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Why skills testing candidates is a win-win for everyone

Skills testing yields a solution where everyone benefits.

Recruitment firms incorporating skills assessment tests as part of their recruitment process will know their candidates are suitable for the role. Hiring companies can be confident that the applicants are qualified. And the job seekers will realise what the new role entails while also experiencing an improved recruitment process.

Everyone benefits.

Finding top tier candidates is always the priority for recruiters. The industry is highly competitive, especially right now with the global economic meltdown and a sudden influx of job seekers.

Recruiters work hard to build a pool of great candidates they can tap into regularly. Quality candidates are always in demand, so there is a rush to wrap up work quickly and efficiently before the competition can cut in.

Recruitment CRM alone is no longer enough

Over the past years, there has been a positive increase in the use of recruitment software to streamline and expedite the hiring process. A good recruitment CRM enables recruiters to vastly improve the way they work and the services they deliver. Recruitment firms whose consultants use recruitment CRM daily can see the productivity and efficiency level increase.

Proactive recruiters have also understood the correlation between recruitment CRM and skills testing software. Assessing skills introduces an additional value to the recruiting process as it facilitates an objective look at a candidate’s abilities while providing verifiable proof of the same to hiring companies.

Skills assessment tests as a way to evaluate a candidate’s job performance is not a novel concept. Recruitment agencies are increasingly turning to skills testing software to evaluate the applicants’ skills.

In fact, ISV.Online, a leading skills testing and training provider, reports a dramatic month-on-month increase in the number of scheduled tests.

Recruiters accept skills assessment as a proven method of identifying quality candidates from a sea of applicants. They are fully cognizant of the many advantages and benefits this offers.

Rebecca Bannerman of Amber Employment Services, a permanent, temporary and fixed-term contracts recruitment agency for office roles at all levels and in all sectors across North West Surrey and a REC member firm, confirms this by saying, “Skills testing provides accurate, evidence-based information on a candidate’s skills and knowledge. Hiring companies can be assured that we are fully compliant in our responsibility to make sure we are matching the right person with the right skills for the job. The only way we can guarantee suitability is by skills testing our candidates. Our clients are confident that we are only presenting them with thoroughly assessed and highly relevant applications, which helps to build trust and positively steward our relationship.”

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Skills testing software needs to integrate seamlessly with the agency’s recruitment CRM for the user to get the full benefit. A smooth transition between the two solutions enriches the recruiter’s workflow and productivity. It also helps recruiters identify the best talent faster for their clients.

Rebecca articulates how her firm has benefited from this experience. She explains, “ISV.Online integrates seamlessly with Voyager Infinity, our chosen CRM. With just a few clicks, we can select from a range of assessments and send them to candidates for completion. Results are automatically routed back to our database. It streamlines the back-office process, and enables our consultants to focus their time on what they do best – recruitment!”

Online skills testing – recruiters’ “secret weapon”

However, many recruiters have only been incorporating skills assessment tests as part of their work process since the pandemic obligated people to work from home. The ability to test applicants online is a categorical benefit. Recruiters can create a group of candidates and send a test link to everyone at once with a single click.

Applicants can take the test from anywhere as long as they are equipped with a computer device and an internet or a broadband connection. Online skills testing at once removes the need for recruiters to spend time coordinating date, time, and venue for assessments.

One of the many reasons recruiters also utilise skills testing software is because it provides them with a competitive edge over those who do not. Skill testing is a valid method of evaluating candidates and presenting the best ones to the hiring companies.

Leading skills testing provider such as ISV.Online offers a range of comprehensive skills tests that suits a myriad of market sectors. The tests are varied and professional, and the software has an intrinsic dynamic reporting system. ISV’s tests are suitable for many job roles including administrative, junior to mid-level managers, and accountancy.

Literacy, Numeracy, Psychometric, MS Office, and Data Entry tests count among our most popular assessments. MS Office’s suite of tests evaluates an individual’s knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

ISV’s psychometric assessment is designed as a self-reflective questionnaire. It measures leadership and collaborative skills as well as the ability to focus and interpret information quickly.

Skills testing helps recruiters deliver better candidates faster

Skills testing is also instrumental in helping recruiters verify a candidate’s skills and abilities. It is not uncommon for applicants to exaggerate their talents. Applicants often inflate their knowledge and qualifications on their CVs or during interviews. If unnoticed, it can be costly for the hiring company.

CVs or interviews alone cannot provide a complete or detailed overview of a candidate’s potential. Hence, a pre-employment test can act as an impetus for recruiters to adopt skills testing as integral to recruiting.

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According to Kim Simpson, a permanent recruiter with Work Wales, a leading independently run Welsh recruitment agency based in Swansea, South Wales, and another REC member, testing candidates is another way to offer additional services to clients. “It can be used as a marketing tool to obtain exclusivity, to overcome client objections for specific candidates, and is perfect for assessing applicants who have had a good education/training but little work experience,” she says.

Kim vouches for the importance of employing skills testing as a regular recruiting method. She also share how important it is to have software that integrates smoothly with the in-house recruitment CRM. Kim appreciates that the assessment records are filed automatically and sending links to clients is very easy.

Skills testing software provides detailed reports which recruiters can use to corroborate the reasoning behind selected candidates. Assessment reports provide a detailed look at an applicant’s results while also giving a comprehensive overview of group performances.

These guide a recruiter’s understanding of where each candidate’s abilities lie, their suitability for the role, and how they have performed compared to their peers. These results help inform better and smarter hiring decisions.

Voyager Infinity clients can all benefit from ISV’s online skills testing integration.

In addition, Voyager Infinity has recently partnered with CV-Library offering immense benefit to mutual clients. With its enormous database, recruiters can get immediate and easy access to millions of top talents directly within their Voyager Infinity CRM software.

 


Voyager Infinity and Voyager Mid-Office are software solutions that make Recruiters’ lives easier. Voyager Infinity is a CRM used by thousands of recruiters globally to source, nurture and maintain the relationships with their clients and candidates, and Mid-Office manages the entire Pay and Bill process (IR35 ready).


Why skills testing candidates is a win-win for everyone