Employment

Testing (Step 7)
CHAPTER 7.1
Pre-employment Testing

§A pre-employment test is an
examination given to job candidates by a
potential employer pri or t o hi ri ng . T h e
purpose of these types of tests is to
determine personality traits and
characteristics, cognitive abilities, job
knowledge and skills, as well as behaviors.

§ In short, they help employers gain a

better understanding of job
applicants prior to making a hiring
 Pre-employment Testing

Pre-employment tests are used by hiring managers, HR departments and businesses

to screen candidates and test for many things, including:

§ Job Knowledge Tests

§ Personality Tests

§ Cognitive Ability Tests

§ Skills Assessment Tests

§ Physical Ability Tests

§ Emotional Intelligence Tests

 Job Knowledge Tests

§ A job knowledge test is an assessment used to judge an

individual's knowledge about the various aspects of a
specific job.

§A j o b kn o w l e d g e te s t w i l l a s s e s s t h e p e rs o n ' s
factual knowledge about the role as well as his or her
procedural knowledge. .
 Personality tests

§ Pe r s o n a li t y t e sts i n d i c a t e t o e m p l o y e r s i f y o u f i t w i t h i n t h e
company's culture and if your personality leads to an increase in
pr o d u c t iv i t y . Tes t r e s u l t s m i g h t h e l p e m p l o y e r s e v a l u a t e y o u r
engagement level and if they think you're interested in a long-
term career with the organization.
Example of Personality Test
 Cognitive Ability Tests

§ Cognitive ability tests ask questions about your mental

capacity to work in a position. The answers you provide
help employers predict your job performance since
they'll then know more about how you handle complexity.
One of the common cognitive ability tests is the General
Aptitude Test (GAT), which highlights your ability to
use logical, verbal and numeric reasoning to approach
tasks.
 Skills Assessment Tests

§ Skills assessment tests overview your soft and hard skills. Employers
test for these skills once they're in the later stage of the hiring
process to understand who they might want to hire.

§ For example, if an employer wants to hire you for a public relations

coordinator position, they might administer a writing test to see how
many words you type per minute, if you can write newsworthy content
within a given timeline and how well you proofread your content before
submission. Additional skills assessment tests may require you to
demonstrate your research skills, presentation or leadership skills to
advance in the hiring process.
 Physical Ability Tests

§ Physical ability tests feature your strength and

stamina. They also reveal if you're capable of
performing in roles that require physical work,
like a firefighter or a police officer. Testing
for physical competencies adds another step to the
hiring process for employers so they reduce the
chances of workplace accidents in addition to
 Emotional Intelligence Tests

§ Emotional intelligence tests analyze your relationship-building

skills and your knowledge of emotions. Having high emotional
intelligence shows how you can defuse conflicts and relieve the
anxiety of coworkers if they're frustrated or disappointed.
 Emotional Intelligence Tests

A few s kills that can be revealed during your emo tional intelligence test include:

§ Teamwork

Employees wit h teamwork skills can succeed if the y can collaborate with coworkers of
di ffere nt backgrounds and personalities. By worki ng with your team, you have a better chance of
ac compl ishing your goals and getting a promotion to a high-level role.

§ Adaptability

Adaptability displays how you can change to meet the current demands of your company. For
in stanc e, if you're a pro ject manager and a clien t needs to alter the deadline of a project, you
ne ed to reprioritize your tasks to meet their exp ectations.

§ Empathy

Empathy is th e way you understand the feelings of others in a given situation. This trait
un dersc ores that you're c ompassionate and willing to help coworkers improve their mindset and
ac hieve their goals.
 Why Use
Pre-
Employment
Tests?
 Why Use Pre-Employment Tests?

§ Using employment testing can provide much more information than you could get just looking
at a resume and holding a 30-minute interview. Pre-employment tests like these can also
save you time and money during the hiring process because:

• You can quickly narrow down your list of applicants. Using pre-employment testing can
help you determine which candidates to bring in for interviews.

• It'll help you improve your interviews. By using testing results to create questions that
focus on key issues and questions, you can streamline your interview process.

• It ensures that candidates have the desired traits, skills and behaviors. Once you’ve
determined which traits are critical for success in a particular role (or to fit in with your
company culture), pre-employment testing can help find applicants that fulfill that role.

• You can reduce the chances of bad hires. This can also help lower your turnover rate.
Sample Resume with Character
References
What is a reference check?
A reference check is part of the
hiring process where your
candidate (or applicant) connects
the hiring company with
prof essional (and somet imes
personal) job references to gather
more details about themselves:
t h e i r w o r k h i s t o r y, j o b
responsibilities and performance.
Professional references can
include coworkers, direct
managers or other employees
who worked closely with the
 What is a background check?
A background check is a
process a person or company
uses to verify that a person is who
they claim to be. Background
checks provide an opportunity for
someone to check a person’s
criminal record, education,
employment history, and other
past activities in order to confirm
their validity. Whether you’re
applying for a job, looking for a
new apartment, or purchasing a
firearm, you may have to undergo
a background check.