Pre-Employment Testing and Millennials

Millennials think they’re good at everything. How do I know this? I’m a millennial! We definitely have some confidence issues and when my generation applies for jobs we like to include everything and anything on the resume – even if we have barely any experience. A good example comes from a friend of mine who had been using Microsoft Excel for the last 2 months as a way to keep track of people attending her wedding. I saw she had it listed on her resume and I asked her what kind of calculations and formulas she did on excel and she looked at me like I had two heads!
 

So once again, Millennials think they know everything. As a hiring manager how do you make sure you’re millennials are as skilled as they say they are? How do you ensure they “keep cool under pressure,” and take critisism well? The answer: you start doing pre-employment skills and personality testing. Below I will list 3 test groups that will help you get to know your millennial candidates better.

Basic Skills Test

My friend would have never passed the Microsoft Office basic skills test, therefore eliminating the chance of her employment (Sorry Sarah!). Giving your millennial candidates a basic skills test is the best way to measure one’s file management, editing, formatting, and analysis for everyday tasks. Don’t forget that Millennials grew up with a computer in their room with a spelling and grammar checker built in. Many still don’t know the difference between then and than (guilty!). A simple and inexpensive basic skills test will give you the millennial candidates with the best grammar and spelling, yay!
Average Hireology Basic Skills Test Price: $19.95

 

Software Skills Test

More and more managers assume their millennial candidates are software pros because they are simply young and engaged, but this mistake can mean a bad hire. Now it’s true that our generation is the most connected and technological savvy, however this doesn’t mean ALL of us are. A good software skills test will eliminate the chance that your candidate fudged their resume and really has no idea how to find the crop tool on Photoshop.
Average Hireology Software Skills Test Price: $19.95

 

DiSC Assessments

Let it be known, that personality testing should not be used to hire one candidate over another, it is a beneficial tool to use on your new millennial hires and exisiting employees to measure their work styles.


One of the most important tools in getting to know your candidate’s personality are DiSC Assessments. This profiling tool helps improve work productivity, teamwork, and communication by giving you, their manager, a way to understand and appreciate how they work. Millennials build relationships faster than any other generation and are used to working in fast-paced environments but what are their strengths, priorities, and personality styles? Find out by implementing the DiSC Workplace Profile.


Another great DiSC Assessment to implement in your millennial hiring process is the Everything Sales DiSC. This online assessment sales-specific report gives your sales team a better understanding of themselves, their selling style, customers, and their relationships. The result of this assessment is salespeople who adapt their styles to connect better – and close more sales!
Hireology offers DiSC Assessments that start at $49.95


One thing to keep in mind; some tests are considered illegal because they do not comply with Equal Employment Opportunity standards. Lisa Quast of Forbes magazine recently listed 5 tips to ensure your pre-employment testing will give the desired outcome in her article titled “Pre-Employment Testing: A Helpful Way For Companies To Screen Applicants.” She states companies must: choose the right tests and certify validity and reliability, ensure tests meet all EEO law, conduct thorough research if purchasing tests from outside companies, avoid test questions of an overly personal nature or that are considered offensive, and do not rely solely on test results to choose candidates.


So if you are hiring millennials now or in the future, consider implementing several skills and personality tests in your hiring process – and put us overly-confident millennials in our place!

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