Revolutionizing Government Hiring: The Skills Assessment Test for Employment Take Center Stage
What is a Government Skills Test?
Federal agencies commonly use pre-hire skills assessments, such as general ability tests, to evaluate key cognitive abilities in job candidates. These exams measure aptitudes like verbal, math, and analytical reasoning through multiple-choice questions that require no prior knowledge.
Gone are the days when a college degree was the golden ticket to government employment.
In 2020, a Presidential Executive Order told federal agencies to put less weight on degrees and more on actual skills. That change opened the door for people with talent and experience, but without a college diploma, to finally get a fair shot.
If you’ve got the skills, that’s what matters most now.
A History of Hiring Hurdles
The US Federal government has had its fair share of hiring hurdles.
- Applicants commonly complain of painfully long wait times before receiving a hiring decision.
- Listing openings that are already filled internally to comply with posting requirements.
- Allowing HR staff unfamiliar with roles to drive hiring choices over departmental managers
- Mandatory hiring preferences that restrict applicant pools, forcing managers to pass on more qualified candidates.
Like a rookie sidekick getting to choose the Justice League roster, these complications and setbacks sometimes kept the best heroes out of the running.
A Better Way to Hire: Skills Tests and Structured Interviews
In 2019, the US Digital Service stepped in to help two agencies fix the broken process.
Their goal was to increase manager evaluations of pre-qualified or “certified” applicants. Before this, candidates could self-rate abilities from 1-5 when applying on USAJobs. However, self-assessments are unreliable.
Applicants may oversell skills or misunderstand role requirements. The solution was to have subject matter experts develop structured interviews and pre-hire skills assessments. This showcased applicants’ skill level before referral to managers.
The result? Managers got a shortlist of qualified applicants who had already proven they had the right skills.
Private Sector Parallels & The Need for Skills Assessment
Government hiring isn’t the only place where bad habits live.
Plenty of private companies also post jobs they’ve already filled, lean too heavily on HR, or rely on resume buzzwords instead of real performance.
That’s why more businesses are turning to pre-employment testing. They’ve seen that checking skills upfront leads to better hires, lower turnover, and a lot less guessing.
Whether you’re public or private, the goal’s the same: hire people who can actually do the job.
The Impact of Pre-Hire Assessments on the Skilled Workforce
This change isn’t just good for agencies. It’s a game-changer for people with real-world skills who’ve been overlooked because they didn’t go the traditional route.
Prove critical thinking skills? Ability to ace a pre-hire personality test? Verify leadership potential? Pre-hire assessments offer the tangible evidence candidates need to demonstrate their hidden strengths.
This new approach levels the playing field, creating opportunities for lower-income candidates. No more needing to wield a degree like Thor’s hammer to gain entry. It’s all about the skills you possess and the talents you’re ready to unleash.
Unlocking a World of Potential with EmployTest
Pre-hire skills tests help agencies and companies make smarter hiring decisions. A skills assessment test for employment shows applicants’ abilities before you extend an offer. Aligned with the guidelines of the US Department of Labor and the EEOC, it shows exactly what each applicant brings to the table.
When you read the pre-employment skills testing results report, you’ll see what your heroes can do before they even set foot through the door. Transform your recruitment process; request a demo of our advanced testing platform!