Posted by EmployTest - on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 @ 02:33 PM
They said it woulda happened by now...They say it shoulda happened by now.
So what is "it"?
"It" is the widespread implementation of electronic medical record systems (EMR).
Despite all the highly discussed financial savings and reductions in medical errors, not all of our medical facilities (hospitals, physician's offices and more) have made any sort of transition to EMR systems. Admittedly it's disappointing to be in a doctor's office and see wall upon wall chock full of patients' folders, and that doesn't even consider the waste of paper and space. If my mechanic can keep my car's info stored electronically, then why is it so darn hard to get medical records into an electronic format?
Well, there's a lot of reasons (privacy, anyone?) but that's not our question to ponder. Here at EmployTest, we have our finger on the pulse of the testing community. And we're seeing more and more health care companies that want to a) measure clinical staff's computer skills, and b) measure the job applicants' skills, with our computer skills tests, before the implementation of an electronic medical record system.
Where does EmployTest fit into the picture? Our small, yet critical, job is to measure the computer skills of the healthcare workers to determine if they need training pre-EMR. Our PC skills tests will show if they have the very basic skills (mousing, passwords, etc) up to the most advanced Microsoft Office skills tests. And the computer skills tests are appropriate for all job families, from custodial to physicians.
So cheers to the progressive organizations that are implementing comprehensive EMR systems. We hope our computer skills tests can help with your goals!
Posted by EmployTest - on Wed, May 06, 2009 @ 01:34 PM
That's the goal, right? To make sure most applicants don't do well so you can easily spot the cream of the crop, right? Well, not exactly. But surprisingly, Test Administrators can often make it hard on job applicants, particularly during the pre-employment testing process. So here's our list of ways to help your applicants score poorly on pre-employment tests....
1. Surprise them with the test. Don't tell them beforehand that you will be giving a pre-employment test. Don't let them mentally prepare. Enjoy the look of horror when they realize that what they thought was a one hour interview is actually a 4 hour testing marathon.
2. Allow them to test in your noisy and crowded reception area. The phones ringing and constant visitors will show if they truly have the focus and determination to succeed in the job.
3. "Coach" the applicants you like with additional instructions and employment test answers. Ignore questions from the applicants that you don't like.
4. Advise the applicants to skip the test's warm up questions and tutorial. After all, they are here to show what they know. There's no warm up in the real world, right?
5. Have your most inexperienced employee (the one that started last week and is lowest on the totem pole) administer the tests, particularly if testing for a managerial position.
6. Give little thought to which tests are being administered. Pay no attention to the test questions as they relate to the job description. An applicant for a warehouse position should certainly take a Microsoft Excel skills test, even if the position doesn't require such skills, right?
7. Increase the applicants' test anxiety by sitting right beside them while they test.
7.5 Tell them you don't really use the scores anyway (even though you do)!
Far-fetched? Maybe. But we've heard some of the above methods before, although they weren't used expressly with the goal of lowering scores. Have you observed such practices (or different, yet equally effective ones)? Email us your thoughts.
Posted by EmployTest - on Wed, Apr 15, 2009 @ 10:34 AM
Beyond the obvious efficiencies that a properly screened new hire will make, let's look at the other side of what could possibly happen....
1. Safety: your new hire has an explosive temper that wasn't evident during the interview process. A personality test could have helped in this area.
2. Security of information: oops, your new manager accidentally released your profit margin data to your email marketing list. A computer skills test would have identified any training needs before the manager was hiried.
3. Sales Improvement: turn your pre-employment testing process into your competitive advantage. Think your clients don't notice when they receive sub-par service? Think again. Many customers will leave without saying a word. Tell clients that you use pre-employment tests to make sure you're hiring only the best.
Remember that if you don't test your applicants, you might be hiring the employees that other companies have rejected.