A Barry-Wehmiller Company

Pre-Employment Testing

You would never take a gamble on anything that is critical to the life of your business. Then why take chances on a hiring decision based on a job interview alone? Sure, for some companies it’s the main way they select their employees. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. Years of research prove that the typical interview is no better than a coin toss. Basically, 50% of the time you make the right hiring decision, and the other 50% you make the wrong one. 

Strengthen Candidate Selection Today

Strengthen Your Hiring Decisions

Interviews are often worse predictors of job success than random luck. Here’s why interviews are risky on their own:

  • Coaches train job candidates to game the process
  • Interviewers have blind spots (unconscious bias)
  • Interviewers have less-than-accurate intuitions
  • Most interviewers lack structure and practice

So how do you create a successful hiring process? By utilizing pre-employment tests to assess candidates' hard and soft skills, and evaluate critical competencies aligned with the job description. This approach helps predict successful job performance and identifies the best candidates, revealing data beyond what's listed on their resumes. Our pre-employment testing has been doing this for market-leading organizations for over 27 years. 

Our Options for Pre-Employment Tests

Flash

Flash

Geared toward team members at the individual contributor and supervisor level, this quick pre-hire assessment provides valuable insights into your hiring and promotion decisions. This 90-minute assessment focuses on personality traits and problem-solving abilities and will give you science-backed hiring recommendations for roles that typically only receive an interview.

  • Measures general problem-solving and core personality traits. Performance on 22 key competencies needed at individual contributor and supervisory level roles.
  • Expert data analysis by a Ph.D. consultant.
  • Next-business-day debrief of pre-employment assessment results to your Human Resources/Hiring Manager.
  • Flash report with hiring recommendation, delivered within 2 business days of your candidate’s completion of the testing.
Level 1: Snapshot Report

Level 1: Snapshot Report

This level of pre-employment testing is ideal for those who want a quick screen of a managerial job candidate’s abilities. Our “Snapshot” Report offers a dashboard of competencies for your prospective manager and a report completed by one of our highly trained Ph.D. consultants. It includes:

  • A comprehensive battery of cognitive ability tests, including a gauge for their problem solving, critical thinking, and numerical reasoning abilities. Also included is a profile of their personality traits and how they perform on 37 different competencies based on personality tests.

  • Expert data analysis by a Ph.D. consultant.
  • Next-business-day debrief of pre-employment assessment results to your Human Resources/Hiring Manager.

  • Snapshot report with hiring recommendation, delivered within 2 business days of your candidate’s completion of the testing.
Level 2: In-Focus Report

Level 2: In-Focus Report

Our In-Focus report is the ideal pre-hire assessment for directors and senior directors. It provides an in-depth analysis of the candidate’s strengths, development needs, and leadership style relative to the position. This custom, written report tells you who you’re really hiring and if they have the specific skills to be successful on the job and in your company culture. It includes:

  • A comprehensive battery of cognitive ability tests including a gauge for their problem solving, critical thinking, and numerical reasoning abilities. Also included is a profile of their personality traits and how they perform on 10 custom competencies specific to the role and based on personality tests.

  • Expert data analysis by a Ph.D. consultant.
  • Next-business-day debrief of pre-employment assessment results to your Human Resources/Hiring Manager.
  • Custom narrative report with job-specific competency ratings, test results, and hiring recommendation. Targeted, follow-up interview questions to help you look at your candidate even more closely.
Level 3: High-Definition Report

Level 3: High-Definition Report

With this assessment, you get a comprehensive look at those individuals who will be filling senior-level roles in your organization, and whose success is critical to the company. We measure a range of key, job-related competencies through our in-depth, objective measures, along with a competency-based interview that provides insight into the candidate’s job skills, motivations, and drivers. Our interviews also provide insight into organizational culture fit. The High Definition process includes:

  • A comprehensive battery of cognitive ability tests including a gauge for their problem-solving, critical thinking, and numerical reasoning abilities. Also included is a profile of their personality traits and how they perform on 10 custom competencies specific to the role and based on personality tests.
  • In-depth interview with a Ph.D. consultant.
  • Expert data analysis by a Ph.D. consultant.
  • Next-business-day debrief of pre-employment assessment results to your Human Resources/ Hiring Manager.
  • Custom narrative report with job-specific competency ratings, test results, and hiring recommendation.
  • Targeted, follow-up interview questions.

Types of Pre-Employment Assessments

Our highly skilled Ph.D. consultants combine data and psychological insights to predict and guide future success in hiring using various types of Pre-Employment Assessments: 

Problem Solving

Evaluate a candidate’s ability to understand challenges, analyze possible solutions, and make decisions based on available data and information. 

Critical Thinking

Measure analytical reasoning and logical thinking skills that allow candidates to think several moves ahead, identify trends and patterns in data, and think strategically with the big picture in mind.

Numerical Reasoning

Assess a candidate’s quantitative reasoning skills and financial acumen through their ability to correctly interpret graphs, charts, and other data.

Position-Related Competencies

Understand how your candidates will perform relative to key competencies that are critical for success on the job.

Personality Factors

Measure the work-related traits and characteristics needed for success in a wide range of roles including emotional intelligence, motivation and drive, detail orientation, conflict management, and many other key success characteristics. 

The Value of Pre-Employment Assessments

Having as much information as possible about a potential hire is valuable to both your selection process and the candidate's experience. Individuals want to be part of organizations where they matter. They want to be part of a shared purpose where their skills can be appreciated, and where they enjoy the work and environment in which they work. If they are not the right for an organization, it is detrimental to both parties.

Conversely, there are many reasons why organizations need as much information as possible when making hiring decisions.

Improve Quality of Hire

Pre-employment assessments help businesses assess the qualifications, skills, and experience of job candidates.

This pre-hire process not only ensures that the candidate meets the basic job requirements, but that they also possess the necessary competencies to excel in their roles.

Lower Risks

Pre-employment screening of candidates helps identify potential red flags in their backgrounds or experience and can better predict job performance.

Increase Workplace Productivity

Hiring candidates with the right skill set and qualifications for the job leads to quicker onboarding and faster adaptation to the role.

As a result, your new hires are better equipped to perform their roles efficiently from the beginning, reducing the time and resources required for training.

Ensure a Cultural Fit

Cultural fit is crucial for maintaining a cohesive and productive work environment, especially when hiring executives or senior leadership team members.

You can screen for a candidate's values, work style, and attitude to determine if they align with the company culture. Hiring employees who share the organization's values and mission can lead to better collaboration and reduced conflicts.

Reduce Turnover

One of the goals of hiring a new team member is to keep them at your business long term. This is especially crucial for executives and managers. Hiring mistakes can result in high turnover rates, leading to increased recruitment and training costs.

By using comprehensive pre-employment screening tools, you can ensure that your potential new hire is the best fit for the role, ultimately increasing retention. You will not only reduce the likelihood of bad hires and turnover, but also save resources in the long run.

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