Pre-employment testing: A win-win for the employer and candidate

If you spend enough time online reading posts about pre-employment testing, you may form a negative impression of this common practice. The most common observation by those in the job market is that candidates feel like they are constantly asked to do free work, often without as much a debrief if they didn't get the role. Recruiters feel that it complicates and extends the recruitment process unnecessarily, disgruntling candidates and often causing them to drop out of the process altogether. Some HR professionals steer clear of this practice, since it is difficult to control the tests managers devise and ensure that they are truly predictive of performance.

While all these concerns can certainly be valid, when used thoughtfully, pre-employment testing can be a great tool for bringing on harder to find, diverse talent to your team, making the hiring process more inclusive.

Pre-employment testing is more common than many realize, and its use is widespread across various roles within marketing. Understanding its purpose and benefits can help both employers and candidates navigate this process more effectively.

What is pre-employment testing?

Let’s start with what pre-employment testing is, which is a way to provide insights to the employer about a candidate’s skills and potential performance. These tests come in various forms, from formal assessments to more casual task-based evaluations, and are tailored to specific roles.

Pre-employment tests can include:

• Skill assessments (coding, writing samples)
• Situational judgement tests
• Job knowledge tests
• Personality assessments

Removing barriers

One of the biggest barriers candidates often face is lack of specific / Canadian experience that is easily summarized on a resume. Recruiters and hiring managers are laser focused on specific resume keywords and if you don't have a strong experience-based resume, you are likely going to the bottom of the pile consistently. Companies and hiring teams are as a result missing out on countless candidates who have the skills to do the job but have not been able to perform it yet in a precise environment or for a certain length of time that the hiring team assumes is necessary to develop these skills and abilities.

With that, there are already a lot of conversations in the marketing industry about transferrable skills and experiences and hiring teams have become more open to considering candidates with international experience or a resume that doesn’t fully match what they are looking for. These are precisely the scenarios where participating in a marketing strategy case study or doing a design skills test for instance could show the hiring manager what a candidate can do, even if they don't have the formal experience the hiring manager thinks is required to excel in the role.

Showcasing what you can do in a test, or a case study can go a long way to removing barriers such as bias and preconceived notions and pave the way for more objective hiring decisions.

Candidates who are also more introverted are likely to find it easier to show rather than tell when going through the interview process, which will help you hire a diverse group of personalities, not just folks who are the most social or can do the best sell job when speaking about themselves.

Overall, pre-employment testing can be beneficial for:

• Individuals transitioning to a new career or area of marketing.
• Newcomers where foreign experience may not be readily apparent as a match.
• Candidates with non-linear career paths that have capabilities beyond what’s evident on their resume.

Benefits for employers

At a time when AI is simplifying the application process for candidates, testing can be a way to narrow the number of candidates to those who are serious about the role and have the relevant skills.

The rise of AI-written and one-click applications has led to a significant increase in the volume of applications employers receive. While this can broaden the talent pool, it also presents several challenges:

• Application overload which leads to employers inundated with resumes, many of which may not align with the role requirements.
• Increase in less-qualified and less-serious candidate applications.
• HR teams struggling to efficiently screen the high volume of applications, potentially missing out on great candidates.

Additionally, pre-employment testing offers employers:

• A more objective evaluation approach.
• A way to assess cultural fit.
• Insights into candidates’ problem-solving, creativity and innovative thinking.

Benefits for candidates

In an AI-driven job application world, candidates face their own set of challenges including being able to demonstrate skills beyond the resume and to distinguish themselves amongst the crowd of applicants.

Pre-employment testing offers significant benefits to candidates in this context as strong test performance can help candidates bypass initial screenings, demonstrates their serious interest in the role, setting them apart from those who apply indiscriminately. Further benefits are that candidates can demonstrate they have the necessary skills even if they do not have traditional experience, give insights into what the job entails as test often simulate real work task and some companies provide feedback on test results, which offers valuable insights to candidates regardless of the outcome. For those transitioning careers, tests can validate skills and provide a confidence boost.

To candidates in the job market

If you are going through an interview process that includes a test or a case study, consider it an opportunity to show your skills, and not just a time-consuming exercise. It's true that not every single manager might have the best intentions when devising a case study for their interview process, but the vast majority just want to make sure they make the right hire. If you struggle with a conventional hiring process, this approach might just be your chance to shine!

Conclusion

While pre-employment testing has its challenges, when implemented thoughtfully, it can create a more inclusive hiring process as it provides a platform for candidates to demonstrate their abilities and gives employers a more comprehensive view of potential hires. Embracing this tool, as part of the broader process, can help create more diverse, skilled and effective teams. As the job market continues to evolve, pre-employment testing stands as a valuable tool for both employers and candidates, fostering a more equitable and efficient hiring process.

Authors:
Darya Ilyenko | VP, People Success | Financeit
Florentina Stancu-Soare | Director, Public Affairs and Regulatory Standards | CMA