Pre-employment tests have long been a powerful tool for helping companies make smarter hiring decisions. But, as with any tool, how effectively these assessments work depends on how they’re used.
In 2025, it’s time to take a fresh look at how pre-employment tests fit into your hiring strategy and see where some common practices might be holding you back. By addressing a few bad habits, businesses can harness the full potential of pre-employment assessments to improve hiring outcomes, boost retention, and guide career development.
Don’t: Use Tests Too Late in the Hiring Process
One of the most common mistakes in pre-employment testing is waiting until the final stages of hiring to administer assessments. This decision often stems from a desire to save money by only testing the candidates you’re serious about, but it can backfire. By allowing a poor-fit candidate too far into the process, you’re at risk of wasting time on interviews and resources on onboarding, only to find out later that they lack the traits or skills needed to succeed in the role.
To avoid potential waste, consider incorporating personality and cognitive tests early in the hiring process. These assessments, like our Big 5 personality test, can help identify essential traits such as conscientiousness and emotional stability, giving you valuable insights into each candidate from the start. Studies have shown that hiring mistakes can cost a business up to 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings, underscoring the value of knowing early on if a candidate is the right fit.
Don’t: Limit Assessments to Only Aptitude or Skills Testing
Aptitude testing can reveal a candidate’s problem-solving skills, logical thinking, and ability to learn new information. Skills assessments can provide helpful insights for specific, technical roles. While these are each important, relying solely on aptitude or skills tests might mean overlooking crucial personality traits that are sound predictors of long-term success in a role. For instance, a candidate may have high cognitive ability but lack adaptability or emotional stability, which could hinder them in dynamic or high-stress environments.
In 2025, companies can improve hiring decisions by integrating personality assessments alongside aptitude testing. By doing so, they create a fuller picture of each candidate. A study by the Harvard Business Review found that using a combination of personality and cognitive assessments significantly increases the likelihood of a good hire, as it helps gauge both competence and culture fit.
Do: Including Career Development as Part of the Testing Process
Pre-employment tests aren’t just for hiring—they can also be instrumental in shaping post-hire development plans. Once you hire a candidate, sharing developmental insights from their pre-employment assessments with managers can provide an immediate roadmap for targeted growth.
For example, if a candidate shows a high level of conscientiousness and attention to detail but needs improvement in team communication, this information can be used to set focused goals during onboarding and training.
Our testing solutions offer the option to provide feedback reports for those who are hired, rather than for every candidate. This approach not only keeps costs down but also enables managers to offer tailored programs that keep employees engaged and aligned with company goals.
Do: Assess Employees for Leadership Potential Early and Often
This topic moves away from testing prospective candidates, but is a valuable consideration for those responsible for managing assessments.
Identifying future leaders within your organization is necessary for long-term success, yet many companies neglect to test current employees for leadership potential. When businesses wait until a promotion is needed to evaluate employees for leadership, they miss the chance to develop and groom high-potential employees gradually.
Early and ongoing leadership assessments help companies spot emerging talent, giving them the time to prepare these employees for future roles. Leadership Potential assessments allow companies to recognize traits such as decision-making ability, resilience, and interpersonal effectiveness. By investing in leadership testing as part of ongoing talent development, businesses can build a strong internal pipeline of future leaders, ultimately supporting a smoother, more strategic succession process.
More Tips for Making the Most of Pre-Employment Tests in 2025
Beyond addressing common habits, consider these strategies for optimizing pre-employment testing in 2025:
- Customize Tests to Job Requirements: Each role has unique demands, so ensure your testing aligns with specific job requirements to avoid irrelevant or overly broad results.
- Update Testing Tools Regularly: As technology and industry needs evolve, so should your testing methods. Keeping assessments current ensures they remain relevant and effective.
- Leverage Assessment Data for Insights: Use the results from pre-employment tests to identify patterns between candidate scores and critical business outcomes, such as job performance, turnover rates, or productivity levels. This analysis can guide decisions like setting score thresholds to prioritize top candidates and better align hiring strategies with organizational goals.
Resolve to Improve How You Use Pre-Employment Tests in 2025
The effectiveness of pre-employment tests lies in how strategically they are administered throughout the hiring and development process. By addressing common pitfalls, businesses can gain deeper insights into their candidates, make more informed hiring decisions, and foster long-term growth.Tes
In 2025, aim to leverage pre-employment assessments not only as a hiring tool but also as an integral part of employee development and succession planning, ensuring that every hire contributes to a thriving organization.
For more information on how our personality assessments can help your business, visit Resource Associates, a leader in Pre-Employment Personality Testing.
