Onrec.com Feature ñ the SkillCheck product range, new from MCS

Onrec.com takes a look at the new offering from MCS (GB) and how it can increase your hiring success

MCS (GB), the UK and European distributor of the P3 Behavioural Profiling system, have recently launched their new SkillCheck product range. The SkillCheck system provides more than 800 skills and behavioural tests for measuring a wide variety of knowledge, skills and aptitudes. Available in multiple languages, SkillCheck tests can be deployed on PCs, networks or the Internet.

The products feature a powerful combination of performance-based and knowledge-based skills testing, along with easy-to-use test-creation and advanced-reporting functionality. The new product range is also unique in that it provides new time-adaptive tests, which MCS claim can easily cut your skills testing time in half.

A truly global organisation, MCS now has presence in Australia, Canada, Europe, Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States. During the past 14 years, MCS has installed its P3 System in thousands of companies including: Anchor Bank, AT&T, Bayer, BMW, British Airways, Ernst & Young, and IBM, and the MCS team in the UK aim to achieve the same success with their new offering.

Part of the SkillCheck suite, TalentScout, is designed to get more in-depth analysis of an applicant's job-specific competencies. The innovative new testing solution enables companies to determine, with a single test and in half the time required by traditional testing, whether a job applicant has the knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviours needed to be successful in particular position. Using advanced testing technologies such as computer adaptive testing (CAT) and performance-based interactive simulations, TalentScout gives the tester an abundance of information about the candidate in the least amount of time.

Chris Wallwork, General Manager of MCS (GB) commented ìWhen testing is combined with interviewing and other recruitment activities, it can mean a potential employee is in your office for hours! The hidden cost of this inefficient testing leads to overall loss of office productivity due to testing bottlenecks.î

Chris goes onto list other hidden costs of inefficient testing.

- The inability to test job applicants on all their skills, limiting their placement opportunities.

- Lost candidates, who must often visit your office during a brief lunch break, cannot afford the time to go through your entire testing and application procedure.

- The need to buy additional computer hardware and testing software to accommodate multiple job candidates, each taking an hour or more to be tested.

He continues ìBy making use of computer adaptive testing (CAT) and other advanced testing technologies, TalentScout can shrink test time in your office by more than 50%. This means more candidates can be tested in the same number of hours (saving you the cost of additional testing computers). It also means that testing can take a smaller share of the recruitment process, giving you more time for in-depth interviewing of candidates or more time for in depth testing on additional important skills.î

ìHow much more efficient and effective would your service be if you could promise job candidates that they could get through the entire screening process in under an hour? How many more candidates could you recruit and place? How much faster could you get candidates into jobs? The revolutionary new TalentScout system brings these and other benefits to your staffing organisation.î

But doesnít a shorter test mean less accuracy and detail?

Chris continues ìUsing adaptive testing, a candidate's skill level can be determined in the shortest amount of time. An adaptive test automatically mimics a wise examiner who asks questions based on test takers' responses. Specifically, if an examiner asks a question that is too difficult for the test taker, the next question asked should be easier. If the question turns out to be too easy, a more difficult question should be asked. We learn more when we accurately direct our questions at the same level as the test taker's proficiency.î

Identity ñ Behavioural and Cognitive Testing
Another facet to the SkillCheck suite is the Identity product. Identity Behavioural assessments assess critical, job-related behavioural traits such as trustworthiness, reliability and helping disposition, or risk factors such as attitudes towards drug-use and workplace violence.

No matter how good applicants may look on paper, or how positive they appear during a job interview, candidates that lack the behavioural characteristics needed to be a good fit for the job will be discovered early in the process. Often difficult personality characteristics, poor cognitive abilities, and even issues with integrity will not surface until after hiring decisions have been made. You are then left to deal with the emotional strain and potential legal problems associated with having to terminate a bad hire, not to mention all the costs of recruiting and training new employees and the loss of productivity due to turnover.

Each Identity test assesses candidates along a variety of scales, including a built-in candidness scale to ensure that questions are being answered honestly.

The Benefits Of Identity:
- Identity tests have been developed and validated by professional industrial psychologists to ensure fairness and compliance with EEOC and Government testing guidelines.

- Identity assessments are available that measure specific traits needed for key types of jobs such as customer service, sales or healthcare positions. In addition, Identity tests can be customised to match your specific job descriptions and workflow/time requirements.

- Unlike many personality-profiling instruments that originated as clinical assessments, Identity has been designed specifically for employers to provide effective, efficient screening of key behavioural traits and cognitive abilities.

- A built-in candidness scale helps you determine if questions are being answered frankly and honestly.

- Identity tests can be delivered on desktop PCs, computer networks or over the Internet using a wide variety of built-in deployment options.

- Like all MCS skills assessment products, Identity can be deployed via Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and integrated into your overall employment process.

- Identity tests are easy to administer, with scores delivered to your PC immediately at the end of each test session. No more faxing, emailing or scoring by hand.

- Attractive, in-depth reports provide scores and detailed descriptions of a candidate's attitudes and aptitudes, including suggestions for follow-up interview questions.

Creating Custom Identity Assessments
For many employers, one of the most difficult aspects of implementing a testing program is finding a test or series of tests that meet their company's precise need. Until now, the alternative for those seeking a custom assessment solution has been an expensive project with a test developer or publisher where custom tests are created from scratch.

Unlike other assessments, many of which use one-size-fits-all instruments to measure the knowledge and skills required for a diverse set of jobs, Identity's highly modular nature allows you to use any of its individual scales as the building blocks for creating cost effective custom assessments.

Using fully-validated building blocks, each representing a specific behavioural trait or cognitive ability, MCS can create one or more assessments that match your job descriptions as well as meet other organisational requirements, including time constraints which often drive testing decisions within the employment process.

Deployment
SkillCheck makes its tests available for PC, network and Internet deployment. The SkillCheck tests can be performed from any computer with an Internet connection, allowing you to perform tests in your office, at home or at a remote location.

SkillCheck can also be installed on your Microsoft or Novell networks, allowing testing throughout your organisation.

Until the end of August, MCS (GB) are offering Online Recruitment readers the option of a 50 test value pack for 300 plus VAT - 350 plus VAT if you want to use TalentScout or Identity. They also provide various 12-month license packages, tailored to the requirements of the client.

For further details on the SkillCheck Suite, please contact the MCS Sales Manager on 08703 213 444 or by emailing david.gorton@crisp-mcs.com