International Recruitment Process, Part I – Pre-Employment Assessments & Interviews

Pre-Employment Assessment Testing and Interviews

In today’s competitive climate, pre-employment assessment testing appears to be the right way employers can select the better candidate.  Research shows between 20 to 50 percent of new hires fail to live up to the expectations of their employer.  Many of these individuals either end up leaving the organization voluntarily or involuntarily.  Maybe this explains why an increasing number of organizations are looking at assessment testing to enhance the recruitment process and select the better candidate, as well as to make the process fair and transparent. Or are employers using pre-employment assessment testing as a way to move from the practice of nepotism, a phenomenon commonly used in both big and small companies and organizations worldwide?

Pre-Employment Assessments and Interviews Commonly Used Today

            When an applicant applies for a job today, whether it be in law enforcement, with an international or non-governmental organization, a municipal corporation, or in the private sector, many employers are using pre-employment screening to search for the best candidate.  For example, to join the New York City Police Department, all applicants must take a civil servant aptitude test, medical and psychological exam, and drug test before they can be selected to participate in the 6-month police academy training program.  Additionally, since the late 1980s, the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Genève, Vienna, and Nairobi made it mandatory for all general service candidates to take a pre-employment aptitude test.  Furthermore, in 2007 the United Nations has made it compulsory for all professional hires (P-levels) to participate in a ‘situational assessment’ and ‘behavioral interview’ (competency-based interview) before a conditional offer of employment arrives in one’s inbox.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Pre-Employment Assessments and Interviews

            There are several advantages to employers when offering pre-employment assessments and competency-based interviews.  For example, employers can lower the turn-over rate by ensuring that a potential hire has the physical capability and cognitive ability to perform competently in their new role. The assessment and interview process also demonstrates that new hires earned their letter of offer on their own merits.  Also, whenever an employer needs to hire new employees immediately, they can select candidates from a roster who have already gone through the assessment process – saving organizations time and money.

The disadvantage of pre-employment assessments and competency-based interviews can be when employers give an evaluation that lacks reliability, validity, relevance to the job description, and without objectivity and fairness, it can lead to legal ramifications for the employer if EEOC laws found to have been in violation. Another disadvantage can be brilliant individuals with many years of experience, and an excellent skill-set lacks great test-taking skills, disqualifying them from the job they applied. However, they would have been better able to articulate their expertise during an oral interview. Or have excellent test-taking skills, but lack the competency-based interviewing skills needed to move forward in the process. Another reality, the candidate is external and unfamiliar with current ERP and database operations, and internal policies and processes. These scenarios can cause the organization to miss out on hiring a highly qualified candidate with years of experience, who is able to perform above expectations.