Employment tests as the name suggests is a standardized technique of determining whether a job applicant is suitable to take up a job during the hiring process (Saad, Carter, Rothenberg, & Israelson, 1999) . The tests may be written, oral, or conducted on the job. Usually, employers apply the technique with the belief that if a prospective employee attains a certain set test score, then he or she can meet the job performance requirements (Saad, Carter, Rothenberg, & Israelson, 1999) . The tests are taken to select candidates that are suitable for a job profile. This paper elucidates whether the standardized employment test is fair or biased during employee selection.
When managers are hiring employees, they usually review an applicant’s resume with a subconscious bias. The bias by the manager ranges from the college attended by the applicant, the locality or even the applicant’s name (Friedman, 2018). Besides, even if the applicant makes it to the interview, he or she still undergo further scrutiny, and eventually, the hiring will entirely depend on the recruiter’s instincts. The selection is based on the applicant’s impressions and manager’s assumptions (Friedman, 2018). The result is the employee’s workforce being of similar gender, age, race, or work skills and experience. This can be harmful to the firm since outstanding talent may be bypassed unintentionally. To stop such detrimental effects, employers should opt to use pre-employment assessment tests to evaluate the applicant’s skills. The test supplements to the resume thus widening the scope that employers use to determine the suitability of the applicant rather than relying on their “gut instincts.”
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Standardized employment test eradicates the speculation on the capabilities of the applicants. Therefore, the use of standardized employment test enables the recruitment team to base their decisions on facts rather than depending on the candidate’s resume which is bound to be affected by subconscious bias (Saad, Carter, Rothenberg, & Israelson, 1999) . For instance, if a young female applicant seeks employment in an older male-dominated company, the lady may not be hired simply because of her age and gender. On the other hand, if subjected to a standardized employment test, she may out stage the other preferred candidates by scoring excellently in the skills assessment test. Thus the recruiters will know how capable she is, something they may have never known by looking at the resume.
Additionally, standardized employment tests are free from discrimination of candidates with regard to gender, age, race or locality. Rather, the test score offers a decisive environment for recruiters to gauge applicants by looking upon their proven competences. When used together with the applicant’s resume, the employment legitimizes the employer’s hiring decisions and thus leading to a more diverse workforce. At the same instance, it helps avoid ruling out of more qualified candidates on the aspect of racial, gender, age or ethnicity. Therefore standardized employment tests create a win-win scenario, where the company acquires top skilled employees, and in return, the applicants get employment without prejudice (Friedman, 2018).
Similarly, standardized employment tests enable individuals with exemplary skills in creativity, analytical thinking, and written ability among others to be easily and fairly selected for an interview. Appropriately overseen tests help weigh the relevant skills and personality needed in a given job description. Therefore, only competent candidates are selected for interviews. In the long run, the manager is able to choose the best candidate for the job.
However, the tests may discourage some candidates such as those that from minority backgrounds since they have less education, and attend low-quality schools thus ending up with lower grades. Since the tests portray skills via pencil and paper testing, the minority may be screened out of jobs where they would have been better employees.
Overall, the standardized employment tests play a crucial role to eradicate subconscious bias from managers based on gender, race, age, and ethnicity. It brings about selection based on the skills and competencies of an individual. Therefore, employers can acquire the most suitable candidates without struggling with human prejudice. Hence, it is wise to say that the standardized employment tests are a fair means of acquiring qualified workforce.
References
Friedman, E. (2018). How to Stop Hiring Bias with Skills Testing. Retrieved from http://blog.eskill.com/stop-bias-with-skills-testing/
Saad, S., Carter, G. W., Rothenberg, M., & Israelson, E. (1999). Testing and Assessment: An Employer's Guide to Good Practices.
