Why do employers perform pre-employment screening?

A pre-employment exam is a test that an employer gives to job applicants before they are considered for hire. These tests can help determine personality traits, job knowledge, potential skills, behavior, cognitive abilities, and other factors.

Pre-employment screenings, like a job background check, can be considered a necessary step before you extend a job offer to a candidate. Both can be used to reduce the hiring time and ensure that qualified candidates are hired.

You always end up with the same result, regardless of your role in the hiring process. You need to be able to understand the pre-employment testing and the software that allows for easy screening.

Pre-employment testing has many advantages

Your company might want to add pre-employment screenings before you accept a candidate.

• Pre-employment assessments save time: Pre-employment assessments not only streamline the hiring and recruitment process but also allow for valuable time spent interviewing qualified candidates.
• Hiring high-quality candidates who are more suitable for the role. Screening candidates allows your company to hire people that are better suited for the job and the company.
• Avoid making bad hires: If you are able to accurately assess the skill level of the candidate using scientifically-designed questions, you can reduce the chance of making a mistake that could cost your company thousands.
• Removing hiring biases to ensure diversity in the workforce: Whether we like it or not, unconscious bias can be a problem when recruiting. Pre-employment tests can help eliminate biases by narrowing down job applicants based on their relevant factors, skills, and personality traits. This is more effective than focusing on the background, age, gender, or race.
• Use data and analytics to help you hire the right candidate for your job.
• Reduce employee turnover: Many companies find that turnover is costly. Recruiting people who are qualified for the job and match the company’s needs is the best way to reduce turnover.

Is pre-employment testing legal?

Pre-employment can be legal. As long as the tests are professionally-developed and administered according to the test’s intended use.

The test must be used for evaluating the knowledge of the candidate on topics directly relevant to the job. It would be legal for an accountant to take a math test. It could be considered discriminatory to give the same math test to a candidate for a job as a housekeeper. Because the skills required to become an accountant are different than those required to be a housekeeper, this is why it could be considered discriminatory.

Contact PCP Works if you are interested in scheduling a pre-employment test. The company offers several pre-employment tests, including aptitude tests, personality tests, and assessment tests. Depending on your organization’s specific requirements, PCP Works can customize a pre-employment test. Find out more about how PCP Works can assist you in selecting the most suitable candidates for your open positions by contacting PCP Works today.