Employment Testing Blog

Lower Unemployment Numbers, Fewer Job Applicants?

 

Good news today from the US Department of Labor.  The January unemployment rate dropped  by 0.2%, which brings it down to 8.3% percent.  The rate is down almost a full percentage point since August of last year.   The overall employment numbers increased by 243,000 workers.  Those gains were spread across many areas, including Professional and Business Services, Hospitality/Leisure and Manufacturing. 

About half of the Business Services increase happened in "Employment Services" category, which shows our friends in the Staffing Industry were doing the heavy lifting in that segment.  Government employment didn't change much, which isn't surprising, given the current political climate.  No politicians are eager to increase government spending in an election year. 

It's still early, but have you seen less applicants for your open positions?

 

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!

Too many applicants? Try using some of Google's interview questions...

Too many applicants?  Try using some of Google's interview questions...

Just like you, Google and other high profile companies are flooded with job applicants for every open position.  Here's a sampling of interview questions that have been used, according to a Wall Street Journal article last week. 

1.  You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and thrown into a blender. Your mass is reduced so that your density is the same as usual. The blades start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?

2.  A man pushed his car to a hotel and lost his fortune. What happened? 

3.  Using only a four-minute hourglass and a seven-minute hourglass, measure exactly nine minutes—without the process taking longer than nine minutes.

Traditional job interviews are often not very effective at identifying the top job candidates.  So in addition to pre-employment job testing, some tech companies are using riddles and puzzles like these to measure the cognitive and creative skills of their job applicants.   However, although these tests give interviewers an idea about the applicants' mental horsepower, it may be tough to demonstrate the job-relatedness of the test should the EEOC pay you a visit. 

Answers:
1) It depends but a clue is to the density of the person
2) Monopoly, anyone?
3) Flip them both to start, flip 4 min when it empties, and flip 7 minute when it empties.  Then when 4 minute empties a second time, flip 7 minute again as it will have exactly one minute remaining.

 

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!

No Gift For You! (Instead We Donated To Goodwill Industries)

Instead of sending lovely 2011 holiday cards and gifts that are quickly tossed in the trash on December 26, EmployTest donated the equivalent to Goodwill Industries International. 

Goodwill Industries provides job training, employment placement and other services to people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges.  We encourage you to support your local Goodwill organization, either through donations or by considering their clients for employment in your organization.

 

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!

Thank you, one and all!

As the end of year approaches, we want to send out a massive THANK YOU to the hundreds of new clients who signed up for our testing system in 2011.  And a double THANK YOU to our clients who continued to use our pre-employment tests this year.  We had our best year to date and here's to a prosperous 2012 for our new (and old) clients!

 

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!

How Much Is This Testing Really Going to Cost.....

When people call us, that's the burning question in the back of their mind. Most of them are polite enough not to ask it as their very first question, but it's rare that a conversation doesn't include it. 

The pricing plan for most organizations is pretty simple. You buy test units to test your employees or job applicants. It's a per test unit pricing model.  You don't sign a contract and there are no monthly charges or set up fees. 

Each test that is completed uses one test unit.  By "completed", it means that a score report was generated. If someone stops halfway through an Excel test, then that does not use a test unit (until they complete it).  If someone never starts your Microsoft Office test, no units used.  If an applicant freaks out and leaves your computer skills test sitting there on the computer, nothing used.  Only when the test is actually completed does a unit get used.

The pricing is based on the number of tests given.  It's a price per test (not per applicant).

For example, 

3 tests per applicant   x   10 applicants = 30 test units needed.

Here's how it typically works.  Clients buy test units.  Then use them all.  Then reorder again as needed.  Most companies will purchase what they need for 3-6 months, expecting to reorder again at that point.  Of course, they really don't want to be in a position that they need to reorder, because reordering means that they now have open positions again. 

Is it expensive?  Usually not, as compared to other costs of the hiring process.  It can even be a net savings when you factor in your (and your coworkers') time spent with unqualified applicants.   The testing cost can grow if you have to test many applicants.  But most people agree it's cheaper to pay that cost than to have hired an unproductive new employee.

To view the pricing levels, please visit our Pricing page.   If you have special pricing questions, just give us a call at 1.800.836.1901.

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!

Testing Outside Your Office? A Few Tips....

Testing applicants remotely can make your life easier.  You can pre-screen the applicants, before they step one foot into your office.  Fewer people to interview, more efficient process, quicker time to hire.  It would be a no-brainer, if only you could be sure that it's not your applicant's cousin's uncle's sister's plumber actually taking the test.  And who's to know if the applicant is looking up answers. Surely your applicants wouldn't do that, would they? It can be tough to decide whether or not to allow remote testing, but here are a few thoughts to help you navigate those rough waters.  These are not "set in stone" rules by any means but you can use these thoughts to help make the decisions.

1.  You can administer behavioral tests remotely and then administer skills and knowledge tests within your offices.  Applicants might be more likely to cheat on skills tests (ie Excel tests) and knowledge tests (ie accounting tests) than they are on behavioral tests, where the answers are less clear-cut.

2.  Tell applicants about how much time it should take to complete each test.  If you don't, the applicant might initially think that, after starting the test, he/she will have hours to complete it, which may lead them to research possible answers.  If an applicant knows that the Microsoft Office test should take about 30 minutes, then they will usually complete it in a similar time frame--around 30 minutes, not three hours.

3.  Tell applicants that you will be re-testing final candidates in your offices before the job offer is made.  And then do so.   This will reduce the temptation to cheat because the applicants know that they will have to test again.

None of these are fool proof ways to eliminate cheating but can provide some peace of mind that you are getting an accurate picture of the applicant's abilities.

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!

Bad Is Stronger Than Good

Here's a link to a Wall Street Journal article from this week that makes this case:

The negative atmosphere that bad hires bring to a company are stronger than the positive impact that superstars provide.

So evil does win out over the good, at least in this context.  So says Robert Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University (and his colleagues):

"The negative thoughts, feelings and performance they trigger in others are far larger and longer lasting than the positive responses generated by more constructive colleagues."

The bad vibes from a hiring mistake are "contagious" and easily drag down the efforts of other successful employees.  Whether through true incompetence or just a bad attitude, the work environment can quickly turn poisonous (hint:  that's one of the reasons companies use our pre-employment tests).  And when a manager lets the bad behavior go unpunished, it's easy to sense the frustration of the other team members. 

But the real challenge comes the bad apple is also a top performer.  What to do then?  There's no hard rule but this article suggests that even if you are forced to remove the team's misbehavin' superstar, the team can improve their performance beyond the star's contributions. 

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!

Is pre-employment testing legal?

We get this question from time to time and the answer is yes, of course.  We wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case.....

Pre-employment tests are an extremely valuable tool to learn more about your candidate's skills, knowledge and aptitude for specific jobs.   Just like with any screening tool, it's not the sole decision point on whether or not to hire a candidate.  But our tests can complete the picture of the person's abilities.  You can't consistently rely on your "gut feeling" or instinct to make good hiring decisions.

Our tests follow the guidelines of the US Department of Labor and the EEOC.  Our test creators follow the guidelines of the American (and Canadian) Psychological Association.  There have never been any claims of adverse impact against our tests.A tremendous amount research and analysis is put into every single test we offer, making sure the questions are fair and the topics are covered succintly and accurately.

Of course, as with any tool, the tests can be misused.  This can happen when the test being used is not related to the needs of the position.  An extreme example would be when a Microsoft Office test is given for a custodial/janitorial position.    Another example would be when certain candidates are coached or given a higher level of assistance in completing the test. 

So yes, it is perfectly legal to use our tests for pre-employment screening.  Although we are not lawyers, we can provide some guidance on pre-employment testing best practices and tests that might be appropriate for your job families.

 

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!

Test Scores: We'll help you interpret them....

What's a good score?  What's a bad score?   We're often asked these questions by clients and prospective clients.  The answer of course will depend on your company and the job description.  Ideally you'll be able to perform some internal benchmarking on current staff to determine what their skill levels are.  But we can also help.  We have scoring norms and data for many of our tests and those norms can often point you in the right direction.  Just ask your account representative for help. 

 

 

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!

5 Reasons Job Applicants Dislike Pre-Employment Tests

Most people don't like tests and job applicants are no different, especially when the stakes (employment) are so high.  Here are a few reasons from applicants that we've heard in conversations over the years.

1.  Not sure how the pre-employment tests relate to the position.   Hiring managers need to be clear about what type of tests will be administered and how those skills, aptitudes or behavioral traits relate to the job.   In other words, why are you giving me an Excel test if the position rarely uses the program?  Just because it's nice to know if they have the skill doesn't mean you should test them (we've heard that).  Test topics have to be highly job related. 

2.  Not sure how test scores will be used.   Is this a knockout test that will eliminate them from the job competition, or are the test results being used to identify training areas post-hire?  Is it more (or less) important than the in-person interviews?  (Hint: should be less). Employment testing results should only play a supporting role in determining the best fit for the job and managers need to explain how much the scores factor into the decision.

3.  Too many tests.  From the applicants' perspective, even one test is too many.  The goal should be to test only on topics that are related to an employee's success in the position. Given unlimited time and money, we could all test on every component of a job.  But be aware of your applicants' time constraints and test fatigue that can occur after long bouts of testing.

4.  Testing location.  In a perfect world, candidates would be able to test from the comforts of their own home.  But that's not always possible because there might be concerns about test security in an unproctored environment.  So if they must test in your offices, please find a quiet location, free of distractions (phones, visitors, etc), on a computer that isn't the most ancient one in the office, to administer the tests.

5.  Anxiety and nervousness that comes with testing.  Only a few twisted individuals enjoy taking tests (see photo).  The rest of us get anxious.  Nervous.   And it's a completely understandable reaction.  To reduce the butterflies, encourage your applicants to use the practice questions or warm up tutorials, if available. Tell them them how to prepare, if appropriate.  Just make sure that you give each applicant the same amount of preparation advice.

Applicants are never going to like tests.  And these days applicants can think of more than five paltry reasons that they don't like tests.  But with a little planning on your side, you can help your applicants perform to their highest level by dealing with the items above. 

Would you like a sample of our pre-employment tests?  Just visit Try a Test to get started!