Microsoft Office Testing for Employment: How to Assess Job Applicants’ Skills
What is a Proficiency test in MS Office?
A Microsoft Office proficiency test is a pre-employment assessment that measures an applicant’s skills with various Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. These tests objectively evaluate the user’s abilities across different levels, from basic functions to advanced features, within each application.
With over 1.2 billion users worldwide, Microsoft Office is one of the most widely used programs in the workplace. But how do you ensure that the applicants you hire have the required Microsoft Office proficiency for their roles?
One way is to use Microsoft Office testing for employment. This can help you avoid hiring someone who may require extra training, which can be costly and frustrating for your team.
The Importance of Microsoft Office Testing for Employment
When you receive resumes, you’ll find that many applicants claim to have Microsoft Office skills. Unfortunately, their actual level of proficiency may vary.
In a 2020 Checkster survey of 400 hiring managers and 400 applicants, 78% of applicants admitted to lying on resumes. Most commonly, they exaggerated their skills, claiming mastery in areas they barely use.
Hiring the wrong people can be costly, lead to lower productivity, and errors in critical tasks. According to CareerBuilder, hiring errors cost organizations around $17,000 per incident, including onboarding, training, lost productivity, and finding a replacement.
It’s important to evaluate candidates carefully before making a hiring decision in order to protect the bottom line.
Because you must efficiently and quickly make informed decisions about which applicants move forward in the hiring process, it is equally as important to leverage technology.
A key requirement of any online or software-based assistance is that it provides objective and unbiased results, allowing you to make informed decisions based on quality-controlled performance data. 
If this sounds like something that could make the hiring process more effective for your organization, then interactive pre-employment assessment test platforms may be an ideal solution.
Microsoft Office Skills Testing for Employment: Benefits and Best Practices
Online Microsoft Office skills tests for employment can benefit both employers and job candidates. Here are some key advantages:
- Identifying qualified candidates: With most job openings receiving a flood of applications, testing Microsoft Office skills helps you filter out unqualified candidates efficiently. By administering pre-employment tests, you can quickly identify those with the necessary skills and move them forward in the hiring process.
- Saving time and resources: Conducting phone interviews or face-to-face interviews for every candidate can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Pre-employment tests provide a scalable solution that allows you to evaluate candidates’ Microsoft Office proficiency efficiently, saving valuable time and resources.
- Objective and unbiased evaluation: Pre-employment tests provide objective and unbiased evaluations of candidates’ Microsoft Office skills. By using standardized tests, you can compare candidates’ scores fairly and make decisions based on merit rather than subjective judgments.
- Customizable testing: Microsoft Office proficiency tests can be customized to match the specific requirements of different roles within your organization. Whether you need to assess basic skills or advanced capabilities, you can tailor the tests to align with the job responsibilities.
Empowering HR Managers with Microsoft Office Testing for Employment
Pre-employment tests to measure Microsoft Office skills can help HR managers make more informed hiring decisions. Skills testing provides a reliable and objective way to assess candidates’ abilities, allowing you to identify qualified individuals quickly.
By using pre-employment assessment tests, you can empower your HR team to confidently select candidates with the right skill levels and excel in their roles for your company.
Using a best-in-class skills assessment platform, you can rest assured that tests are accurate, reliable, and validated against real-world job performance data.
Try our sample MS Office Skills test today!