Case Study: One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning

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How EmployTest Helped an HVAC Company Streamline Remote Testing

One of North America’s largest employers of HVAC home services for 50 years, One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning uses EmployTest’s pre-employment testing solution for their talent acquisition goals.

The HVAC specialization company offers an innovative “Earn While You Learn” approach. One Hour believes in investing in its people by providing learning opportunities that lead to apromising career path. Their motto is, “At One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning®, you are a name, not just a number.

Challenge

Remotely test, evaluate, and process 1500 applicants per year.

Solution

Transition from in-house questionnaire to highly efficient solution of testing applicants remotely.

Result

• Ability to coordinate remote testing from anywhere.
• Easy to use customized tests efficiently identify top candidates.
• Test scores identify skill gaps and appropriate learning paths for employees.
• Comparison of applicant rankings helps identify appropriate placement.
• Efficient decision making improves time-to-hire.

One Hour has a workforce of 110 employees and offers highly competitive full-time opportunities for HVAC beginners and skilled workers. To attract the best candidates, they provide comprehensive training and learning opportunities. Professional development begins in the first week of employment with hands-on training in addition to learning in the company’s state-of-the-art training lab. The talent acquisition team sources and processes 1500 applicants each year for these sought-after positions. To meet their hiring and training objectives, the hiring process has to be focused on efficiently identifying candidates that have the required qualifications and aptitudes. It was a continuing challenge to manage the process remotely while avoiding hiring mistakes. One Hour had been using their own questionnaire to get the results that would help them make their hiring decisions. But according to Jill Faulkenberry of the Talent Acquisition Team, their in-house testing process was labor-intensive and ineffective. That caused hiring delays and increased the possibility of errors. With a remote work staff and applicants, their teams needed an easy-to-use solution for all locations that provided immediate, reliable results. They turned to EmployTest to meet their needs for tests that could be used at different stages of the hiring and training processes. EmployTest’s customized solution can be designed to meet all of their testing needs.

“The personality tests really amaze me. They are pretty spot on!”

-Jill Faulkenberry, Talent Acquisition Director

Customizable

Remotely testing applicants gives the team significantly more control of the testing, hiring, and training processes. With the option to choose when and how to use testing, the company is able to optimize their hiring results.

The talent acquisition team found that testing applicants remotely allowed them to move applicants through the process more efficiently while saving time and reducing hiring costs. Using the tests as benchmarks confirms their initial candidate choices or identifies better options.

The team also uses test scores to compare and rank candidates for appropriate placement. With their commitment to on-going learning, One Hour values the opportunity to identify any gaps in skills and create individualized learning plans.

For  Hiring Decisions

EmployTest’s easy to use process streamlines testing and produces valid, reliable results so One Hour can make informed hiring decisions. The team is now able to choose the best tests for their industry and to schedule testing when it’s most convenient for them.

Using assessments like Excel for more advanced clerical and administrative positions gives the team a better look at actual skills. Near the end of the reviewing process, they test candidates that the team is interested in to confirm their initial assessment.

The company can also decide how to use test scores. Candidates for service positions take technical aptitude tests. Topics include Measurement, Mechanical Movement, Physical Properties, Tools, and Following Instructions. Candidates that score at least 40% move to the next round of consideration. The team combines test scores with all other interview results to get a complete and accurate picture of a candidate’s qualifications.

For Training Purposes

One Hour also found that testing helped them achieve their training goals. Testing is incorporated into the training process to evaluate how well employees retain knowledge and skills.

Test scores are shared with employees so they can benchmark their performance against their co-workers. Management uses the scores as building blocks to determine the additional types of learning employees may need.

Making The Process More Efficient

With remote applicants and employees throughout the U.S., efficiency is critical to test hundreds of applicants every year. The transition from an in-house questionnaire to a comprehensive testing solution was a game-changer for One Hour.

The easy to use program is efficient and ensures the best candidates are identified, hired, and working within the shortest time frame possible. Now great candidates aren’t lost to competitors due to their frustration over a slow hiring process. One Hour can now easily process hundreds of applicants each year.

What One  Hour Air Valued Most

After the transition to an easy to use solution, One Hour achieved significant improvements in the accuracy and results of their testing and training processes.

The talent acquisition team especially loved the ability to email links to candidates ahead of interviews. They found that “the dashboard is great for a quick look comparison of candidates and where they rank against each other.”

They rated the suggested questions as “invaluable!”

Faulkenberry says that the team found value in using the assessments to help them make decisions on candidates. The scores helped them clarify and confirm their initial candidate choices.

ABOUT EMPLOYTEST

EmployTest is dedicated to increasing productivity and reducing costly employee turnover through time-tested, customizable screening assessments. The company has worked with more than 7,000 corporate and government partners across six continents. Our customizable assessment platforms administer more than 60,000 tests to job applicants and help save millions of dollars of hiring mistakes annually.