Why Employers Should Use Behavioral Assessments for Hiring

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What is the Behavioral Assessment Test for a Job?

Behavioral assessments are pre-employment tests designed to measure critical interpersonal qualities beyond just skills or experience. These include personality traits, workplace behaviors, ethics, culture fit, and more. Behavioral assessments for hiring are used to predict on-the-job performance and identify top talent matches. 

If you’re wondering where all of the talented candidates in the job market are going, it could be that they now work for your competition.

In fact, a survey found that 82% of employers are using pre-employment assessments during the interview and hiring process to uncover which candidates truly have the abilities they need. Many report that this helps them speed up the process of filling that job vacancy.

Pre-employment assessments tests give you a clearer, more detailed picture of your future employee. Competency tests like MS Office, computer skills, and industry-specific tests help companies hire the best candidates with the right skills. When these tests are combined with behavioral assessments, the hiring process becomes more effective and efficient.

According to Talent Board’s 2022 C and E Report, Almost half (45%) of companies use pre-employment assessments during their hiring process, and of those assessments, 42% are personality tests.

What are the Different Types of Behavioral Assessments for Hiring?

The most common types of behavioral assessments for hiring include:

• Personality tests – Evaluate a candidate’s characteristics like introversion, curiosity, cooperation, and adaptability.
• Emotional intelligence tests – Assess self-awareness, empathy, and social awareness.
• Situational judgment tests – Present real-world scenarios to test judgment.
• Integrity tests – Quantify traits like reliability and propensity to follow rules.

While skills tests may reveal if a candidate can do the job, behavioral assessments help answer an equally important question – will they thrive in your unique work environment?

What Does an Employee Behavioral Assessment Test Consist of?

An employee behavioral assessment test consists of situational judgment questions that present hypothetical workplace scenarios. These tests measure traits like problem-solving, communication, integrity, emotional intelligence, and response to stress/conflict.

We’ve all been there. You’re trying to build a rockstar team, but finding those perfect fits feels impossible. How can you level-up your hiring techniques, and what can you do to identify those top-quality candidates? That’s where a behavioral assessment comes in handy.

Top companies understand the importance of finding just the right hire, and they realize the value of pre-employment tests in achieving this goal.

“In today’s workplace, tech skills get you through the door, but behavioral competencies determine how far you’ll go. That’s why smart hiring isn’t just about what candidates know—it’s about how they apply it.”

Ken Crowell – EmployTest

Behavioral assessments are your secret for optimizing hiring decisions and building that dream team! However, without the right tools behavioral assessments can feel like a maze.

You know you need them but figuring out how to implement and use them effectively… that’s the real challenge.

In this blog, we’ll cover the benefits of behavioral testing, how using the right test can uncover the positive personal attributes your team is looking for, and how monitoring performance can lead to better training decisions for long-term success.

The Benefits of Behavioral Assessments

The world of hiring is a complex one, but behavioral assessments are here to make it easier.

Beyond resumes and interviews, these tools can give you a deeper insight into your candidates’ skills, abilities, and personality traits.

• You’re not just looking at qualifications on paper anymore; behavioral assessments provide data-driven insights that allow for more informed decisions in the recruitment process.
• A well-rounded view of potential employees ensures they fit seamlessly within your team dynamics while also possessing necessary technical capabilities.
• You’ll have concrete evidence about their suitability for specific roles within your organization based on objective measures from these tests.
• Say goodbye to high turnover rates as you hire individuals who align with company culture and role requirements.

Now that we understand the importance of behavioral assessments, let’s explore how you can select a suitable tool.

The Disadvantages of Behavioral Assessments

The benefits of introducing pre-employment behavioral assessment in your hiring process definitely outnumber the disadvantages. However, every assessment method has its limitations.

It’s important to remember behavioral tests will not give you the full picture of your applicants’ abilities. Only when you combine behavioral assessment with cognitive tests and other hiring tools can you have enough information to make an informed decision.

HR managers need to understand what type of behavior your new employee should possess. If a “first impression” is incorrect, then you might hire a person who turns out to be less productive than the one that you passed over. Behavioral requirements should be tailored according to job requirements and the workforce.

Even if they don’t possess the “textbook” behavioral traits you think your company needs, the candidate may still have the potential to perform successfully in the position. People often compensate for weakness by developing other abilities.

For example, a salesperson does not have to be extroverted to be a good employee because introverts often can find ways to create deeper connections. If the candidate shows promise in other abilities, it may be time to reconsider the needs of the position.

Identify the Right Assessment Tool

Selecting a behavioral assessment tool is no small feat, and a testing partner can make the selection process easier. Together you can consider various factors such as job type and required skills for success in that role. Different tools cater to different types of jobs, making it crucial you do your research before deciding on one.

Finding the Appropriate Employee Behavioral Assessment

The key lies in understanding what each tool measures and how its results align with the demands of the job at hand.

Collaborating with a specialist in pre-employment testing, such as EmployTest, can provide you with high-quality resources that cater to your organization’s needs.

Tailoring Tools to Job Requirements:

• Analyzing data-driven roles? Consider assessments focused on logical reasoning abilities or numerical aptitude tests.
• Hiring for customer-facing positions? Look into personality profiling that cover the traits needed, like service orientation or conscientiousness Specifically looking for customer-service or sales job tests? EmployTest offers options tailored to both.
• Recruiting new leadership? Examine the benefits of a management aptitude test in your hiring decisions.
• Need a strong team player? A key component often included within behavioral assessments is centered around emotional intelligence, which allows recruiters to gauge factors that greatly affects social interaction and teamwork abilities within a work environment.

How To Use Behavioral Assessments For Hiring

If you are considering using behavioral assessments for hiring, there are a few things you need to do to make the most out of this powerful tool:

• Decide What To Measure
  • Determine the most critical behavioral indicators of success for each role. Is it problem-solving, resilience, communication, or planning skills? This can be done by conducting a job analysis. Prioritize testing specifically for those targeted competencies. 
• Select the Right Behavioral Test
  • Select a behavioral assessment that measures the job-related behaviors that you have identified. There are a number of different behavioral assessments available, so you will need to choose one that’s reliable and valid.
• Test Candidates Early in the Process
  • Inviting all applicants to take behavioral assessments right after initial resume screening saves you interview time and fast-tracks your hiring decision.
• Evaluate Results Contextually
  • Don’t blindly eliminate those not meeting 100% of the criteria. Consider compensating strengths and other contextual factors that still make a candidate suitable.
• Combine with other assessments
  • Augment behavioral insights with skills testing to develop a comprehensive view of each candidate’s abilities.

The Perfect Hire is a Behavioral Assessment Test Away

How do you know who is the best fit for your company?

Industrial psychologists, behavioral experts, and data scientists believe in behavioral assessments because it yields data-driven, more informed hiring decisions. With so many risks in hiring the wrong person, it’s worth the additional minimal effort of assessing behaviors.

When researching testing providers be sure to select a pre-employment testing platform that has a wide range of psychometric tests to accurately assess the behavioral traits your future employee should have. 

If you are a company that needs to streamline hiring costs, select a testing partner that provides per-test pricing instead of lengthy contracts with minimum order sizes.