Running a small or medium-sized business is challenging. You don’t have the luxury of resources to take uncalculated risks. I have seen among my friends and family, how realistic they need to be and carefully review every critical decision that they make? This also includes hiring. Since these businesses work with limited human resources, there cannot be any room for bad hires, as they impact your finances, business reputation, time, and not to mention, the overall business goals. As I have learned from my observation and personal experience, hiring for Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs), needs to be a well-devised strategy so you can boost productivity and keep growing.
“Human Resources isn’t a thing we do. It’s the thing that runs our business.” –
Steve Wynn, CEO of Wynn Resorts Limited
How can Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) hire smart?
Most successful companies that I know of opt for Pre-employment Assessment Software, and there’s no reason SMEs cannot benefit from it.
When you start your recruitment exercise, there will be a vast pool of candidates to shortlist from. It is humanly impossible to sort through such volumes manually, especially when you have to be prudent with time, money, and human resources. That is why there are different Screening Test Software to help businesses like yours.
A Screening Test Software for Pre-employment Assessment can assess a candidate’s capabilities, so you get a scientific result. They are also time saving and affordable, making it an efficient way to screen candidates. Apart from evaluating technical, job-related skills and qualifications, a Screening Test Software also checks for language proficiency, personality traits, cognitive aptitude, emotional intelligence, and similar soft skills.
How to choose the right Screening Test Software for SMEs?
Although I have helped all kinds of businesses with Pre-employment Screening Tests, I believe that as an SME owner, you need to be more judicious. The business needs, budget, etc. of SMEs differ greatly from large corporations. Hence, look for what fits your needs. There are various kinds of Screening Test Software available in the market. Some are excellent for initial assessment and testing, while others go the extra mile to show you a complete picture of your prospective hire.
I always suggest SMEs ask these questions, before choosing any Screening Test Software for Pre-Employment Assessment.
1. Does the software have favourable reviews?
Reviews from fellow business owners help in making the right decision. Look at products that have enough reviews from similar-sized businesses like yours. Find at least ten reviews from other enterprises and how they have benefited from the software. Ask fellow entrepreneurs if using such an employment assessment software has solved their hiring problems. Then compare the product ratings based on the reviews. This may give you a basic idea of what kind of software you need.
2. Can the software also help with tracking applications?
You may or may not have an Application Tracking System, like big enterprises. Even if you (or your recruiter) have one, you need a software that can easily integrate into your Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Otherwise, you might end up buying and managing multiple software, which means extra cost, time, and human resources.
3. What can you test using the software?
You need to find a screening software that not only assesses skills, competencies, and knowledge but also does a psychometric evaluation. You also need a complete analysis of all the data you gather to get the best results.
4. Is the testing system, fool-proof?
When screening for talent, there are chances of errors and violation of rules on the candidate’s end. With limited time and money, you cannot afford to have an inept candidate on board. Hence, you must have a screening software that runs a fool-proof test and ensures the authenticity of the candidate’s capabilities. Software with AI integration raises a flag at the very instant of plagiarism, incorrect responses, or breach of other rules.
5. Does the software include other useful features?
When scouting for talent, you need to add jobs, track application status, email candidates with status updates, and sort the right candidates for interviews. For the testing, you will also need a set of pre-defined questions. See if the testing software you are eyeing can generate an automated questionnaire, so you can save time and effort, and also make it more systematic. After the hiring process is complete, you will also need tools for the onboarding process. An ideal Screening Test Software should give you these in a single package.
Each of these steps of hiring needs some human intervention or the other. But when you have limited resources and yet seeking the best results, it is better to opt for an automated system that can do it all. A comprehensive assessment software built with machine learning can give you end-to-end hiring support, with no extra investment of time, money, and people. Such data-driven methods also eliminate the chances of bias during the hiring process and help your business thrive!
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