You've assessed your candidates through online testing that is EEOC compliant, and you know you've objectively got a group of candidates who have the skills necessary for the current job opening, but how do you choose the one who will be the best fit for your company in the long run? It can be difficult to assess candidates’ intangible skills. Their résumé may have some clues, but to assess intangible skills properly involves asking the right questions and knowing what to look for in an interview. Energy It’s possible for candidates to appear more energetic in an interview, knowing this will be assessed, but how do you assess their normal energy levels? You can do this by asking candidates about their interests and hobbies [...]
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Bree Gurin, the Director of Client Services at Oliver Staffing, Inc., shared with us how her company struggled with skills testing before switching to eSkill. They were frustrated with the lack of flexibility in editing the other testing vendor’s tests and the inability to add their own content. In addition, the other vendor’s platform was not user friendly. We asked Bree a few questions about Oliver Staffing’s transition to eSkill, and here’s what we found out. Why did you choose to become an eSkill customer? Why did you make this change? The contract with our previous vendor was coming up for renewal and, due to their less-than-charming customer service and our unpleasant user experience with their system, I began search [...]
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Corporate leaders have embraced the proven research that shows a diverse workforce yields better results. Meeting EEOC requirements is part of the equation that recruiters must consider as they hire capable, team-oriented employees who come from a variety of backgrounds. A Forbes study attributed workforce diversity as the driving force responsible for improved innovation and growth. Recruiting Capable and Qualified Candidates The challenge recruiters face is how they can best assess a candidate's ability to do a job by using tests that are not biased against certain protected groups and that will provide accurate test results. Skills and abilities tests must meet EEOC requirements. Cognitive tests are used to evaluate an appli [...]
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Typing is not an optional skill anymore. Many employers require computer skills and a certain typing speed to even consider people for some positions. Needless to say, they aren’t looking for 20-30 word per minute hunt-and-peck typists. A touch typist can easily reach typing speeds above 75-80 words per minute. Adding a typing test to your pre-screening or employee testing process may put you ahead of your competition when productivity and quality are differentiating factors. Here is a list of just a few jobs requiring typing with accuracy and speed (words per minute—wpm): Office and Clerical Support Staff (at least 35-40 wpm) Administrative and Executive Assistants (at least 35-40 wpm) Legal Secretaries (60+ wpm) Com [...]
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Summer is almost here, and the hospitality industry is booming. PwC’s forecast for 2018 anticipates that a stable economy and tax stimulus will help to support the highest occupancy level in the hospitality industry since 1981 and forecasts occupancy to grow to 66.1% for U.S. hotels. Therefore, as a hospitality employer, you should be prepared to see increased competition for skilled managers and employees. But that is not the only thing you should keep an eye-on. The trends in the hospitality industry are changing because of a new and passionate generation of travelers, the millennials. According to Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, the millennial generation will represent 50% of all travelers by 2025. Therefore, hotels need [...]
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Talent shortages affect many industries, but the inability to find workers in the healthcare industry is more of a talent crisis than a shortage. Since December of 2010, ten thousand Baby Boomers a day turn 65 years old – and this will continue for the next 10 years! Most physicians are able to see 18 patients per day, and, if those physicians work 240 days per year and if their patients each visit twice per year, then those doctors will have 2,160 visits per year. (source) Nurses are overworked as well. The Bureau of Labor & Statistics predicts that there will be more than one million nursing positions to be filled by 2024--that’s only 6 years away, and finding nurses to fill positions is a problem today. In fact, the nursing [...]
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In today’s world of ever increasing and changing technology, people often wonder what skill sets they will need to be successful in today’s job market. Of course, that begs the question: Are we talking about hard skills or soft skills? In 2018, and 2019, both types of skills will be necessary, so let’s take a look at both types. Hard skills If you were to survey several articles, you would find technical skills listed as being the most in-demand. In one large LinkedIn survey, the Top 10 hard skills desired include: Cloud and distributed computing Statistical analysis and data mining Middleware and integration software Web architecture and development frameworks User interface design Software revision control sy [...]
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Up to a certain point, a startup or a small business (if it turns out to be a successful one) skyrockets, its progress charted as a vertical line with an arrow pointing upwards. Because of this initial growth, most businesses feel compelled to take on far more challenging projects – which usually leads to a “we just bit off more than we can chew” situation, causing the business to stumble. It’s no one’s fault in particular, and it’s everyone’s fault at the same time. New demands require new skills. To be capable of handling these new projects, your talented staff needs training and you need to take a close look at how you manage workflow. But how to get there quickly, before stakeholders give up on your business and [...]
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