The AMA's data are based on surveys of its membership, which tends to be made up of larger organizations. Criteria Corp believes small- and medium-sized businesses should also be able to enjoy the benefits of using pre-employment tests, and our mission is to make these assessments accessible to organizations of all sizes.
To maximize the effectiveness of pre-employment testing, one useful strategy is to use more than one type of test. For example, it's very common to test aptitude and personality, or skills and personality. Using more than one test for each candidate allows employers to assess more than one relevant aspect of an applicant, providing more objective, reliable data to streamline the hiring process and make more informed decisions.
Another type of risk assessment is a safety assessment. Safety assessments measure a candidate’s attitudes towards safety and the likelihood that they will engage in risk-taking behavior. These types of assessments can help organizations reduce safety incidents and the high costs associated with them. Safety assessments also help to promote a strong “safety culture” where individuals contribute positively to a safe workplace.
The use of pre-employment testing has grown dramatically in recent years. With applicant pools on the rise due to the ease of applying online, hiring managers and recruiters are starting to rely more on data-driven talent management practices that streamline the hiring process. According to surveys done by the American Management Association (AMA), the use of pre-employment testing has been growing steadily in the past fifteen years. The AMA's data revealed that:
General skills tests rather, they are intended only as an indicator of a person's current skill level in key job-related competencies.
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Skills tests measure job-related competencies; broad ones like verbal, math, and communication skills, or narrow ones like typing and computer skills. These are skills that candidates have picked up through their education and career histories – these skills do not necessarily reflect basic aptitude but instead reflect acquired knowledge – what the applicant already knows how to do based on previous experience.
Figure 3: According to surveys conducted by the American Management Association (AMA), 70% of employers do some sort of job skill testing, 46% of employers use personality and/or psychological tests on applicants or current employees, and 41% of employers test applicants for basic literacy and math skills.