Every employer wants to hire the most qualified and competent person for their technical requirements. But it’s easier said than done.

The traditional technical hiring process is tiring and time-consuming. Each position gets over thousands of applications. And it takes a lot of time for recruiters to go through every application and figure out the person most qualified for an interview. And this is where technical skills testing comes to the rescue.

A technical skills test helps employers to identify who to interview and who to hire. It offers employers with crucial insights into the hiring process by filtering out undesirable candidates. However, apart from accurately evaluating applicants’ capability, they can also be used to discern candidates that may be apt for another role.

Employers often use a technical testing tool to evaluate candidates for their technical hiring needs. Apart from assessing technical skills, such tools have additional uses as well such as:

● To attract the right talent
● To evaluate current employees for various technical or technology management roles
● To identify the assessee’s strengths and gaps
● To help create long-term value for employees
● To single out high-potential leaders
● To benchmark talent performance within an organization

However, a technical testing tool has to adequately measure the skills required for the job or can lead employers to hire the wrong candidates.

So, below we explain the key factors you should consider while going for technical skill testing.

Determine Your Objective

First thing first. You should define your goals and requirement. This would not only help you stay on the right track but will also help you choose the right technical skills testing tool.

Here is a quick list of questions to help you get started with the process.

● Determine if you want to assess the skills of your existing employees or candidates.
● Determine if you want to analyze the technical skill gaps in your current employees or hire the best candidates.
● Identify the number of employees or candidates you plan to assess on a monthly and yearly basis.

Define the Technical Skill that Requires Evaluation

This point is self-explanatory. You need to identify what technical skills you need to evaluate a candidate on.

Good technical skills testing tools can make the evaluation process seamless. However, make sure the tool you plan to go for is good enough to identify the right candidates.

There are renowned tools that are good for soft skills testing but not for technical skills testing. It’s just an add-on service offered by them. Don’t settle down for such tools.

Instead, opt for one that specializes in evaluating technical skills only and has proven case studies and success stories to back up their claims.

However, you need to do the basic homework before you start using such tools. Make a list of the specific technical skills you want to evaluate and then only you would be able to identify the right technical testing tool.

For example, if you are looking for a tool that helps you hire an expert .NET developer, you should make sure the tool you plan to go for has good .NET questions.

Perhaps, you can have a quick glance at the types of .NET questions offered by the tool to make sure they are good enough to help you recruit the right candidate.

Identify Your Technical Requirements for the Skill-Testing Tool

You also need to learn how the technical skills testing tools work to ensure you do not end up hiring the wrong person and get the best value for your money.

Here is a quick rundown of the technical characteristics or functionalities you should look at:

● Make sure the ideal technical testing tool offers scientifically validated skills assessment.
● Do you have an applicant tracking system in place? If yes, make sure the tool integrates seamlessly with your ATS system.
● Make sure the tool comes with 24×7 customer support and offers multiple support modes such as through phone, email, and live chat.
● Make sure the tool offers customization of technical skills tests. There could be instances where the tool doesn’t have enough good questions for a particular technical skill. In such cases, customization is very important.

So do you have any questions about technical skills testing?