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The recruitment and selection process can be a lengthy ordeal, but thanks to 

pre-employment testing you can drastically reduce the amount of time you need to 

spend evaluating resumes. That means you’ll decrease time-to-hire and increase 
the amount of time you have for other essential hiring tasks. 

This quick guide will cover 12 tips you can use to get the most out of online skills 

assessments. 

1. Ask for video responses 

Interviewing candidates is a crucial part of the hiring process. That’s because 

interviews allow you to get an unfiltered understanding of a candidate’s knowledge 

and experience. It’s easy to embellish your skills on a resume, but it’s harder to fake 

it when you’re on the spot. 

That said, the interview process is time-intensive. It requires coordinating multiple 

schedules and hours of conversations with candidates. Asking questions that 

require a video response can save you some time by giving you some of the insight 
you would get during a one-on-one discussion with a candidate so that you can 

better determine who you want to invite for a formal interview. 

These interviews will give you a better idea of which candidates have the 
qualifications they claim, and even give you a bit of insight into their personality. 

2. Create a multi-measure assessment 

Don’t just test for one thing (e.g., personality or language). You’ll get more 

meaningful results by combining multiple test types. 

 

Extensive research has been done to understand what hiring methods actually 

predict job performance.  

One of the most important studies in this area is Frank Schmidt’s meta-analysis of a 
century’s worth of workplace productivity data. Based on that study, the table 

below shows the predictive validity of some commonly used test types, ranked by 

effectiveness. 

As it turns out, multi-measure tests, combining different types of tests, are the best 

predictors of whether candidates will be successful on the job. 

3. Keep the process short 

You’ll lose candidates with a 3-4 hours assessment at the start of the recruiting 

process. As a rule, the later in the process you conduct the assessment, the longer 

it can be (but, as a general rule, try to keep all assessments under one hour). 

By keeping your assessments under an hour, you’ll ensure that your candidates 

have a positive experience and you don’t miss out on top talent. 
 

4. Leverage existing internal tests 

Many companies or departments already have tests that you can use to assess 

candidates. Check with relevant teams to make sure you’re not reinventing the 

wheel. At the very least, you might find some valuable questions to get you started. 

5. Brand your assessment 

First impressions count! If you haven’t already chosen a pre-employment testing 

platform, make sure you choose one that allows you to brand your assessments. 

This way your assessments will serve as an extension of your brand and 
personality. 

Add your logo, colors, and, if you’ve got one, include a well-produced video to 

introduce candidates to your brand. 

6. Have proctoring measures in place 

It’s no surprise that candidates are more likely to cheat on an online assessment. Of 
course the majority of candidates you test will likely have no intention of cheating.  

However, you should find an online skills assessment platform that includes 

anti-cheating measures to protect you from making a mishire. 

Look for features like: 

● Disabling copy and paste during an assessment. This minimizes the risk of 

test questions being shared online. 

 

● Cycling questions for each test. Every time a candidate takes a test, they 

should receive a small subset of questions that come from a much larger set 

constructed specifically for that test. This way the test isn’t the same for 
anyone. 

● Monitoring and preventing candidates from registering as new candidates to 

take practice tests ahead of your assessment. 

● Recording the approximate location of the candidate using their IP address. 

● Detecting if a candidate is using a second email address to take an 

assessment twice. 

● Detecting if a candidate exits full-screen mode at any time during the 

assessment. 

● Detecting if their mouse leaves the assessment window; for example, to 

browse the internet on a second screen. 

● Taking snapshots using a candidate's camera. This is done to verify that the 

candidate is the one taking the assessment, without any outside help. 

7. Use assessments at the top of the hiring funnel 

According to a 2018 study by Ladders, recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds 

per resume. That's 1.4 seconds more than reported in earlier Ladders study, but 

not by much! Of course, there's a reason for that. There are too many other 

important hiring tasks that have to be done to spend days on resume evaluation. 

By using pre-employment assessment tests at the top of the hiring funnel, you can 

be sure that you’re only shortlisting the best candidates. 

 
 

8. Make first contact a link to an assessment 

According to research by Glassdoor, the average job post attracts 250 applications. 

And that’s just the average. At TestGorilla, we regularly work with companies hiring 

for roles that receive that many resumes in a day! That makes the resume 
evaluation process very challenging, especially for smaller teams. 

Out of all those resumes, Glassdoor’s research indicates that only 2% of applicants 

will actually be invited for an interview. That means that out of 250 candidates, only 
about five are invited to the next stage of the process. 

By replacing first contact by email with a public link to a skills assessment, you will 

be able to find those top candidates more efficiently. That way you can dedicate all 

of your time to qualified applicants. 

9. Test for culture fit 

A culture fit test assesses how a candidate’s values, traits, and interests align with 

the values of your company and the traits and interests that would make a new hire 

successful in a specific role. 

Whether you’re a rising startup or an enterprise-level organization, developing and 

maintaining a strong culture provides one of the greater competitive advantages 

you can have on the market. Testing for culture fit will help you do that. 

 
 

10. Use personality tests 

Personality tests are empirical assessments that measure a candidate’s 

non-behavioral characteristics. Use these tests to get a better understanding of a 

candidate’s underlying characteristics like their motivations, communication style, 

temperament, character, personal identity, and more. 

For example, a personality test can reveal how someone prefers to interact with 

others, their preferred way of handling stressful situations, and how flexible they 
are to change. 

11. Include competency-based questions 

If you need a candidate with certain skills, test for them! That’s what 

pre-employment tests are for, after all. Find an online skills assessment platform 

that includes role-based tests that will help you assess whether a candidate has the 
skills you need for the role. 

12. Anonymize your assessments 

Well meaning members of your hiring team can be subject to conscious and 

unconscious biases, whether they realize it or not. By removing names and other 
identifying information from the results of your assessments, you can improve your 

ability to build a diverse team. 

This allows your hiring team to evaluate candidates based on the quantifiable data 
provided by your assessments with less risk of bias. 
See how TestGorilla can
help you make these
changes today

Schedule a demo