Recruiter Magazine Article

All businesses are run to make a profit.The profit margin of placements is squeezed by discerning and critical clients who demand reliable, consistent and high caliber candidates to match their vacancies.  Any agency unable or unwilling to adapt, improve and enhance their services should not expect to survive.  Agencies need to identify and capitalize on the potential of job applicants quickly and conveniently by pre-screening online, to ensure their client’s interview time is focused on the best candidates for the role.

Whilst online skills testing is fundamental to the screening process for recruiters, for the job seeker it means ease of use, availability, non-obtrusive testing and the ability to compare vacancies and agency profiles without commitment.

Recruitment agencies recognise how competitive the market place has become with agencies opening and closing on a daily basis.  What began as a trickle, about 10 years ago, has now become an avalanche of agencies that recognise that deliverance of service by bringing skills testing in-house, enhances their professional profile, puts them ahead of the competition and enables them to win clients and retain on-going business.  Client’s expect the very best available from their recruitment providers. To demonstrate that commitment to professionalism, Skillsarena enables recruiters to brand the greeting page to on-line skills testing, thus advertising the company, promoting brand awareness and attracting both the right clients and caliber of candidates.

The cost implication of incorporating on-line skills testing is relatively modest compared to the potential loss of market share.  Recruitment organizations are increasingly being asked to tailor the recruitment process to the clients’ needs, whilst balancing compliance with legislation and Codes of Practice regarding discrimination and equal opportunities.  On-line testing is robust, objective and error free.  In addition, remote scoring ensures consistent and unbiased results which are instantly accessible to quickly verify potential candidates’ capabilities. 

The world has certainly changed; the candidates originate from an ever increasing global marketplace with an enormously diverse skill level.  Whilst the majority of candidates have access to computers enabling them to demonstrate their hard skills, the delivery of the candidate package is now far more targeted, professional and comprehensive.  The on-line skills testing industry has evolved and Skillsarena’s is able to match that requirement and surpass expectations by delivery of cost-effective solutions to verify a candidates’ C.V.  

One of the potential “pitfalls” of this process is that a Candidate can no longer deceive the recruiter about their capability.  A candidate who has embellished their CV will quickly be identified, as often, their non compliance with skills testing is accompanied by a variety of excuses for avoidance which only serves to highlight their inadequacies.

Recently, recruiters have demanded the development of language suites, to reflect candidates from the eastern European population and also a comprehension test to cover a multiple of disciplines.  We already have testing in French, German Spanish and Dutch and potentially Welsh, but any other language can be commissioned, as required.

To fulfill this evolution process, the demands on skills testing companies to build bespoke packages is increasing; with only a handful of companies able to deliver and surpass expectations.

Skillsarena has a unique suite entitled “Create Your Own” and in harnessing the flexibility of this comprehensive tool the recruitment agency can meet the most demanding client’s expectations. The benefit of create your own is that a test can be created in any one of 13 different formats, including multiple choice, audio, essay, with or without images.  The format of the test can be tailored using relevant and topical information about the client.  Skillsarena have a dedicated committed team focused on ensuring that recruitment agencies obtain exactly what they need to make their businesses successful by offering cost-effective solutions to the challenges they face.  In addition, Skillsarena offers business continuity and delivers resilience of systems, staff and technology.  The key differentiator between Skillsarena and the others is that we invest in these aspects which accompany long term benefits. The ambition of recruiter to build long term relationships with their clients is mirrored by Skillsarena’s d
esire to reward the loyalty of their customer base and move forward together to build a successful future.

When looking for a service provider, the recruitment agency should judge its choice by considering value, not just cost.  Some on-line skills testing companies can’t deliver improvement and developments, simply because they have no investment or infrastructure to meet the fundamental requirements of recruitment companies.  Simply put, you get what you pay for.

Value, not just cost; of course there are many considerations when choosing any supplier of product or service.  Usually, the most common initial selection criteria is cost.  However, is cheap best?  What you get is reflected in functionality, reliability and essentially, ease of use.  Without core investment in development of products, and constant revision, products quickly become stale and tired and no longer relevant.

When choosing a service provider compare the products directly; get real feedback from the people who will use the system on a day in day out basis.   Relevance not volume; what tests do you need?  Having a huge amount of tests at your disposal which are irrelevant to your client base, just over complicates the system unnecessarily.  The ability to quickly develop tests is inherent given the right company and the right product, Skillsarena pride itself on having the ability to build bespoke tests, as required.

Reputation; in marketing your skills as a recruiter, you need an on-line skills testing system that you are proud to be associated with.  Indirectly, the recruiter is putting their reputation on the line by endorsing a skills testing company, in the same way as when they put forward a candidate for a vacancy.  The honesty, reliability and ethical conduct of the recruitment company must be matched by its skills testing provider.

Recruitment covers an enormous spectrum of industries and roles.  With the right tools in place, recruiters are in a superior position to consistently deliver quality candidates to increasing demanding clients.  Everyone has skill; it’s just a matter of demonstrating it using the right tools.

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