Skills Testing Gains Ground in Hiring Process

HR manager shares how adding one step brought clarity to applicant decisions.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 8:57pm

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A high-end, photorealistic studio still-life photograph featuring a clean, monochromatic background with a carefully arranged set of premium office supplies and hiring-related objects, such as a pen, a clipboard, a resume, and a tablet displaying test results, all lit dramatically with sharp shadows to represent the abstract concepts of hiring, evaluation, and data-driven decision-making.As hiring teams face increasing applicant volume, skills testing emerges as a practical solution to evaluate candidate competencies and make more informed, data-driven decisions.Marietta Today

As hiring teams face increasing applicant volume and tighter timelines, more employers are adding skills testing earlier in the hiring process to improve decision-making and reduce uncertainty. Tiffany Robinson, an HR manager at a small environmental services firm, recently shared how introducing pre-employment testing created a clearer, more consistent step in her team's hiring process, generating detailed score reports that gave hiring managers a better view of candidate strengths, weaknesses, and overall job readiness.

Why it matters

This approach reflects a broader shift toward skills-based hiring, where employers prioritize demonstrated ability over self-reported qualifications. Pre-employment testing is increasingly used by small and medium-sized companies to evaluate competencies that are often difficult to assess through resumes alone, helping them identify qualified candidates earlier while maintaining a consistent evaluation standard.

The details

Before implementing skills testing, Tiffany's team relied primarily on resumes and interviews to evaluate candidates, finding it difficult to verify whether applicants could perform key job tasks. By introducing short, job-based assessments earlier in the process, her team was able to evaluate candidate performance before moving forward, generating detailed score reports that gave hiring managers a clearer view of strengths, weaknesses, and overall job readiness. The seasoned HR manager noted that skills testing provided 'a next level of detail' when comparing candidates, allowing her team to focus interviews on applicants who had already demonstrated the ability to perform the work.

  • EmployTest, founded in 2006, provides pre-employment tests designed to help small and medium size employers (SMB/SME) evaluate real job skills before making hiring decisions.
  • As the company enters its 20th year, it plans to continue expanding its assessment tools and sharing customer insights that reflect how hiring practices are evolving.

The players

Tiffany Robinson

A human resources manager at a small environmental services firm who recently shared her experience about how adding pre-employment testing created a clearer, more consistent step in her team's hiring process.

EmployTest

A company that provides pre-employment testing software to help employers evaluate real job skills before hiring. The platform includes assessments for attention to detail, cognitive ability, accounting, customer service, Microsoft Office skills, and more.

Ken Crowell

A representative of EmployTest who stated that by adding a simple testing step before interviews, even hiring teams at small companies can narrow the candidate pool more efficiently and reduce the risk of misalignment later in the process.

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What they’re saying

“Providing candidates with skills tests helped us determine whether the candidate is the right fit for the position.”

— Tiffany Robinson, HR Manager

“By adding a simple testing step before interviews, even hiring teams at small companies can narrow the candidate pool more efficiently and reduce the risk of misalignment later in the process.”

— Ken Crowell

What’s next

As the company enters its 20th year, EmployTest plans to continue expanding its assessment tools and sharing customer insights that reflect how hiring practices are evolving.

The takeaway

This case highlights how small and medium-sized businesses are increasingly turning to skills-based hiring practices, using pre-employment testing to evaluate candidate competencies and make more informed, data-driven hiring decisions, especially as they face rising applicant volumes and accelerated hiring timelines.