Want skilled candidates? Here’s how recruiters find top talent by using online skills testing software

Skilled candidates are fundamental to a recruiter’s job. But the search for the best applicants doesn’t always run smooth and is often waylaid by numerous factors. Employment skills testing software helps proactive recruiters evaluate candidate proficiency. Most agencies take care to find one that is compatible with their agency’s recruitment database software.

Skills testing – a viable route to better applicants

It is when recruiters take their candidates through a pre-employment skills assessment that they find high-calibre candidates. It is often the only way for the best candidates to make it to the short-list and for the most qualified to be selected for the role. Because good recruitment is not just about talent sourcing but assessing each candidate to determine which of the candidates is the most suitable for the role in the client company.

For a candidate to be assessed thoroughly, recruiters must do more than read the resume and meet with them for an interview. CVs are easy to exaggerate. Interviews do not provide the full picture. People have been known to inflate their skills and experiences to fit the criteria set by employers. Recruiters and employers must take extra steps to make sure that they avoid hiring the wrong staff.

Typically, recruiters will parse CVs, read cover letters, and make preliminary decisions based on these actions. Then, a handful of applicants will be selected to proceed to the interview stage to discuss the role and their suitability in more detail. Yet, these interviews are usually limited to an hour, and it is not enough to establish the talents and potential of any individual. Smart recruiters will not take job seekers at their word but rather take additional steps to ensure that they are vetting their applicants carefully.

Recruiters can choose from a variety of assessments from their skills testing software library – literacy skills tests and numeracy skills tests designed to measure an employee’s aptitude for grammar and numbers. There are accounting skills testing or driving skills tests or even data entry skills tests for more job-specific assessments.

Many employers are keen to hire people who have good cognitive and interpersonal skills, not just technical abilities. Psychometric skills testing helps recruiters and employers understand their applicants better. And make a more informed hiring decision.

Using online skills testing software

Over the years, candidate assessment has become quite the norm for recruitment agencies. Yet not all agencies utilise skills tests and leverage assessing candidates to optimise their hiring process. But if recruiters want to follow in the steps of leading staffing firms and successful recruiters then adopting the use of online skills testing is one of the simple and key steps to take.

A good skills testing software solution comprises a variety of skills tests. Each assessment is designed to evaluate candidate proficiency fairly. The tests are standardised and timed so that everyone has an equal chance of performing well.

Starting with a sample test, candidates have anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes to complete an assessment. The skills tests have different difficulty levels. Starting from Basic to Intermediate and Advanced, recruiters can easily assign the appropriate test to the candidates according to the needs of the job and company.

Due to the ease of online testing, recruiters can swiftly select whichever test is suitable for the role they are filling and send it – either to an individual or a group of candidates. This can be done in a few minutes. Candidates can also take the test from anywhere and at any time they please.

This helps process the recruiting quickly. It also eliminates unsuitable candidates immediately so that recruiters and employers only get the best applicants in the next stage.

Staffing firms utilise several tech tools to improve and simplify their recruiting workflow. Good recruitment CRM systems are known to be one of the most important tools for any recruitment agency. Recruiters also use emails, telephony solutions, video calling software, etc., for day-to-day communication procedures. Similarly, an online skills testing software solution is useful for filtering applications and boosting the quality of candidates.

Consequently, it is important to have all these software solutions work well together so that recruiters have a smooth and streamlined experience when moving from one tool to another.