The first step of deciding which type of skill assessment test to administer to candidates is to set a company’s job requirements. This would help companies decide which skill are absolutely necessary to a particular job role and which one needs to evaluate during the hiring process. Along with the skills, candidate persona also plays a significant role for a job type. Hence, HR pros need to be clear about who it is they are looking for. Once it is clear what skills and qualities are needed to succeed in the role, the next step is to determine the type of test that is required.
Cognitive Ability Tests
Also known as aptitude tests, cognitive ability assessments analyze a candidate’s logical reasoning, problem-solving skills, and ability to learn as well as understand new concepts. Instead of evaluating a specific skill, cognitive ability tests evaluates a candidate’s general intelligence. As with all pre-employment tests, cognitive abilities need to be evaluated through multiple formats since some candidates might be highly intelligent but poor test-takers.
Soft Skills Tests
Soft skills are an extremely valuable skill set among job seekers. Currently, the US is currently experiencing a lack of 1.4 million people with the necessary soft skills. Soft skills are similar to people skills — social intelligence, communication, and the capability of working well with others are highly sought after soft skills and are required in almost every role, irrespective of industry. Since it is hard to be objective when analyzing and discussing subjective qualities between candidates, this type of pre-employment test can be very useful.
Hard Skills Tests
Conversely, technical skills or hard skills are typically role-specific. For instance, a software engineer would require advance knowledge of programming languages, while an account executive needs to be well-versed in successful sales tactics. To put it briefly, hard skill tests enable hiring managers to evaluate the candidate’s capability of performing certain job functions
