Implementing a pre-hire assessment as part of your recruitment process can be a risky endeavour. On one hand, giving candidates a chance to demonstrate their skills and abilities in a task akin to what they would encounter in the workplace can be useful. However, you also do not want to risk losing out on a talented individual who happens to underperform during a one off assessment.

Webrecruit Ireland has rounded up the most common misconceptions about pre-hire assessments, so that you can decide whether using one is right for your organisation.

 1. An assessment is the only tool you need to use

A pre-hire assessment can be a useful indicator as to whether a candidate is right for your vacant position, but it shouldn’t be the only part of your recruitment process. Conducting a traditional face-to-face interview and taking advantage of the employer resources available on our website can also be instrumental in helping you to find the ideal candidate.

 2. Candidates won’t want to participate

 Don’t be deterred from asking candidates to perform a task as part of your recruitment process – the chances are, they will enjoy it and see it as an opportunity to impress. To minimise confusion, you should make sure that you explicitly mention the possibility of a pre-hire assessment in the job description.

 3. Assessments make the hiring process longer

If you rely on an interview alone as part of your hiring process, then adding a pre-hire assessment will, inevitably, add some time and effort to the process. However, performing an assessment as part of an interview can be a useful and cost-effective way of measuring candidates’ abilities.  The assessment should have one clear focus – will it assist me, as part of the full recruitment cycle, to recruit the best candidate?

4. Assessments eliminate employee attrition

Although an assessment is a useful indicator for both candidate and employer, it is impossible to completely eliminate employee attrition and guarantee that you have chosen the right candidate every time. As such, the assessment should be part of a wider, well-considered hiring process, so that you can make the most reliable possible judgement on a given candidate’s suitability.

 5. Every candidate who passes will get a job

A pre-hire assessment should be clearly labelled and explained as such when you communicate with candidates, so that they are under no illusions as to the assessment’s true significance. Furthermore, assessors should be clearly briefed with the job description to ensure that they appropriately assess a candidate for the vacancy at hand.

Whether a given candidate is successful or not, assessments can leave them with a positive impression of your organisation and play a role in the management of your brand’s reputation, so you should be careful to ensure that your own firm’s assessments are well-executed.

As a leading online recruiter in Ireland and Northern Ireland, Webrecruit Ireland can be trusted to assist you in your search for the right candidates for your vacant roles. If you would like to enquire about our services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today.