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The Pros and Cons of Pre-Employment Testing
Employers have relied on resumes and degrees for years to predict positive employee outcomes like retention, engagement, and productivity. However, recent research shows that selecting candidates based on skills can lead to better job outcomes than relying on degree attainment or resume history.
In response to this skills movement, employers are turning to pre-employment testing to screen for the skills that they deem predictive of positive employee outcomes—from standard job skills to emotional integrity and cognitive ability.
Candidate assessments help employers identify more qualified candidates and reduce the time and cost of lengthy hiring processes. Testing platforms collect and store the data that inform evidence-based hiring decisions.
However, there are some potential drawbacks to consider before implementing them. Here’s the rundown of the pros and cons of pre-employment testing:
| Pros | Cons |
| Objectivity Candidate evaluations are standardized. |
Validity Not all tests are accurate indicators of the traits they claim to measure. Some candidates are bad test takers. |
| Fairness All candidates are measured against the same metrics. |
Bias Cognitive ability and knowledge tests disproportionately screen out non-white candidates. |
| Efficiency Weeds out unqualified (or dishonest) candidates before the interview stage, saving time and money. |
Cost Whether developing customized tools or purchasing off-the-shelf solutions, testing is an added expense. |
| Data-Driven Helps employers collect insight-driving data to improve the hiring process over time. |
Beat-The-Test Mentality People answer test questions based on what they think an employer wants, rather than what is true (see: social desirability bias). |
Compliance Concerns
Speaking of bias, all pre-employment testing is subject to federal and state law, and it’s important that tests meet Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP) requirements before being implemented–among other requirements.
Employers should check their state laws before implementing pre-employment testing programs to evaluate all compliance issues. Some organizations have learned this the hard way and faced discrimination lawsuits with high price tags.
Is Pre-Employment Testing Worth It?
In a labor market where turnover is high, and labor is in short supply, evidence-based hiring is the key to making retention-friendly hires. Pre-employment testing lends itself nicely to a quality, evidence-based hiring program.
Evidence-based hiring uses the best available evidence and data to support hiring decisions. Most pre-employment assessments are backed by extensive industrial organizational science.
Evidence-based hiring centers data over intuition. Candidate assessments standardize applicant evaluation.
It’s about zeroing in on the factors that predict employee outcomes, and pre-employment assessments more accurately measure the attributes most predictive of long-term success.
Finally, evidence-based hiring is about iterating over time. It’s about improving every day to grow the workforce that best suits your business. Pre-employment testing empowers employers to collect long-term candidate data that helps them improve the hiring process over time.
If implemented correctly–and in accordance with state and federal laws–pre-employment testing can do more good than harm in making evidence-based hiring decisions.