Testing skills and more… is it worth it?

In times of change and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to ensure we recruit the best person for a role to ensure success and stability. But how do we ascertain who is right and who is not? Nothing is more vital than interviewing. It allows us to get to know the candidate and consider not only their suitability for the role, but also their aspirations and cultural fit.

In addition to the interview, a wide selection of tests are available to assist when making a selection. These include:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Outlook
• Typing
• Spelling
• Grammar
• Attention to detail
• Problem Solving
• Numerical Computation
• Day-to-day tasks
• In-Tray exercise
• Psychometrics
• Emotional Intelligence

Tests also give an indication of the candidate’s reaction to pressure and they can show how quickly and well someone adapts to a new situation. With some general testing packages and offerings, it is important to maintain a measure of cynicism, especially when tests are not taken in exam conditions, but at home or online with plenty of opportunities for cheating.

Despite these drawbacks, we find testing candidates very valuable, despite the organisational and time investment. An applicant may excel at interview, however perform poorly in a test. Only recently VWA interviewed an outstanding candidate who was bright and personable, making them a seeming fit for a client. However, on completion of some spelling tests, it became apparent that her attention to detail was very much lacking.

Interviews and tests should work in tandem to give our clients an overall, more comprehensive understanding of the applicant, therefore helping them to reach their conclusion. At VWA, we test all our candidates in the basic Microsoft packages and typing, and we can recommend further testing depending on a given role.​