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[Introduction]

#21

Announcements/News & Event / What is a skill based assessme...

Last post by hasan - July 06, 2023, 04:38:26 PM

Introduction
Finding the perfect candidate for your job role is like looking for a needle in the haystack.

With an average of 200 candidates applying for a single job role, the recruiters feel ambushed and often end up making the wrong hire.

Skill-based assessment is the platform that can help you liberate yourself from all such problems, redeem your time for more challenging tasks and help you to choose the right fit for your job role.

What is Skill Based Assessment?
A skill-based assessment is a series of tests designed to evaluate the skills of a candidate to determine if they are the perfect fit for your job role.


But what about CVs and resumes? Aren't organizations supposed to judge and hire you on the basis of your career history and qualifications?


Yes and no! Yes to the fact that recruiters do judge you on the basis of your resume but the screening process doesn't end here.


Consider this! The applicant has mentioned all top-tier qualities and skills in their CV but are they really adept with those qualities? Can you trust them based on a piece of paper?


No right! But if you conduct an assessment for the applicant you can be 100% sure that they have the required skills and can be a good fit for your job role.


And with the availability of such a wide library of assessment tools, you get a 360-degree profile of the candidate using these tests.

The stats and figures confirm the same story:

• More than 78% of resumes are misleading and 46% are actually lies.
• 75% of HR professionals face difficulty in recruiting due to skill gaps in applicants.
• 36% of hiring managers are more satisfied with their recruits after using job skill assessments.
• Employers who use pre-hire assessments are 24% more likely to have workers who perform above expectations.

When to Use a Skills Assessment
Some people are strong in education, others are rich in experience. A skills assessment test does not tell how or when the candidate learned the skills but measures what the applicant can do.


The idea of using skill-based assessment tests is not only limited to hiring, they can be used for in-house training and upskilling of the employees as well.

1. Hiring: a skill assessment test can be used to shortlist the candidate that perfectly fits your job role.

2. Learning & Development: a skills assessment test is a quick and unbiased checkpoint that can be used as employees move along a learning path to make sure the training is effective.

3. Reskilling and Upskilling: to manage the talent gap of current employees, companies are encouraging them to learn a related or new set of skills.
Types of skill assessment
Skills are a veritable commodity for both hiring and development. Skill assessment tests measure the length and breadth of a candidate's knowledge and skills and their likelihood of succeeding at work.


To test the all-round abilities and skills of an applicant, the following types of skill assessments can be employed:

1. Psychometric Tests: Psychometric tests are psychological evaluation tools conducted to objectively assess a candidate's aptitude, personality traits, abilities, and intelligence levels. Whether for employment or career guidance, the psychometric test can help match an individual's personality and abilities to the right role or career.

2. Behavioral Tests: Behavioral tests are structured frameworks to assess candidates' behavioral competencies in a simulated work environment. Individuals taking these assessments demonstrate their behavioral skills in tasks that mimic actual workplace settings. Behavioral assessments are a crucial part of the evaluation process that aims to observe, understand, analyze, predict, or even rectify the candidates' behaviors.

3. Coding Tests: Coding tests are technical skills assessments that tech recruiters can use to single out suitable coders with the desired skills. These online skill assessments for hiring filter out unsuitable candidates early in the tech process, ensuring only the most competent professionals get to the next level. Using these technical skills tests, employers can easily assess the coding prowess of job applicants.

4. Aptitude Tests: Aptitude tests are standardized pre-employment assessments that help employers determine an individual's fitment for a role. These tools are an excellent way for recruiters to understand how applicants might tackle the challenges of the role for which they have applied, uncovering their strengths and weaknesses.

5. Domain Tests: Domain tests, also known as technical tests, are structured assessments administered to candidates (for technical and non-technical profiles) to evaluate their domain knowledge and aptitude required for the given roles. Such a skills test helps determine suitable candidates by placing probabilities in strict test environments to gauge whether they possess the knowledge and skills required for the position.

6. Communication skills Tests: Communication skills assessments evaluate the candidates' communication skills and focus on how well they understand the complexities of the language. These tests are broadly based on four evaluation parameters: pronunciation, fluency, listening comprehension, and grammar.

Benefits of assessment for hiring

• Reduced Bias and Discrimination: Bias based on race, age, gender, and affinity may creep along during the hiring process unconsciously because after all, we are just humans.
• However, skill-based assessment tests act as a neutral impersonal funnel that turns its back to any bias and filters applicants only on the basis of skill and abilities.
• Accelerates the Hiring Process: Employing skill-based assessments accelerates the hiring process because the recruiters don't have to sit poring through the resumes and their interviews to shortlist candidates. The tool prepares a graded list with the best-fit applicants on the top.
• Gives Consistency: Skill-based assessments test each candidate with the same level of questions and tasks which is nearly impossible during human interviews. This instills a sense of consistency in the entire recruitment process.
• Learning & Development: Skill-based assessments have been really useful in pinpointing the skill gaps of employees, making it easier to develop a relevant, personalized learning and development plan.

Skill assessment tests vs. other assessment methods / Skill tests vs. interviewing
Employers conduct competency based skills assessments to make the right hiring decisions. Some of the most common methods of assessing candidates' or existing employees' skills are resume reviews, interviews, employment tests, background investigations, etc.


However, there's no match for high-precision skills assessment tests. These are standardized, scientific, and formal means of identifying high-potential employees and deserving candidates. Intrinsically, skills assessment tests ensure authentic scores, ratings, and grading of the candidate. Hence, these tests are prepared to evaluate the candidates' skills and abilities comprehensively.


Skills assessments offer additional benefits over other assessment methods. For example, when evaluating through old-school testing methods, you cannot vouch for the candidates' genuineness. The facts presented in resumes, job interviews, and reference checks can be misrepresented. Such misleading results can create a quandary for recruiters because candidates might portray themselves in the best light to grab the opportunity.


Skills tests are quite effective in predicting performance when compared to traditional interviews or CV screenings. The results derived from skills testing are objective, factually relevant, and crucial in selecting a candidate – whereas a CV is not enough to make a hiring decision. Candidates can present misleading information on their CVs but not on a skills test.


Hear it from the experts themselves, it has been touted that the skills assessment market which was valued at $1.93 bn is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.6% and be valued at $5.64 bn by 2030.

What is the Purpose of a Skills Assessment?
Leveraging job skill assessment tests for applicants can be advantageous because you know only what they have written on their CVs, which is not enough. Testing applicants in real-life job simulations can bring out the best in them and help you in choosing the right fit for your role. This was one of the reasons why skills assessments are necessary. Other reasons include:

1. To know about the candidate's actual skills: Resumes and CVs often list incomplete information which can be misleading for the employer. Conducting skill tests can authenticate the abilities that the candidate possesses.

2. Finding the right fit: Now that you know the abilities of your candidates, you can easily decide whether they are the perfect fit for your job role or not.

3. Assess candidates' cultural fit: The candidate you choose might be sound in technical skills but if he cannot communicate well and remain on the same page as the rest of the team, he can feel disconnected. Skill tests enable recruiters to determine candidates' cultural fit competently and effectively.

4. Addresses high-volume hiring: Skills tests come in handy when hiring at scale. By using an employability skills assessment as a pre-screening tool, hiring managers can differentiate between ideal and incompatible candidates early on and save substantial time that would otherwise be wasted on interviewing unqualified candidates.

How common is skill assessment testing?
Though skill-based assessment tests have been in the market for quite some time, they started gaining popularity in recent years since the pandemic hit us.


The percentage of employers who use competency based skill assessment tools has grown tremendously and according to the recent Talent Board's Candidate Experience Research report, more than 82% of the companies are using the technology.


The skill assessment tools have become technologically and scientifically advanced and also pocket friendly which is an add-on for employers.


Another reason why so many employers use skill assessment tests these days is that they guarantee a great candidate experience. Candidates can access and solve these skill assessment tests online from their own living room, at the time that suits them the best.

Why do so many companies use skill assessment tests?
Skill assessment tools have become the most affordable, reliable, and objective method for assessing candidates, but they have additional benefits as well. Employers use the tools:

• To hire new employees,
• To evaluate current employees for different roles,
• To identify employees with high leadership potential,
• To compare talent within an organization against industry or geographical benchmarks,
• To understand talent strengths and gaps,
• To develop employees' long-term value.

Skill assessment tests provide relevant information on both job applicants' and employees' ability to perform in the workplace.
As such, skill assessment tests are used by employers to make well-informed, data-backed decisions regarding recruitment, training, and promotion of job candidates and employees.

Source: https://www.hirequotient.com/hr-glossary/what-is-skill-based-assessment-test-for-employment

[What is a 'virtual internship'?]

#22

Announcements/News & Event / What is a ‘virtual internship’...

Last post by hasan - July 05, 2023, 06:00:07 PM

What is a 'virtual internship'?
Read this guide to discover:

• What it's like to do a virtual internship (and work from home)
• The type of jobs a virtual intern might do
• How long virtual internships last
• Whether or not virtual internships are paid
• What makes a good virtual internship
• The differences between virtual internships and normal internships

You're in the right place if you're wondering...

• "'Virtual internship' vs 'normal internship' – what's the difference?"
• "Are virtual internships worth it?"
• "'Work from home internship' meaning?"
• "What is a remote internship?"

A virtual internship is a fixed and remote position in which tasks, communication, and feedback take place online.

Just like a standard internship, the goal is to develop your professional skills and gain experience in an industry You're considering for your career.

During your virtual internship, you'll take on junior-level tasks and, in most cases, will go through an established programme that includes project work and digital one to ones.

Your virtual internship will help you make professional connections and could lead to further opportunities with the organisation.

Employers of all kinds offer virtual internships. You may be paid for your time although it will likely be the minimum wage.

The terms 'virtual internship', 'remote internship' and 'work from home internship' all mean the same thing. Employers use them interchangeably.

What happens on a virtual internship?
You can read about this more broadly in the "What happens on an internship?" section of our "What is an 'internship'?" guide.

Here are some experiences specific to virtual internships:
You'll join the workforce online

During a virtual internship, you join an employer's workforce online to gain industry experience and relevant skills, enhancing your future job prospects in the process.

You'll probably take on specific project work
Because you'll be remote, virtual internships often involve working on a specific project. Continuity is important, so the scope of your work will likely be limited.

You'll keep in touch with colleagues digitally
Many employers run virtual internship programmes with the cons of the medium in mind.

So expect to stay in touch digitally with your colleagues.

Ideally, you'll have a mentor looking out for you and project work that keeps you connected to the team in the office/workplace.

You'll be introduced to a small number of employees
Expect to be introduced to a small number of employees during your virtual internship. T

here'll be no opportunities for introductions in the corridor or water cooler conversations, so your exposure to new people and different business areas will be limited.

What are the differences between 'on-site internships' (regular internships) and 'virtual internships'?
On-site internships and virtual internships both represent an opportunity to develop your skills and gain experience in a particular field or role.

But there are some key differences:
You'll be working remotely
The main difference between virtual and on-site internships is your location. With a virtual internship, you'll be carrying out tasks remotely instead of going into the workplace.

It's especially important that the employer has a plan to integrate you into the team
With the limitations of a virtual position, it's essential that your employer has a plan to support you while you work, and help you develop during your time.

Many on-site internships rely on the intern's initiative and willingness to find useful things to do. Working from a remote location makes greater demands on your initiative and focus.

Many virtual internships are developed with the medium in mind, with digital networking opportunities and online catch-ups with colleagues.
There's less chance you'll feel a part of the team
The downside of remote working is that you might not feel like you're a part of the team or gain the benefits that come with working with a new group of people.

These include the chance to develop your soft skills, instant feedback from your colleagues, and the ability to make friends and professional connections.

What does a virtual intern do?
You can read about an intern's role in more detail in the "What does an intern do?" section of our "What is an 'internship'?" guide.

The main differences between a virtual and standard intern's role are:
Your focus will be more specific
Most companies with established virtual intern programmes provide a meaningful experience that reflects their area of business and allows you the opportunity to develop.

It's likely that your area of focus will be specific, whether that's on a particular project or you're supporting one team or staff member.

You'll have less traditional office admin tasks
On-site interns often have to carry out administrative tasks, from sorting post and taking meeting minutes to handling orders for refreshments. Virtual interns usually have junior tasks that are more digital in nature, such as:

• Carrying out online research
• Collaborating across shared documents and spreadsheets
• Working within a specific platform created for the purpose of the organisation's virtual interns and their projects

What to expect to get out of a virtual internship?
You can read more about managing your expectations in the "What to expect to get out of an internship?" section of our "What is an 'internship'?" guide.

Some aspects of a virtual internship will impact how useful it will be for you. You should consider:

• How much effort and commitment you can offer despite working remotely and with reduced accountability
• Whether your skills are suited to a primarily digital position
• How comfortable you find working independently and with little supervision
• Whether the organisation has a process in place to ensure virtual interns are supported and managed effectively
• Whether the organisation provides digital networking opportunities
• Whether you'll be working on ad-hoc tasks or specific project work

Only a few of these factors are within your control. The truth is that the usefulness of your virtual internship will also come down to luck.

Read our "Why do an internship"?" guide to find out more.

Source: https://www.milkround.com/advice/what-is-a-virtual-internship

[What Is Human Resources (HR)?]

#23

Basic Concepts of HR / Human Resources (HR) Meaning a...

Last post by hasan - July 04, 2023, 12:14:20 PM

What Is Human Resources (HR)?
Human resources (HR) is the division of a business that is charged with finding, recruiting, screening, and training job applicants. It also administers employee benefit programs.

HR plays a key role in helping companies deal with a fast-changing business environment and a greater demand for quality employees in the 21st century.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Human resources (HR) is the division of a business responsible for finding, recruiting, screening, and training job applicants.
• HR departments also handle employee compensation, benefits, and terminations.
• Human resource management (HRM) strategies focus on actively advancing and improving an organization's workforce with the long-term goal of improving the organization itself.
• HR departments must keep up to date with laws that can affect the company and its employees.
• Many companies have moved traditional HR administrative duties such as payroll and benefits to outside vendors.

Understanding Human Resources (HR)
John R. Commons, an American institutional economist, first coined the term "human resource" in his book The Distribution of Wealth, published in 1893. However, it was not until the 20th century that HR departments were formally developed and tasked with addressing misunderstandings between employees and their employers.

An HR department is an essential component of any business, regardless of an organization's size. It is tasked with maximizing employee productivity and protecting the company from any issues that may arise within the workforce.

HR responsibilities include compensation and benefits, recruitment, retention, firing, and keeping up to date with any laws that may affect the company and its employees.

Key HR Activities
Research conducted by The Conference Board (CB), a member-driven economic think tank, found six key, people-related activities that HR must effectively do to add value to a company. They are:

• Managing and using people effectively
• Tying performance appraisal and compensation to competencies
• Developing competencies that enhance individual and organizational performance
• Increasing the innovation, creativity, and flexibility necessary to enhance competitiveness
• Applying new approaches to work process design, succession planning, career development, and interorganizational mobility
• Managing the implementation and integration of technology through improved staffing, training, and communication with employees

HR Management Strategies
Beginning in the 1980s, there was a push for strategic initiatives within HR departments. This movement was based on research related to the impact of employee-related issues on a firm's long-term business success.

Collectively, these strategies are sometimes referred to as human resource management (HRM) strategies. HRM is a comprehensive approach to managing employees and an organization's culture and environment. It focuses on the recruitment, management, and general direction of the people who work in an organization.

An HR department that adopts HRM strategies typically plays a more active role in improving an organization's workforce. It may recommend processes, approaches, and business solutions to management.

Google is one example of an organization that has adopted a more active approach to employee relations through its HR department. The company offers many employee perks, including on-site wellness centers, on-site meals and snacks, fitness centers, massage programs, and ergonomic support.2 For Google, happy employees are equivalent to productive employees

HR Outsourcing
Since the mid-20th century, some companies have outsourced some of the more traditional administrative, transactional HR functions in an effort to free the department to recommend and implement more meaningful, value-adding programs that impact the business in positive ways.

Functions that may be outsourced in this process include:

• Payroll administration
• Employee benefits
• Recruitment
• Background checks
• Exit interviews
• Risk management
• Dispute resolution
• Safety inspection
• Office policies

The use of modern tools, such as recruitment software, can help to improve the efficiency of HR departments. In turn, that can give them more leeway to focus on adding ever-greater value.

What Is the Role of Human Resources?
A human resources department is focused on the recruitment and retention of employees within a company. HR typically finds, hires (and fires), and trains employees. It oversees employee relations and manages benefit programs. It's the place where an employee goes with questions about their position at the company, to address concerns, and to air grievances.

What Is Human Resource Management (HRM)?
Human resource management (HRM) is a strategic approach to managing company employees, the work culture, and the work environment so that people can function as effectively and productively as possible. Typically, it involves using metrics to measure workforce success.

What Are the 5 Types of Human Resources?
There are numerous important human resources functions carried out by an HR department. Five well-known types of responsibilities are:

• Recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new employees
• Handling employee compensation and benefits
• Offering employee job/career development
• Addressing work-related issues of individual employees
• Developing policies that affect a working environment company-wide

The Bottom Line
A company's human resources (HR) department manages the life cycle of each employee—from recruitment and onboarding to training and termination or retirement. HR departments also must monitor industry trends and rules to stay on top of compliance and legal issues.

Increasingly, HR departments focus on human resource management, using strategic investments and initiatives to improve an organization's workforce. The long-term goal of HRM is to create a more positive, loyal, and productive workforce, which ultimately benefits the company.


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Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/humanresources.asp

[How to Create a Skill Assessment Test for Hiring: A Complete Guide]

#24

Announcements/News & Event / How to Create a Skill Assessme...

Last post by hasan - July 03, 2023, 04:58:13 PM

How to Create a Skill Assessment Test for Hiring: A Complete Guide
Companies use a skill assessment test to hire new candidates. There are various exams and approaches that corporations use to hire qualified candidates to grow their businesses.

With the support of their staff, every firm or corporation achieves success. As more than just a result, any interviewer should hire skilled personnel.

However, the interviewer may make a mistake when selecting an applicant for a job role. As a result, various innovative methods for completing the recruitment and selection process have been introduced.

Companies employed skill assessment tools to examine the candidates' skills in today's digital world. Essentially, the company is looking for people that have the necessary talent and knowledge for the job. As a result, the skill assessment test is preferred by the interviewer.

Skill Assessment Test for hiring
When a candidate enters into an interview, they have the opportunity to present their positive aspect to the interviewers. And it's not uncommon for an impressive personality to cause prejudice throughout the recruiting process.

To be considered for a position in the business, a candidate must be able to manage the role that will be required once hired. However, recruiters must determine how to assess whether candidates have sufficient potential to fulfill the job's requirements. As a result, businesses must devote effort to developing various hiring techniques to identify the right candidate with the right qualifications.

The skill assessment test is an important component of the most effective hiring techniques. Companies must include the following items in their ability assessment exams when planning their exams.

• Set the question relating to the question; for single candidates, set approximately 10 questions.
• Include photos, movies, riddles, and other elements to make the test more effective and successful.
• To test the ability, assign a little activity that must be completed within a certain time.
• Create a question that ranges from simple to complex.
• Give the candidates a fair amount of time to solve the equation to keep their confidence

Companies can arrange a successful skilled assessment test during the hiring process by applying the above points in the skilled test.

Whichever candidate receives the highest score in the skills tests is more qualified for the position than the other candidates.

Methods of a skill assessment test for hiring
Companies not only organize hiring exams for candidates. They can use a variety of methods and provide the shortlisted candidates with multiple opportunities to promote their skills and eligibility for the job post.

Resume reviews
When a job is posted on a job portal or a company's official website, multiple resumes are submitted by job seekers. For the interview, the administrator or HR selects qualified and efficient resumes.

Job interviews
Companies choose the candidates' resumes for job interviews based on the position they're applying for. The interviewer can assess a candidate's communication skills during the interview. The interviewer can measure the level of confidence of the applicants by conducting interviews.

Reference checks

The companies receive the resumes of experienced candidates. As a result, companies can use the candidate's reference in their resumes. Companies discovered more about the nature and characteristics of employees through references.

Job simulation exercise
For organizations or businesses to hire employees, oral interviews are insufficient. Various short exercises are organized for recruits, through which candidates must give practical exams related to the job post for which they apply, such as mock sales calls, writing assignments, presentations, skill assessment tests, etc.

Companies can hire applicants that are trustworthy, skilled, informed, and, in short, perfect for the job by using the strategies outlined above.

Why do companies use the skill assessment test?
Several businesses use an online assessment tool to organize skill tests. Due to the implementation of the skill assessment test, businesses gain various benefits for hiring qualified candidates to grow their organization in a competitive market.

There are numerous reasons why an organization would use a skill assessment test to determine the best hiring strategies.
1. Avoid hiring bias
The most common reason for using an assessment tool is to reduce or eliminate hiring bias. Because recruiters have a lot of responsibility and not enough time, the interviewee makes the wrong decision by appointing the candidates.

When assessment tool tests are released into the market, the risk of hiring unqualified or ineligible people for a position is reduced. Now, the most significant bias in employee hiring can be simply removed or reduced.

2. Fair judgment
The organization meets with many recruiters who come from various states or who have completed their studies at various universities or institutes. As a result, candidates' backgrounds have an impact on interviewees' minds, creating a scenario where the assessors may make an incorrect judgment.

However, the organization can announce the fair decision based on the candidate's talents rather than their background or external appearance due to the assessment tests.

3. Saving time
Using test software, corporations can save time when it comes to hiring candidates. Not only can this type of examination benefit companies, but it can also benefit recruiters by allowing employees to take exams from home and save time.

Businesses choose examination software to conduct tests for recruits. Even if they are located far away from the school or organization, to save time.

Businesses can save time and money by utilizing the skills assessment tool. Any organization can benefit from skill assessment exams because they are both cost-effective and time-saving.

4. Get the skilled candidates
Skill tests provide talented candidates, and the major goal of using the tool is to hire the right people. As a result, the interviewer's job becomes easier as he or she searches through the team of potential applicants for the right candidate.

5. Hiring the perfect candidate for a job
The ongoing growth of corporations in the markets is due to the breakdown of employees' skills. Employees help companies in developing numerous innovative techniques for raising earnings or sales. That is why, when hiring new employees, organizations devote time and attention to testing telnet and selecting the best applicant for the job. With the use of an online assessment tool, businesses can easily hire the best candidate for the job.

6. Best candidate experiences
In addition, the assessment tool can provide an instant test result after all of the test answers have been submitted. As a result, after receiving the rejection, the candidate never feels like they've been a part of the partiality. As a result, including the skilled test into hiring strategies produces the best applicant results.

Type of test as a skill assessment test uses for the hiring
Businesses offer a variety of options for taking a skill assessment test for recruiting. This exam supports the interviewer in identifying and hiring one of the most qualified candidates.

Psychometric tests
Psychometric exams are used to determine a candidate's cognitive aptitude based on their job responsibilities. Each candidate should be aware of the work they are applying for.

Which candidates score well on the psychometric test have a better understanding of jobs than the other candidates. As a result, high-scoring psychometric test takers have a better probability of landing a certain job in a company.

Personality tests
The optimistic personality produces a company's growth strategies. When the recruiters arrive for the interview, they execute a personality test, and the interviewee is unable to assess the candidate's personality based on the first interview. That is the reason, the business can set up a personality test to get a better understanding of the candidate's personality and social behaviors.

General mental ability assessments
The mental ability exam was created to learn more about the mentality of the selected candidates. When an interviewee recruits staff, they may not be able to manage the burden of the company and may cause trouble. Recruiters can gain insight into a candidate's mentality and how they will approach work by giving this exam.

Integrity assessments
Employees who are skilled in their field and who are also honest with their job, including with their employers, are essential to any organization. The organization can learn about the candidates' trustworthiness, dependability, and honesty through integrity assessments.

Companies' interview takers can appoint not only qualified candidates but also trustworthy and honest candidates for their enterprises, by arranging integrity assessments tests.

Job knowledge tests
The interviewer can shortlist candidates who are already familiar with their work or position by implementing a job knowledge exam.

Situational judgment tests
Every person approaches the situation in which they find themselves differently. Some candidates fearlessly handle the situation, while others become nervous and are never able to face it.

Companies can use the situational judgment test to determine how a candidate will handle certain situations. As a result, the company narrowed down the candidates who are capable of dealing with the worst-case scenario bravely and without panicking.

Skill assessment tests.
A skill assessment test administered by the business can assess the competence of selected candidates, with higher scores signifying that they are the most qualified or skilled candidates for the job.

Conclusion

There is nothing wrong with that; the skill assessment tool helps companies in identifying qualified employees. However, candidates are becoming a part of the hiring process by using assessment tools like online examination software while sitting at home.

If a start-up company has a limited budget and needs to hire qualified people, a skill assessment tool is one of the simplest and cost-effective solutions.

Source: https://www.conductexam.com/blog/how-to-create-a-skill-assessment-test-for-hiring-a-complete-guide/

[what are skills assessment tests?]

#25

Announcements/News & Event / skills assessment tests: how t...

Last post by hasan - June 25, 2023, 02:12:25 PM

There are many factors to consider when deciding whether to hire someone, from the applicant's potential for future development to their compatibility with your company culture.

While the considerations involved in your recruitment decisions will depend on the nature of the role and your business's unique needs and expectations, there will always be specific essential questions to ask. For example: does this person have the skills required to do the job to a high standard?
This is a crucial question in industries that place a lot of importance on technical know-how and knowledge, like manufacturing and logistics.

To get the most accurate and reliable answers, you must go beyond fundamental recruitment processes like evaluating resumes, conducting job interviews and checking references.

This is where skills assessment tests come into play.
what are skills assessment tests?

While their primary function is as a hiring tool, you can also use these tests to monitor skills in your existing workforce. This can be an effective way to ensure your people have the right competencies to succeed in their job and identify opportunities for training and development.

There are various benefits to be gained from this approach, such as increasing your confidence that potential hires have the necessary hard skills for highly technical roles or gauging soft skills that could prove vital to the employee's long-term success.

Assessing capabilities in your existing workforce can also highlight current skills shortages, which will help you decide what sort of candidates and talent profiles you should be targeting in your recruitment activities.

why you should use skills assessment tests

Skills assessment tests prove particularly useful when hiring for a role that demands specific knowledge and capabilities.

This can be crucial in sectors like manufacturing and logistics, where employers need to know that a prospective recruit knows how to use specific machinery or is familiar with a particular process before deciding to hire them.

These tests also hold a lot of value if you have reached a point in the recruitment cycle where you have identified several promising candidates and need to narrow down the field. The results and insights you gain from the tests can show you where certain applicants have the edge over others.

Another valuable benefit of skills assessment tests is that they provide a data-driven, objective view of an individual's abilities. If you rely on resumes and interviews alone, your final hiring decision will only be based on what the applicant has told you about their capabilities. Some people are better at selling themselves than others, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're the best choice for the job.

Checking references is essential to verify the candidate's claims and get input from a third party, and you can make sure you're getting the best outcomes from this process with the help of tools like Checkster. But it's important to remember that what you're hearing from referees is their subjective opinion.

Tests allow you to take all emotion and impartiality out of the equation and judge people purely based on the knowledge and aptitude they display in their assessment.

This can also prove helpful in your efforts to manage your current workforce.

Analysing the skills of existing employees can lead to benefits, including:

A clearer picture of existing skills and proficiency levels in your workforce
Insights into where your training and development activities are generating results and where they're falling short
Indicators of where additional training is required
The ability to compare your existing talent with broader industry standards
Being able to build a more comprehensive skill set across the team as a whole
different types of skills assessment tests

If you've decided that introducing skills assessment tests is the right approach for your business, the next step is to learn more about the options available and which are best suited to your needs.
hard skills tests

In an industry like manufacturing, employers need to know their workers possess the complex skills required to do essential jobs well and keep their core business running.

In the modern manufacturing sector, this might include:

• Traditional production skills like welding, machining and fabrication
• The ability to operate certain pieces of machinery
• Experience using certain vehicles
• Proficiency with automated systems and software
• Familiarity with quality control processes

In many cases, workers will need to provide proof of their skills - in the form of a forklift truck operator's license or a MIG/TIG welding certificate, for instance.

You can evaluate job applicants' capabilities in crucial areas like these by coming up with test questions that require particular knowledge and experience to answer.

For example:

• How would you conduct a quality check on [X] product?
• What steps would you follow to ensure you're using [X] machine safely?
• How would you perform routine maintenance on a computer numerical controlled machine?

Specialist software platforms like Codility and HR Avatar allow you to design bespoke tests that ask these sorts of detailed questions.

Another helpful tool is the 16PF Questionnaire, which businesses worldwide use to evaluate personality traits and measure the competencies required to succeed in particular roles.

Hard skills tests can also involve putting participants in hypothetical situations where they face a technical problem and have to explain the approach they would take to solve it.

soft skills tests

Hard skills are undeniably crucial, particularly in sectors where employees frequently use machinery and equipment that demands specific technical expertise.

But hard skills shouldn't be your only consideration. For many organisations, the ideal recruit will have a combination of technical capabilities and soft skills since the latter increases the likelihood that the person will integrate well with the rest of your workforce and form strong relationships with their colleagues and customers.
Dedicated skills assessment tests can be handy for evaluating these characteristics since they can be challenging to judge purely based on an applicant's resume.

Thanks to the ever-expanding HR technology space, many tools and software platforms can help you conduct accurate soft skills assessments.

One example is Pymetrics, a company supported by the Randstad Innovation Fund. This tool aims to help employers measure a jobseeker's full potential by going beyond resumes and collecting objective behavioural data through gamified assessments.

Taking an innovative approach like this could help you evaluate soft skills such as:

• Fairness
• Decision making
• Focus
• Capacity for learning
• Risk-taking

The 16PF Questionnaire can again prove beneficial when evaluating soft skills. This approach will help you build a detailed picture of a candidate's personality, with the option to focus on aspects such as their development potential, leadership abilities and cultural fit.

case studies

If you're looking for direct insight into how an applicant would respond when placed in a particular scenario, presenting them with a genuine case study from your business can be an excellent way to do it.

Ask a manager or team member - preferably one the new hire could be working with - to give an example of a particular challenge they have faced in their day-to-day work, how they managed it and the result they achieved. You could also ask if they would choose to take a different approach with the benefit of hindsight.

If a jobseeker can come up with a similar solution, or possibly an even better one, it will increase your confidence in their ability to thrive in the role.

Tools like Modern Hire can make it easier for you to present applicants with resources such as case studies and videos and ask for their opinion on them. You can also use technologies with audio and video capabilities to test specific hard skills - knowledge of foreign languages, for example.
a combination
You can get a truly in-depth view of a job applicant's talent and potential by combining several skills assessment tests in your recruitment process.

Finding the right balance of hard and soft skills tests, for example, will help you make data-driven conclusions about whether the individual can actually do the job, first and foremost, but also about their compatibility with your company and their prospective colleagues.

Complementing these methods with practical evaluations and possibly with other tools like cognitive ability tests could be the comprehensive approach you need to get the best out of your skills assessments.

Source: https://www.randstad.com.au/hr-news/training-development/skills-assessment-tests-how-to-make-them-work-you/

[What Is Human Resources?]

#26

Basic Concepts of HR / The Ultimate Guide to Human Re...

Last post by hasan - June 22, 2023, 04:07:39 PM

Discover why every company needs a great human resources (HR) department and how you can build one that will help you grow your business.
Remarkable Human Resources (HR) employees are critical at every company. They handle all employee relations so you can focus on your side of the business.

Before we discuss more reasons why your company needs an impactful HR department and how you can go about building one, let's talk more about what human resources actually means.

What Is Human Resources?
Human resources is the person or group of people at a company who manages all things related to its employees. This includes — but is not limited to — hiring, maintaining a budget, recruiting, managing benefits, ensuring employee satisfaction, implementing a company culture, and training new hires.

Based on this definition alone, you can see how it would be difficult to run your operation successfully without the assistance HR provides. That's why even small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have HR departments with employees who oversee all management, engagement, and development between the company and its employees. HR departments exist to support you and your employees so you can continue doing your jobs successfully.

The work and responsibilities of a human resources employee will touch a large portion of your business every day. So what does that mean for you? Let's review some of the most common responsibilities these employees have so you can better understand the impact HR will have on your company.

Human Resources Responsibilities

• Handle employee relations
• Create an employment structure
• Manage employee job satisfaction
• Manage employee benefits
• Handle compensation
• Maintain the company business plan
• Handle new hire training
• Screen job candidates
• Create company culture standards
• Maintain a healthy work environment
• Handle necessary administrative work

Handle employee relations
HR handles the employee-to-employee relationships as well as the employee-to-company relationship. This means they work to develop positive interactions and treatment among all employees within your company so they feel good about coming to work, are committed to their jobs, and are invested in the growth of the business.

Whether it's a personal matter or a work-related issue, human resources will handle all issues with care and keep the best interest of both your company and employee in mind.


Create an employment structure
Your HR department will handle your entire staffing plan — meaning they'll identify the gaps in your current employee structure and fill them by acquiring new talent. They're also in charge of firing any existing talent that isn't meeting company standards. Your company's HR team will ensure you have the right people to help you grow your business.


Manage employee job satisfaction
Once your employees have begun work, you'll want to make sure they're excited to come to the office every day and add value to your company — their excitement is directly related to their level of job satisfaction. If your employees are happy in their roles, feel as though they can grow at your company, and can change departments down the road if they choose to, they're more likely to be productive team members. Your HR team ensures your employees really do feel satisfied in their roles and will work with them if they feel unhappy or unsatisfied at any point in time.


Manage employee benefits
Your HR department will handle the amount and type of employee benefits your company offers. Providing good employee benefits is critical to the success of your business because they're proven to attract and retain talent and increase employee productivity. Benefits keep employees satisfied by giving them a variety of perks and making them feel secure in their roles.


Handle compensation
HR manages all payroll and compensation work, including employee salaries, payment schedules, W2s, and all other tax-related paperwork. If an employee is offered a promotion — or awarded a bonus — HR will handle all changes in their regular payment schedules.


Maintain the company business plan
Your HR department will help you create, distribute, and maintain your company's business plan — this serves as an overview of your company's organizational structure. It covers your company's philosophy and culture code, how you manage your employees, and how you'll distribute your resources.


Handle new hire training
When an employee is hired, HR will often take them through the necessary training they need before diving into their everyday tasks. Whether one day or six weeks, new hire training is critical to making that person feel comfortable in their new role. It's also a great way to set expectations early on and get them prepared so they can make an impact as quickly as possible.


Screen job candidates
In the beginning of the hiring process, you may be tasked with screening job candidates. In this initial screening, you have the opportunity to ask candidates about their previous roles, core qualifications, and salary expectations.

Keep in mind that as you evaluate each job candidate, they're also evaluating you. Presenting yourself — and your company — in a good light is crucial, especially considering that 67% of job seekers have had at least one negative experience in the hiring process, and more than half have declined an offer because of a poor experience.


Create company culture standards
HR is in charge of helping you create and maintain your company culture — this includes your philosophy, mission statement, and work environment. It also includes your company's ethical standards, values, goals, and expectations. HR may implement programming, activities, check-ins, or events at your office so your employees can learn and develop a better understanding of the culture.


Maintain a healthy work environment
Your HR team will assist you in creating a healthy and safe work environment for all employees. Their role includes setting health and safety standards in the office, communicating these standards to all employees, and upholding them as the business grows. These standards should be written so they can reference them at any point in someone's time at your company.


Handle necessary administrative work
A lot of your company's administrative work is handled by HR. This includes paperwork related to federal and state tax laws, job applications, time-keeping and payroll information, and employee contracts.

How to Build an HR Department in 10 Steps

• Create a company-wide staffing plan
• Set an HR budget
• Make a payroll and administration system
• Write job descriptions
• Lay out a clear benefits plans
• Create an employee handbook
• Set safety procedures
• Collect administrative records
• Display necessary employment posters
• Create performance and feedback processes

We've put together a list of 10 steps — not listed in any specific order — you should take to build a successful HR department. Whether you begin working through this list with or without your company's first (or first few) human resources employee(s), all 10 items on this list should be thoughtfully considered.

1. Create a company-wide staffing plan
Create a company-wide staffing plan so you can identify all positions you'll need to fill with your new hires. This may also include moving current employees into new roles or even removing employees and/ or their roles entirely from the company.


2. Set an HR budget
You'll need a budget for your human resources department to cover the costs of building the department and hiring your HR team. The budget will also go to company-wide programming, and culture and team building activities HR may organize.


3. Make a payroll and compensation system
You'll need to ensure you have payroll and compensation plans in place for all types and levels of employees. Your employees will want to know how, when, and the frequency in which they're going to be paid the moment they receive their job offer. You'll also need this information to determine salary ranges for all of your employees.


4. Write job descriptions
Job descriptions posted on your website and job sites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor are how you'll attract applicants. You'll want to create job descriptions for all of the HR roles you need to hire for. Then, as you fill some of these HR openings, those new hires should be able to assist you in creating all other job descriptions for your growing company.

 

5. Lay out a clear benefits plans
A clear and thorough benefits plan is crucial for attracting and retaining talent. You'll want to lay out all of the benefits you offer to your new hires so they can feel good about their decision to join your team as well as secure and supported in their roles.


6. Create an employee handbook
An employee handbook (whether print or digital) is a great way to set clear expectations from day one about workplace behavior, safety, health, and culture. Your handbook should include answers to all the questions your employees may have about these topics — and any others you see fit — as they go through training and begin work at your company.


7. Set safety procedures
Your employees are most likely in the office for approximately eight hours per day — meaning it needs to be a healthy and safe place for them to spend large amounts of time. If one of your employees ever felt unsafe or at risk of mental or physical harm at the office, it'd be very difficult to expect them to be productive.

To avoid this, you should set workplace health and safety standards, which you can include in your employee handbook. State your safety procedures for different types of personal altercations and procedures for emergencies and other potential unexpected or dangerous situations so everyone can handle them appropriately.


8. Collect administrative records
Although you may have an executive assistant who collects and organizes a lot of your company's administrative records, plenty of documentation should be collected, organized, and managed separately by your HR department. These items may include job applications, benefit plans, tax documents, and compensation and payroll details.


9. Display necessary employment posters
State and federal laws require companies and their HR teams to hang specific employment posters around their offices so they're visible to everyone who enters the space. Some of these required posters change over time, so be sure to keep up with the laws and requirements of your state and country.


10. Create performance and feedback processes
Employee success and satisfaction are major components of a prosperous company — without these two things, it'd be challenging to retain your best talent. In fact, companies that implement regular employee feedback have turnover rates that are 14.9% lower than companies who do not.

You'll want to create company-wide performance and feedback processes to ensure everyone is held to a specific standard that you and your HR team set and maintain.

Employee performance evaluations ensure all employees are working up to their full potential. This time should also be spent making sure your employees are satisfied with their jobs, feel as though they can grow with your company, and enjoy being a member of your team.

Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/human-resources

[Your resume is the key piece of your job application. Here's how to get it right.]

#27

CV/Resume Writing Tips / Tips for Creating a Great Resu...

Last post by hasan - June 20, 2023, 01:06:52 PM

Your resume is the key piece of your job application. Here's how to get it right.

• Employers look at resumes for an average of only six or seven seconds.
• You'll get the best results if you send your resume between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. within the first four days of a job being posted.
• Your resume should be clear, concise and tailored to the job for which you are applying.
• This article is for job seekers who want to improve their resumes to increase their chances of getting an interview.

With the current labor shortage and low unemployment rate, job seekers are at an advantage when it comes to applying for jobs. However, that's not to say that you don't need a professionally written resume. Employers still want to find and hire the best employees for each open position, and resumes are the first step in that search. There are several strategies you can use to make your resume stand out and demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the job.

Importance of a resume
Your resume is the most important document you'll submit in your job search. It's your frontline fighter, so to speak, as it's your first opportunity to present yourself to a potential employer. Hiring managers and recruiters look at resumes for an average of only six to seven seconds each, so it's important that you make every second count. A strong resume can help you stand out from the crowd, but a weak resume can remove you from the running.

According to Zippia research, professionally written resumes are not only good for landing an interview, but they can also boost your earning potential by 7%.

Simple resume writing tips to help you stand out
It can be difficult to succinctly present all of your experiences and qualifications on one page, but there are many ways to spruce up your resume without going overboard. To help you land an interview, we rounded up some of the best resume writing tips.

1. Keep your resume short and direct.
The No. 1 rule of writing a resume is to keep it short and to the point. The general rule is no more than one page unless you have a very good reason for it to be longer, like an extensive career or a lot of highly applicable work experience.

An easy way to keep your resume concise is to include only recent, relevant experience. While that yearlong first job might have taught you a lot about the field, it's not always necessary to include every detail from your entire career history.

Most experts recommend including jobs from the previous 10 or 15 years only, although this time frame may be shorter if you are new to the workforce. Including too many unrelated work experiences can make your resume appear too busy and draw attention away from your relevant qualifications. Your resume should be focused, clear and concise.

2. Create an original resume template.
Employers appreciate originality. While it's helpful to refer to a professional resume template, don't follow it rigidly. Zippia found that more than 60% of hiring managers consider a customized resume as the top strategy for job applicants to increase their chance of landing a job.

"I often pass over resumes that match Microsoft Office templates," Claire Bissot, SPHR and director of Kainos Capital, told us. "The templates are meant to be a guide to get started, but it should be expanded on to make it your own."

Format your resume so that it is easy to identify your qualifications. For instance, Bissot recommended, if you advanced in a company quickly, draw attention to that growth. If you excessively job-hopped, bullet those jobs without providing specifics and detail more applicable positions. This will play to your assets.

When structuring your resume, make sure the information is presented in a logical order, said Veronica Yao, owner of CareerProse and marketing communications manager at Fonolo. "A hiring manager [will] read your resume starting at the top and ending at the bottom. However, if they don't finish reading the whole thing – and they often don't – you still want to ensure your strongest points come across."

3. Highlight relevant skills and experiences.
Using the same resume for every job you apply for is not a good approach. Instead, your resume should target the specific job you are applying for. Be sure to prioritize the skills, qualifications and experiences that are directly applicable to the job you are trying to land.

Choose three or four former positions or experiences that best highlight the skills required for the position for which you apply. Employers value brevity; this is not the time to list every position you have ever held. For example, if you are applying for a marketing position, you could include your former retail experience and bullet the communication, branding and interpersonal skills you learned in that position.

If you don't have a work history that directly relates to the job you are applying for, get creative with how you present your other experiences. Draw on the skills you used and how your contributions benefited the organization or project. [Read related article: 38 In-Demand Skills to Help You Get the Job]

4. Demonstrate results with numbers and metrics.
When you write about your previous work experience, it is always a good idea to quantify your successes with numbers. Using metrics can highlight your achievements and give the hiring manager or recruiter a clear sense of how you impacted your previous place of employment. For example, someone who previously worked as a sales representative might say that they "executed more than 50 cold calls daily, with an average 5% conversion rate."

5. Craft a career snapshot.
More recently, career experts have urged job seekers to do away with the old "objective" statement and instead consider including a brief summary, called a "career snapshot," at the top of their resume.

"With the career snapshot, you present a branding statement that briefly explains your unique value as well as your skills and qualifications," said Tomer Sade, CEO of Book a Space. "This would then be followed by a few bullet points that highlight your experience and your accomplishments. Whatever you list here should be relevant to the position you're applying to."

"The top third of your resume is prime resume real estate," added Lisa Rangel, an executive resume writer and CEO of Chameleon Resumes. "Create a robust summary to capture the hiring manager's eye."

Think of your career snapshot as an answer to the question "How would you describe your work experience in one sentence?" The summary is an opportunity to sum up your most relevant and important skills, experience, or assets right off the bat.

6. Optimize your text.
If a company uses an applicant tracking system (ATS) to collect and scan resumes, a human hiring manager may never even glance at any application that doesn't fit the job criteria they've entered. Trish O'Brien, vice president of human capital operations at PSI Services, emphasized adapting your resume to the position to increase your likelihood of passing the first level.

"Make sure you've carefully reviewed the posting and ... [used] the appropriate keywords in your resume to get past the screener," O'Brien said. "Be truthful, but understand that the first pass on your resume is likely via an ATS."

A helpful tip is to make sure you include keywords from the job post in your resume. You can copy and paste the job description into a word-cloud generator to identify the most frequently used terms, and make sure the terms that apply to you are used in your resume. You can also create a "core competencies" or "areas of expertise" section of your resume to list all of your hard and soft skills, and then reiterate those skills when you bullet your experience.

7. Think beyond your job duties.
Hiring managers don't want to read a list of your job duties. They want concrete examples of your accomplishments in previous positions that show how you can make a difference in this new position.

Rangel said that specific merits are more engaging to read than just your experiences. For example, "I reduced operating expenses by 23% in six months" is far more interesting to an employer than "I have 30 years of sales experience."

When deciding what information to keep or cut out of your resume, focus on striking abstract traits and qualifications in favor of concrete, quantifiable results.

"The best resumes highlight a job candidate's actions and results," said Bob Myhal, director of digital marketing at CBC Automotive Marketing. "Employers want employees who get things done and who take great joy and pride in what they do. Rather than a laundry list of your qualifications, your resume should reflect your accomplishments and enthusiasm for your career."

You shouldn't ignore your skills section either. Sade reminded job seekers to list any industry-relevant apps or programs they're familiar with and to find ways to incorporate examples of their emotional intelligence (e.g., self-awareness, empathy) and soft skills (e.g., work ethic, reliability) into their job descriptions.

8. Use the right language to stand out.
Trite, lackluster descriptions of your job duties and accomplishments won't do you any favors. Make sure you're using strong action words, such as "achieved," "designed," "improved" and "established," to describe your roles and projects, said Sade. This will make you sound confident while imparting vital information. But be cautious about depending on action verbs – make sure to include details about how you improved a process or achieved a goal.

"Words such as 'professional,' 'results-driven' and 'detail-oriented' provide very little helpful information," Sade said. "It's better to use actual job titles than these words."

Diya Obeid, founder and CEO of ATS company JobDiva, said that you should remove words like "go-getter," "team player" and "go-to person" from your resume. These come off as fluff and take up precious space on your resume.

9. List your social media profiles.
Many hiring managers today screen candidates on social networks. Save them a step by providing your profile links on your resume. Seasoned applicants with a professional social presence would do well to include URLs for their LinkedIn profile, Twitter account and blog, if applicable.

"If, and only if, your social media accounts are filled with professional posts pertaining to your industry, listing them on your resume can be advantageous," said Richie Frieman, author of REPLY ALL ... and Other Ways to Tank Your Career. "They can show you have a strong network and are up to speed with modern-day marketing and communications practices. The hiring manager will see that you like to keep up with what's happening and that you care about learning more."

Your social profiles can be a powerful recruitment tool to supplement your experience and position as an expert in your field, but only if they are leveraged correctly.

10. Check for errors.
Triple-check your own work, and then have someone else look over your resume to ensure it's 100% clean. There is no room for sloppiness on your resume.

Spelling, grammar and punctuation: A hiring manager will likely automatically dismiss your application if they spot a typo or grammatical error. "Make sure it's error-free and easy to read," Obeid said. "HR reps equate typos and errors with laziness. Use good English – the written word has a huge impact on the employer."
Formatting: "Review formatting very closely, including font, alignment and spacing," Bissot said. "Related issues can often be perceived as a sign of lacking technical skills and/or attention to detail."
Headings: Yao said that candidates often submit applications addressed to the wrong employer or outline experience that's irrelevant to the role. "Receiving a resume that's crafted and addressed to someone else – or worse, a competitor – can be a huge turnoff and will set a negative tone even if they do choose to continue reading your application."

Source: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3207-resume-writing-tips.html

[Skills Assessment Test: What Is It?]

#28

Job Searching Tips & Guidelines / Skills Assessment Tests: The U...

Last post by hasan - June 19, 2023, 12:52:24 PM

When a company is searching for suitable candidates to fill a job position, the resume is the first impression of what experiences, abilities, and skills they possess. Yet and still, it's not possible to understand specific qualities that aren't on the resume.

When a company is searching for suitable candidates to fill a job position, the resume is the first impression of what experiences, abilities, and skills they possess. Yet and still, it's not possible to understand specific qualities that aren't on the resume.

If they are a serious candidate, the employer would need a comprehensive demonstration to showcase specific characteristics. That's where recruiter assessment tests can help. While the HR department might already have a method to weed out the best applicants from the others, this testing method is worth trying.

Here's why your company should incorporate a candidate assessment test today.

Skills Assessment Test: What Is It?
The general idea is to assess an applicant's ability to handle certain situations, but what is a skills assessment test for employment? Typically, the test is a tool utilized by recruiters to determine the candidate's abilities. The person's score will indicate if they have the necessary traits to fulfill the job description adequately.

The recruiting assessment test comes into play once you review someone's resume and the employer wishes to start narrowing down the pool of candidates that will come in for an interview.

Are There Any Other Assessment Methods Than Skills Recruitment Assessments?
Recruiter assessment tests aren't the only methods at your disposal when you assess a candidate. Other notable ways to gauge their abilities include job interviews, screening resumes, reference checks, and simulated exercises.

Many recruiters incorporate more than one recruitment assessment during the hiring process. The end goal is to attract, sift through, and bring on the most highly skilled contenders as an asset to the company.

The primary advantage of recruiter assessment tests for employment is that employers can administer and score consistently. These standardized tests are scientifically designed to evaluate applicants across several parameters and produce a score to summarize their performance for each category.

In quantifying someone's skill and generating a score, the results serve as the most objective method of separating the best candidates from average applicants based on their abilities. This testing method also ensures that there's less bias present during the hiring process.

Lastly, it gives employers an extra boost of confidence that only the most skilled candidates are moving forward on the path to getting an open position filled.

Consider this; when you meet someone for an interview, they show you what they want you to see. You can rest assured that you aren't seeing the most accurate version of the person in front of you. It is also the case with resumes.

You see the best attributes that the candidates possess without any way to determine what their weaknesses may be. Studies show that employers have noticed that 85 percent of applicants fabricate their credentials and skillsets on their resumes.

Even the reference checks aren't necessarily accurate because the review you receive is subject to the person's bias. If the reference favors the candidate, you will receive a more glowing summary of their work ethic and skills, whereas someone who doesn't like the candidate may speak more harshly than what is true.

For those reasons, recruiter assessment tests are the most efficient, cost-effective, and accurate method to assess the pool of applicants. Once you gather the strongest candidates, you can further evaluate them individually through simulated exercises and interviews.

What Are the Types of Recruiter Assessment Tests?

• Even though the objective seems straightforward, it's not easy to find the best candidate for the position you want to fill.
• If you have expectations for what you'd like to see from the ideal employee, it doesn't mean you'll find what you're looking for right away. It's more challenging than you'd think to match a skill set to a job in reality.
• What is a recruiting assessment supposed to do? It should take the guesswork out and show you what you lack from specific individuals and what you can hope to see if you give them the job.
• The parameters of the tests are objective, and you're assured unbiased results on the type of personality they have, their gifts, and their shortcomings.
• It's wise for a company to choose more than one form of assessment to get a holistic understanding of the person they'll be hiring.
• Here are the most common types of recruitment tests:

Aptitude Test
Aptitude tests are excellent for examining a potential employee's professionalism, capability to achieve company goals, attitude toward challenges, and problem-solving skills. An aptitude test hones in on the person's temperament instead of their expertise or technical abilities. It's a way to ensure that the candidate fits in with the company culture.

Domain Test
A domain test is a structured evaluation that assesses the applicant's knowledge in a particular domain necessary to fulfill the duties of a job.

You can customize a domain test to determine abilities in areas such as operations, sales, finance, marketing, strategy, accounting, project management, communications, and more. These tests can gauge functional and technical abilities and general aptitude for the position.

Communication Test
Communication tests are written assignments and oral evaluations to assess the applicant's overall fluency, pronunciation, grammar, and listening comprehension.

How familiar are they with business language and understanding of how to convey their points persuasively and authoritatively? The ideal candidate can retain a wealth of information while responding in the appropriate company language.

Behavioral Test
Consider a behavioral test to determine how a potential employee will behave depending on the conditions they face while in the workplace. It includes scenarios regarding conversations with management, unexpected assignments and deadlines, team conflicts, and more.

It'll give you a glimpse into how they might react, whether they seem to be able to adapt to change, and if they can handle pressure. It also allows you to identify and analyze the candidate's capability to maintain relationships in the workplace.

Psychometric Test
A psychometric test is a scientifically constructed psychological assessment to determine the applicant's intelligence, personality, and emotional capacity. It's one of the best ways to filter out candidates that don't match the psychological makeup that the company prefers.

Technical Test
Technical tests are beneficial for job openings in programming, coding, software engineering, and similar areas. You can develop a test specific to a position to test the candidate's expertise and ability to perform the duties they'd have if hired.

Why Every Recruiter Should Use Skills Assessments?
Here are the primary benefits of utilizing a skill assessment test:

• Fair: A skill assessment test allows candidates to see that the hiring process is unbiased and that they are being fairly judged based on their knowledge and qualities.
• Save time: An excellent resume and interview can sometimes be misleading as the person hired shows significant gaps in those highlighted skills once hired. Identify these weaknesses early on with the skills test and avoid wasting time restarting the hiring process if they underperform.
• Remove your bias: A skills test can help the employer not be biased when judging the person before them. More experience may make you inclined to hire someone less fit for the position than someone with less experience. However, the skills test will be accurate and precisely reflect their capabilities.
• Periodic assessments: The skills assessment test is also helpful beyond the initial stage of recruitment. You can assess current employees periodically to determine if they need further training or gauge where they have grown or regressed.

How To Make Skills Assessments Part of Your Hiring Process?
This topic brings us back to the question, what is a skills assessment test?

It's easy to go online and find a couple of tests that seem to fit what you need for an open position and use them. However, you must be more selective and strategic when you decide to add this element to the hiring process. Here's how you go about adding a skill assessment test to the company recruitment and retainment policy:

Step 1: Find the Gaps
Before you can create a skills assessment test for a specific job, you have to identify your company's needs as a whole.

What attributes and skills do you want every employee to possess, regardless of their role? What skills are necessary to drive the company to reach individual and collective business goals? What gaps do you have that you'd like a new hire to tackle?

For example, are there any technical skills that you're lacking in a particular department that could be useful in improving customer satisfaction? Add that to the test! Any soft skills that are necessary to maintain morale and enhance company culture?

Add those too! It's all about understanding where you are and what direction you want to go in as a company. Incorporate any skills, knowledge, and behaviors essential to consistent progress and daily operational success.

Step 2: Select Your Hiring Goals
Now, you'll sit down to construct the ideal candidate. Examine the role you want to fill. Identify what they'll need to do, the knowledge they'll need, and the various skills required to perform adequately. Balance the needs for this specific job with the company's overall needs.

From here, you get to decide what you're targeting. So you want someone that's well-rounded and seems to be at or above average in nearly all the skills? Or, should you prefer someone that is a rock star in one or two areas but might be lacking in other categories?

One might present excellent growth potential because they excel in leadership and management, while the other may not seem to be a leader, but they offer overall stability. Add you create your assessment, keep these factors in mind, as it'll help you when you start evaluating great results.

Step 3: Pick the Right Assessment Tool
There are so many assessment tools out there that it can be overwhelming trying to pick the one that best fits your needs.

• Ask yourself these questions before you make your final pick:
• How much is the assessment, and how does billing work?
• What type of recruitment assessment tests do you need?
• Would you like to include anti-cheating measures?
• Will you receive customer service should you have any questions?
• Does the platform have good reviews from existing customers?
• Are you searching for an assessment tool that gives the most accurate and objective results?

Use these questions to shape your selection and decide which tool best suits your budget and company needs.

Step 4: Develop a Test for the Role
This step is where you take all of the data from step 2 and create the skills assessment for the open position. Choosing a series of tests based on the skills you need for this role will help you filter through your options.

Reputable test assessment companies will also recommend which tests are best for the job function you identify. The suggestions are both helpful, and they allow you to save time when selecting the most relevant tests. They may even suggest skills that you hadn't considered applicable to the position.

You can usually add your own custom questions to the skills test if you'd like to put your personal touch on the assessment. An example would be using a specific scenario that has occurred at the workplace and asking the candidate how they would handle the conflict.

You can also instruct them to upload a video of themselves answering specific questions to add their resume to the assessment.

[How Recruiting Automation Improves the Candidate Experience]

#29

Announcements/News & Event / How Recruiting Automation Impr...

Last post by hasan - June 17, 2023, 04:10:04 PM

How Recruiting Automation Improves the Candidate Experience

The world is powered by the experience economy, and it's time to take that to heart when it comes to recruiting.

And when it comes to your hiring process, you should never forget that the candidate's experience is just as important as the candidate itself.

Companies are increasingly adopting recruiting automation tools to help streamline their hiring, but did you know that candidate experience is often overlooked?

How candidate experience and recruitment automation are connected
Think about it: when you have a candidate whose experience was so bad they would never recommend your company, they're going to tell everyone they know how awful their experience was.

And if they don't say anything? They'll probably still have that negative impression in their mind when they see other job opportunities come up.

The consequences of this are drastic: not only does it make candidates feel like they're being treated like numbers on a spreadsheet rather than human beings with their own stories to tell, but it also means you're missing out on some of the best candidates out there.

In fact, your candidate experience is so important that it can be one of your most important key performance indicators (KPIs): the Candidate Net Promoter Score (NPS). NPS is a measure of how likely candidates are to recommend your company to others based on their perceptions about how well you treat them during the hiring process. It's a critical way to understand how well your company is doing at attracting and retaining talent.

Fortunately, there are tools that help automate recruitment processes and improve the candidate experience by saving time and money on manual workflows, automating repetitive tasks, and creating custom workflows based on different roles in your organization.

But first, what is recruiting automation?
The term recruiting automation sounds self-explanatory. However, anyone that has ever managed a hiring process knows how manual and difficult recruiting can be.
Recruiting automation refers to using software to automate and streamline your recruiting processes. The goal of using this software is to reduce manual tasks that can be done more efficiently by technology, free up recruiters' time, and empower them with data that facilitates well-informed hiring decisions.

What is candidate experience?
The candidate experience is more than just a certain part of the recruiting process. It's the overall experience that candidates have with your company, from initial outreach to the final hiring decision. Due to this, it's important for companies to invest in their candidate experience.

The candidate experience isn't just about keeping a job listing active and posting open roles on social media. It's about making sure candidates see the value in applying for your open positions and understand what it would be like to work at your company. A positive candidate experience can increase conversion rates on job postings.

A good candidate experience is great for business
Hiring the right people can benefit your company in a number of ways. The right candidate can bring an influx of new ideas to your team and help you navigate changes in your industry.

Additionally, if you're looking to save money in the long term by having employees who stick around for longer, a good candidate experience is essential for creating a company culture that will keep employees satisfied and engaged.

In order to improve your bottom line, you need to put forward candidate experience best practices and think about how to attract top talent, plan to prepare them for the job, and provide support during their first few weeks on the job.

Every touchpoint in your process has an impact on your candidate experience, from the ease of applying online to how quickly you respond to inquiries. Hence, a positive and personalized experience throughout the hiring process is critical to a company's success.

Why the candidate experience matters
The candidate experience in recruitment is critical to your business. It gives candidates a glimpse into your company culture, sets expectations, and can either make or break the deal.

A poor candidate experience could deter people from applying for open positions and can even lead them away from working with your company altogether. A bad interview process or impersonal communication can turn off applicants and make them think twice about working at an organization. A positive candidate experience will help you attract top talent who will be excited to work at your company and put their best foot forward during interviews and other interactions while applying.
Recruiting automation software gives you control over how you interact with candidates throughout their recruitment journey, which means you can ensure each and every candidate has a positive experience with your company. Here are some ways recruiting automation software can help improve your candidate experience and enhance your employer value proposition (EVP).

Smart ways to improve candidate experience with recruiting automation
Creating a positive candidate experience doesn't have to be difficult. Here are some smart ways to improve the candidate experience using recruiting automation.

Job posting
The first step in the recruiting process is posting jobs. With recruiting automation, you can post jobs on multiple platforms simultaneously and reach more candidates with less time and effort. Plus, it's easy to automate notifications to candidates about opportunities that match their skills and preferences.

Resume screening
Resume screening is a critical part of the hiring process, but it can be time-consuming if done manually by HR or recruiters. More than half of recruiters (52%) report that screening candidates is the most difficult part of recruiting.

With recruiting automation, resumes are automatically screened by algorithms, and data-rich summaries are sent to the human team for review. This helps ensure quality and bias-free hiring while also saving time and money.

Candidate nurturing
With recruiting automation, you can create automated messages that will be sent out to candidates based on their response to an initial email or phone call. The message could include what the next step in the process is and provide them with information about your company and culture.

Automated candidate nurturing tools will keep track of all candidates who applied for your open positions and notify them about new openings as soon as they become available. This helps ensure that they don't forget about applying for jobs at your company.

Why should you leverage recruiting automation?
Enough about candidate experience. Let's come back to recruitment automation and why you should use it to hire faster and better.

Whether you're looking to fill one position or many, automation can deliver a stellar candidate experience and help you get the right people on board faster with less effort.

Recruiting automation tools are designed to help companies manage their recruiting processes more efficiently and effectively. These tools automate repetitive tasks and improve communication between different departments involved in the hiring process, so you can onboard the best talent without any gaps in communication.

Bias-free hiring
Many companies struggle with unconscious bias when hiring new employees because they lack objective data. Recruiting software gives companies access to reports and data about how a candidate, regardless of race or gender, will perform across various roles so they can make better, more informed decisions about who to hire for open positions.

It facilitates a more standardized process for reviewing resumes and conducting interviews. You can remove some sources of bias from the hiring process entirely, which has been shown to improve both diversity in hiring and employee retention rates.

With automated systems in place, there's no need for human error when screening applicants, so everyone has an equal shot at being seen by recruiters.

Assess candidate skills effectively
Recruiting automation helps you effectively assess and evaluate candidate skills. The tool gathers information from resumes, cover letters, and candidates' answers to chatbots, then uses algorithms to determine each candidate's skill level in each required skill set. This saves time and helps you make more data-driven decisions.

It enables you to review all the candidates who have applied for a job, and then narrow down this list to those who are most suitable for your company. You can even filter out those who don't meet certain criteria, such as qualifications or experience levels, and store them in a candidate repository for future needs.

In addition to this, it also allows you to check out how well they would fit into your company culture with tools that are designed to gauge their personality traits, work styles, and preferences – all of which will help you determine if they will be a good fit for your team.

Reduced time-to-hire
One of the biggest benefits of using recruiting automation software is that it saves you time by automating tedious tasks such as screening resumes, scheduling interviews, sending reminders, managing candidates' progress, and engaging with them through the hiring process.

In fact, it's been found that recruiters spend a significant amount of their time screening candidates instead of focusing on other tasks that will ultimately bring them better results.

With automation tools in place, you can identify top talent quickly and hire them faster than ever.

Reduced cost-per-hire
With recruiting automation, you can use AI-based screening tools that help eliminate unqualified candidates early in the process. This helps reduce your cost per hire by saving significant amounts of time and money spent on recruitment advertising and other expenses like office space rental costs and utilities.

Source: https://learn.g2.com/recruiting-automation

[What is Human Resource Management?]

#30

Announcements/News & Event / 7 Human Resource Management Ba...

Last post by hasan - June 13, 2023, 01:52:23 PM

People are essential to the success of any business. The performance of employees can be a liability or asset to a company. As an HR professional, you will play a pivotal role in how successful your company is. Good Human Resource Management (HRM) is essential for businesses of all sizes. In this article, we will breakdown the fundamentals of Human Resource Management.

We will start with a brief description of HRM and HR. Then we will dive into the seven HR basics you have to know to have a good understanding of what HR does. We will end with some information on technical terms, such as HRIS (Human Resources Information System).

What is Human Resource Management?
Let's start with a brief definition. Human Resource Management, or HRM, is the practice of managing people to achieve better performance.

For example, if you hire people into a business, you are looking for people who fit the company culture as they will be happier, stay longer, and be more productive than people who won't fit into the company culture.

Another example is engagement. Engaged employees are more productive, deliver higher quality work and make customers happier. This means that if we can find ways to make employees more engaged, we help the company.
The HR department provides the knowledge, tools, training, legal advice, administration, and talent management, which is crucial to sustaining and advancing a company.

This is what Human Resource Management boils down to optimizing company performance through better management of human resources. The next question is, who are these Human Resources?

What is a Human Resource?
It may feel a bit weird to refer to people as 'human resources'. Human Resources are all the people that in one capacity or another work for or contribute to an organization.

These people make up a company's workforce. They can be regular employees, for example, but also contractors. Especially with the rise of the gig economy, more and more people are starting to work for an organization on a contract basis without having a traditional labor contract.

These people include independent contractors, workers provided by contract firms, on-call workers, and temporary help agency workers.

An independent contractor can be under contract for years at the same organization, while an agency worker can work at 20 different companies throughout one year. Because these people are all involved in the company to a different extent, the way they are managed and involved in the organization should also be different.

Also, there are increasingly non-humans at work at the company.

In this case, we're talking about the increase in robotization. Robots are increasingly involved in day-to-day work and the interaction between man and machine is becoming increasingly essential to the success of the organization. Although these machines are not considered 'human resources', there is a case to be made that they should be included in some way as they are part of the workforce.

The seven HR basics
When we talk about Human Resource Management, several elements are considered cornerstones for effective HRM policies. These cornerstones are:

• Recruitment & selection
• Performance management
• Learning & development
• Succession planning
• Compensation and benefits
• Human Resources Information Systems
• HR data and analytics

In the following section, we will cover these HR basics one by one.

1. Recruitment & selection
Recruitment and selection are arguably the most visible elements of HR. We all remember our first interview, right?

Recruiting candidates and selecting the best ones to come and work for the company is a key HR responsibility. People are the lifeblood of the organization and finding the best fits is a key task.

The request for new hires usually starts when a new job is created or an existing job opens up. The direct manager then sends the job description to HR and HR starts recruiting candidates. In this process, HR can use different selection instruments to find the best person to do the work. These include interviews, different assessments, reference checks, and other recruitment methods.

Sometimes, when there are a lot of candidates, HR may deploy preselection tools. These tools help to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to suitable candidates. The successful candidates then continue to the next round, where they are interviewed and receive a more in-depth assessment.

2. Performance management
Once employees are on board, performance management becomes important. Performance management is the second HR basic. It involves helping people to become their best selves at work, boosting the company's bottom line.

Usually, employees have a defined set of responsibilities that they need to take care of. Performance management is a structure that enables employees to get feedback on their performance – to reach their best performance.

Examples are formal one-on-one performance reviews, 360-degree feedback instruments that also take into account the evaluation of peers, clients, and other relations, and more informal feedback.

Usually, companies work with an annual performance management cycle, which involves planning, monitoring, reviewing, and rewarding employee performance. The outcome of this process enables the categorization of employees in high vs. low performers and high vs. low potentials.

Successful performance management is very much a shared responsibility between HR and management, where usually the direct manager is in the lead and HR supports. Good performance management is crucial. Employees who are empowered to their full potential, improve the efficiency, sustainability, and profit margin of a business. Employees which consistently underperform may not be a good fit for their role, or the company culture. These employees may need to be let go.

This is also one of the basic responsibilities of HR.

3. Learning & development
People are the product of life experiences, the country and era they grow up in, and a range of cultural influences. Within HR, learning and development ensure that employees adapt to changes in processes, technology, and societal or legal shifts.

Learning and development helps employees to reskill and upskill. Learning & Development (L&D) is led by HR and good policies can be very helpful in advancing the organization toward its long-term goals. One of the HR trends for 2023 is bringing learning into day-to-day work and helping employees develop soft and hard skills that are aligned with organizational goals.

Many organizations have pre-defined budgets for L&D efforts. This budget is then distributed amongst employees, with trainees, future leaders, and other high potentials often receiving more training opportunities than others. Individuals may arrive at a company with vastly different knowledge and experience. L&D provides employees with a way in which to bridge skill gaps and develop into leaders. A well-known framework that connects performance management with L&D activities is the 9-Box grid. Based on people's performance and potential ratings, HR department, together with managers, can advise different development plans.

4. Succession planning
Succession planning is the process of planning contingencies in case of key employees leaving the company. If, for example, a crucial senior manager quits his/her job, having a replacement ready will guarantee continuity and can save the company significant money.

Succession planning is often based on performance ratings and L&D efforts. This results in the creation of a talent pipeline. This is a pool of candidates who are qualified and ready to fill (senior) positions in case of someone leaving. Building and nurturing this pipeline is key to good people management.

5. Compensation and benefits
Another one of the HR basics is compensation and benefits. Fair compensation is key in motivating and retaining employees. One of the fundamentals of human resource management concerning pay is ensuring equity and fairness.

Making the right offer of pay is a key part of attracting the best talent. This must be balanced with the budget and profit margins of the company. HR should monitor pay increases, and set standards of merit. HR may also carry out a pay audit on occasion.

Compensation comprises primary compensation and secondary compensation. Primary compensation involves directly paid money for work, which often is a monthly salary and sometimes performance-based pay.

Secondary benefits are all non-monetary rewards. This can include extra holidays, flexible working times, day-care, pensions, a company car and laptop, and much more.

The goal here is to reward people in ways that motivate them.

6. Human Resource Information System
The last two HR basics are not HR practices but tools to do HR better. The first is the Human Resource Information System, or HRIS. An HRIS supports all the cornerstones we discussed above. For example, for recruitment and selection, HR professionals often use an Applicant Tracking System, or ATS, to keep track of applicants and hires.

For performance management, a performance management system is used to keep track of individual goals and put in performance ratings.

In L&D, a Learning Management System (LMS) is used for the distribution of content internally, and other HR systems are used to keep track of budgets and training approvals.

Compensation specialists often use a payroll system, and there are also digital tools that enable effective succession planning.

All these functionalities can often be done in one single system – the HRIS. Sometimes, however, the management of these functionalities is split up into different HR systems.

The bottom line here is that there is a significant digital element to working in HR, that's why we need to mention HRIS when talking about the HR basics.

7. HR data and analytics
The last of the HR fundamentals revolves around data and analytics. In the last half-decade, HR has made a major leap towards becoming more data-driven.

The Human Resource Information Systems we just discussed is essentially a data-entry system. The data in these systems can be used to make better and more informed decisions.

An easy way to keep track of critical data is through HR metrics or HR KPIs. These are specific measurements that answer how a company is doing on a given measurement. This is referred to as HR reporting.

This reporting focuses on the current and past state of the organization. Using HR analytics, HR can also make predictions. Examples include workforce needs, employee turnover intention, the impact of the (recruitment) candidate experience on customer satisfaction, and many others.

By actively measuring and looking at this data, HR can make more data-driven decisions. These decisions are often more objective, which makes it easier to find management support for these decisions.

Conclusion
You now know the 7 Human Resource Management basics. None of these HR fundamentals are isolated. They all interact and affect each other. Think of these 7 basics as building blocks – strong management of each fundamental element contributes to the strength of the next. Collectively, these HR fundamentals enable a workforce not only to perform better but to perform at its very best.

Source: https://www.aihr.com/blog/human-resource-basics/