple certification exams. Any teacher can tell you that’s the no-brainer part of the job. The real demands of the role aren’t clear until the teacher is running their own classroom. I won’t go into the full scope of what teachers are not taught during their certification hours, that’s an entirely different blog.
Employment tests during the pre-screening process: Yay or nay?
It’s important for companies to understand that pre-employment tests are a supplement, not a yardstick. Companies should consider the message they’re sending to their candidates: if hiring teams are using tests as part of the pre-screening and application process, it might look like they don’t care about potential team members. No one wants to be a rubric on a page.
On the other hand, companies are allowed to be just as thoughtful as candidates about who becomes a member of their team. Pre-employment tests can provide extra insights that interviewing teams might not notice on a call.
My two cents: Companies should use assessments if they have a clear “why” in mind. A forklift driver without a forklift license isn’t a good fit for the role. Pre-employment assessments should be part of the hiring process after a screening interview, not in lieu of a screening interview. And perhaps most importantly: a copywriter doesn’t need to solve a quadratic equation to create content.
