SHL teams with Test Security Services Firm to protect employers from job cheats

SHL, provider of objective assessment products in the world, announced today it has teamed with Caveon Test Security, Inc. to fortify the security of new, online assessment tools.

The war for talent is getting ever more competitive at a time when organisations are also seeking opportunities to make their recruitment and promotion processes more efficient. In the Internet world, this means moving online, and those seeking employment increasingly expect to access job opportunities online. This will give both recruiters and job seekers the edge in the employment market.

The challenge that this presents for effective recruitment and hiring is managing the risk that the information provided by candidates is valid. Research on CVs shows that a large proportion of candidates embellish their credentials or omit information that would help employers make more valid hiring decisions.

These concerns also spill over into the job interview. Research conducted by SHL recently revealed that half the UK population (57%) think it acceptable to dodge or embroider the truth when chasing a job. The research also revealed that 94% of HR directors think prospective employees will ìoccasionallyî or ìoftenî bend the truth in interviews.

To manage these issues, organisations are using objective assessments more and more to test for the potential of their candidates. However, moving online with these assessments means having to manage the risk of cheating on employment tests.

In response to these concerns, SHL has developed the SHL Verifyô Range of Ability Tests - a new assessment tool that enables employers to use online tests with confidence. The Verify solution is more than just new tests, and incorporates new ìbetter practiceî guidelines together with state-of-the-art science to defend the Verify testing process from security breakage. A key part of the Verify solution is the use of forensic psychometrics tools to look for evidence of cheating and piracy.

SHL is working with independent end-to-end test security services company, Caveon, the industry leaders in the field of test security and data forensics.

Caveon, based in the U.S., works with corporations across the globe including HP and IBM. It is also very active in the education sector working with nine state departments of education, including Texas, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Florida. SHL is applying Caveonís test security expertise to maximize Verifyís security.

Its flagship service, Caveon Data Forensicsô, analyses actual Verify test response data looking for response patterns that indicate cheating or test fraud, whilst its Caveon Web Patrolô service provides a continuous trawl of the Internet to detect if any SHL test content has been shared or copied.

John Fremer, President of Caveon, said: ìTest fraud is a growing area of concern in the business world as some job candidates are willing to cheat their way into a career. Enlightened companies are recognising and tackling this issue. We applaud SHLís leadership and commitment to test security in the online recruitment arena. We are pleased to raise the confidence of employers when appointing a new member of staff,î Fremer added.

Kevin Kerrigan, managing director of SHL UK and Americas, added: ìThe service provided by Caveon adds another level of security and assurance for our customers. They can be confident of the high standard, integrity and robustness of SHL online test data.ì