The evolution of online testing

Featured in the January 2007 edition of online recruitment magazine

Online testing has come a long way since the early days, when tests were generic and security poor. The result is an efficient and cost effective service, welcomed by employers and candidates. We found out more from the providers and end users.

Ray Nuttall, Marketing Director of Criterion Partnership says: Trends in online testing are being influenced by the trends in recruiting. Accelerated use of the Internet by both employers and candidates at every level is a key driver. Applicants now have greater visibility of potential jobs available and therefore can be far more selective, while employers have greater volumes of applicants to evaluate and select from. However, HR departments are often leaner than in the past, therefore more effective methods of making evaluations and dealing with high volumes of applicants are required.

Key trends

Richard Alberg, Senior Vice President, Kenexa says: ìIn the past year we have seen ongoing growth in integrated online assessment, random test delivery / integrity analytics and realistic job previews / assessments.î

ìOrganisations that adopt automated workflow technologies, such as applicant tracking, see benefits in integrating processes, eg ’plumbing’ their tests into recruitment software to ensure that it is a seamless process. At Kenexa in Europe we deliver far more tests that are integrated with recruitment software than those that are standalone.î

ìCertain types of tests have right and wrong answers and naturally employers are concerned that this could encourage cheating. Sophisticated test publishers have created technologies that enable each test to have an almost unique set of questions that can still be compared accurately. Advanced analytics can also examine test scores and highlight when cheating appears to have occurred.î

ìAnother area of recent growth is simulations. Improvements in browser technology, combined with the popularity of broadband, mean that we can now deliver realistic job previews and simulations that assess how a person performs when faced by real-life job challenges. Not only are simulations a good way to assess candidates, they are also popular with applicants and employers as they are seen as being ’real’.î

ìA final aspect of market change is the development of the business case. The use of technology means that vast amounts of information are now gathered in databases. This information can be analysed allowing recruiters to see what is working well and calculate the value of these improvements.î

James Meachin, Assessment and Development Specialist at Pearn Kandola also perceives simulations as one of the key trends: ìThe online psychometrics and ability test market is rapidly developing and highly innovative. Two key trends have emerged in recent years.î

ìFirstly, online tests now measure a range of increasingly specific mental abilities. For example, whilst traditional tests of numerical reasoning provided one overall score, newer tests measure abilities such as ’explorative’ and ’integrative’ cognitive styles, and provide information on a candidate’s ability to make inferences, evaluate quantities, and accurately compare data. However, although these changes allow test publishers to differentiate their products, for recruiters, it is often unclear how to make sense of the additional information that new tests provide. Crucially, it is also unclear how important these specific abilities are; research indicates that broader, ’higher level’, abilities such as ’general mental ability’ (which is analogous to IQ) are better predictors of outcomes such as training and work performance than more specific mental abilities. Therefore the onus is on the test suppliers to clearly demonstrate how more specific skills add value to recruitment decisions.î

ìThe second major trend is the move towards bespoke ability tests. For example, a number of graduate recruiters now use online situational judgement tests. These provide candidates with situation and a number of options for taking action. The candidate then chooses their preferred course of action from a list of realistic options. Because the tests can be developed specifically for each organisation, specific competencies can be measured. Also, the tests are ’face valid’ as they provide candidates with a realistic preview of the organisation or job.

ìSHL say the picture looks very different to when they started web based tests and when there was much scepticism - rising Internet usage across the last couple of years has seen the web become a tool that is widely used by groups in all demographics. They say that: This increase in usage however, has heightened employer concern that their candidates are actually the individuals taking the tests! Add to this the ability to copy and pass on tests from the Internet and organisations are rightfully concerned regarding the integrity of such online testing.î

Two major developments have sought to counter these concerns:

1. The emergence of specialist online test security and web tracking organisations such as Caveon, SHLs online test security partner.

2. The introduction of SHL VerifyTM which was launched in response to specific customer feedback.

ìSHL Verify is a complete testing solution that includes a combination of ability tests, security measures and Better Practice Guidelines designed specifically for online testing. The suite pioneers breakthrough psychometrics enabling recruiters to retest all candidates with a much shorter but equally indicative follow-up test that confirms - or otherwise - the original result.î

ìIncreasingly, organisations are expected to offer an efficient and positive candidate experience online, which forms part of the overall ’employer brand’ experience. As a result, HR and recruiting professionals need to embrace the opportunities that this technology represents but also be aware of the risks, working with industry experts to mitigate them.î

Skillsarena, provider of online testing solutions, has partnered with SHL to enhance their portfolio of testing solutions. They have produced a product which is an example of a ’real’ simulation as described earlier. Talent Screener Call Centre is test developed by SHL which complements Skillsarena’s well established ’hard skills’ testing solution, by using real life and workplace scenarios to evaluate a candidate’s behaviour characteristics, including reliability, sales drive and customer focus.

Designed to provide a realistic job preview, it presents candidates with an idea of what will be expected of them. Jason Pierce, Managing Director, Skillsarena, comments: ìWe are delighted to offer recruiters a package which not only tests a candidate’s abilities but also evaluates their behaviour characteristics in a real life workplace scenario. By using Talent Screener Call Centre as a sifting tool for numerous applicants, recruiters benefit from a pre-interview candidate screening which provides a more cost effective solution to their recruitment procedure, that also delivers a tangible Return On Investment.î

The Criterion Partnership has met the need for face valid, highly focused online tests as an integrated part of the online recruitment process, by developing the Trinity range of online instruments which are being launched in January for both entry level and executive level recruitment. Ray Nuttall says that: ìThese engaging, face valid instruments provide a detailed assessment of a candidate’s personality traits, verbal and numeric ability and also suggest competency based questions to enable interviewers to probe more deeply into areas of significance resulting from the test reports. Thus providing companies with the ability to effectively handle higher volumes of applicants, select the most appropriate candidates and maintain enthusiasm and momentum within their recruitment process.î

Case study- Specsavers

An example of a successful online testing system is one the Criterion Partnership built at Specsavers, which consisted of bespoke verbal and numerical tests, as well as a personality questionnaire. The online assessment takes about 30 minutes to complete.

A three-page assessment report for each candidate is sent to the store in time for it to be used alongside final selection interviews. This report clearly interprets how the candidate has performed in the verbal and numerical tests. It also describes the applicant’s personality and motivational values in relation to working in a Specsavers retail environment. The last page of the report suggests interview questions based on the applicant’s personality profile, which managers can use at the final stage in the selection process.

Since it went live, Specsavers has experienced significant and tangible benefits from Criterion Partnership’s online assessment system. Staff turnover is down by four percent in little over six months, with further improvements in this figure expected.

Specsavers’ customer service standards are leaving competitors behind, a situation verified by independent research and to which the system has contributed.

Steve Bryan, Store Director and JVP at Specsavers in Liverpool, said: ìI did actually hire someone that the online assessment had earmarked as unsuitable, purely based on their personality at the interview stage. This person ended up leaving the job quite quickly, and everything the assessment had said turned out to be true. It’s definitely reliable and excellent value for money as a result.î

Certification as an assessment tool

Mike Summers, Director at Thomson NETg, believes certification has an important role: ìStand alone psychometric and skills testing is a useful way of assessing people for certain key traits. But for busy HR staff, collating and analysing the results of these tests can be long-winded and time consuming. Also, increasingly respondents are becoming ’test-savvy’ enough to know how to manipulate answers. This leaves results as an ambiguous reflection of that person’s ability. With increasing demands placed on HR executives, teams need a quick and instant way to assess the skills and capabilities of an individual. The next best option is often to look at track records and references, but when accurate references are hard to come by, the next best measure for staff to verify a candidate’s true ability is with certification. Certification proves two things, that the individual knows his or her stuff and that the individual has the motivation and drive to develop their skills portfolio. Specific certifications show specific skills, for example Microsoft or Cisco certifications for IT professionals, PRINCE2 for project managers and ITIL for those in a service delivery role. By using certification as a clear way of verifying skills for certain job types, HR teams can use it as an assessment tool in its own right.î

If your company hasn’t embraced the full possibilities of online testing yet, this could be your New Year’s Resolution. As Richard Alberg sums up for us: ìThe world of online recruitment is developing at a very fast pace - both in terms of innovation and take-up. Online assessment is no different and has become a very exciting place for both suppliers and customers alike.

Written by Lauren Mackelden, (Lauren@onrec.com) ñ Features editor, Online recruitment magazine.

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