5 reasons recruiters should use aptitude tests

There is no getting away from the fact that recruitment is becoming increasingly challenging. Low unemployment means the pool of available talent is shallow, making it difficult to attract viable candidates.

Recruiters and HR professionals, therefore, need all the help they can get to ensure they can efficiently identify the right people who have the required skills, capabilities, and attitudes. Not being able to do so could mean a lot of disadvantages for the company. Which is part of the reason why recruiters should use aptitude tests.

Here are just five of the key reasons recruitment professionals should be using aptitude testing in their recruitment processes.

1. Objective assessment

The traditional process for assessing prospective candidates tends to be subjective. Recruitment managers use their personal observations, judgments, feelings, and experiences to evaluate candidates based on interviews, CVs, and application forms. Although they may endeavour to be objective, it’s inevitable that their personal views, values, and beliefs influence their decisions. For instance, biases can come into play when hiring. If an introvert applicant shows up for a job interview for a post that requires left-brained skills, the shy demeanor could be mistaken as disinterest to show willingness to bag the job. 

What’s needed is a far more scientific way to assess people by removing this subjectivity. Aptitude assessments provide what’s needed. Well-constructed aptitude tests are more efficient and effective than interviews in determining whether a candidate has what’s required for a specific role. The subjective views and attitudes of recruiters are completely removed from the equation. After all, non-verbal language can be construed differently by those who are not well-versed in interpreting such. 

2. Standardised testing

Standardised aptitude assessments provide recruiters with confidence that tests are valid, reliable, and fair. Standardised test scoring systems enable balanced candidate comparisons which help ensure the identification of the best candidates. Standardised aptitude testing also ensures verifiable compliance with equal opportunities requirements and legislation. Standardised testing also removes any potential bias that’s inevitably inherent in assessments administered by humans. The best part about anything standardised is that it’ll work under different circumstances.

3. Key competency assessment

The candidate attributes required for a retail-based customer-facing role are a lot different from those required for a software design engineer. Aptitude assessments enable the evaluation of the specific skills, knowledge, and capabilities required for various defined roles.

Considered selection of the right aptitude tests ensures that key competencies can be readily assessed. The performances of various candidates can be realistically compared, without any subjectivity, which means only candidates who have the required skills and capabilities will be shortlisted. This eliminates the chances of falling for CVs that are only as good as the words put into them.

4. Simple, cost-effective delivery

Today’s aptitude assessments are primarily carried out online, making them extremely easy to administer and at a very low cost. Online testing also means that candidates aren’t required to travel from their homes, which is good for them and the environment. It also means that everybody’s valuable time is used far more efficiently.

Scoring and grading of aptitude tests also largely carried out automatically without the need for recruitment managers to get involved. This is another important aspect of efficiency which saves time and money for recruiters and contributes to testing objectivity. 

5. High-quality hiring

Significantly, aptitude testing improves the quality of those who are successfully hired. The insight provided by carefully selected aptitude tests ensures that those who are finally selected for employment not only possess the skills necessary for the role but also the attitudes expected by the hiring organisation and the team in which they’ll be working. Aptitude testing has been demonstrated to reduce staff turnover and boost staff retention while providing valuable insight to identify valuable, high potential candidates.