Many Companies Using Skill Assessments to Simplify IT Recruiting.

Validating resumes becoming standard operating procedure.

Contributed by Jackie Hoffman,  Know It All, Inc.

    The IT market continues to break new records in growth. New technologies are being introduced faster than ever. As a result, it is getting even more and more difficult for recruiting professionals to keep up. Moreover, IT managers are busy. Technical interviews are time consuming and they diminish resources that could be used more effectively for ongoing technical recruiting and training. As a result, many companies are turning to skills assessment tools as an effective way to screen IT candidates while saving time and money. Companies that use technical assessments hire candidates with the "right fit" quickly and efficiently. This is a valuable competitive advantage.

    Technical assessments are used most often as a pre-screening tool. When pre-screening skill assessments are implemented, the hiring staff does not waste time interviewing unqualified candidates. As a result, the hiring staff can concentrate on giving in-depth interviews to the candidates who have "proven" that they have the skills for the position.

    In addition, technical tests are helpful tools when a manager is hiring for a position that demands skills which no one in the company currently has. By using technical assessments, a company can test skills in a variety of programming languages, applications, troubleshooting skills and hardware knowledge, regardless of whether or not it has an in-house expert in all of these areas. When a company chooses to use skills assessment tests, the depth of the product line offered is very important. First of all, it is critical to look for skill assessments that offer a broad array of tests in up-to-date technologies. Furthermore, updates and new releases should be kept current with the changing technical environment.

   One of the first IT companies to institute skills assessment was Consultis, a national IT staffing and consulting company. "We've always positioned ourselves as a quality provider of IT professionals," Commented a representative. "We learned early on that validating expressed skills was an important part of that. When we present a candidate, we now have the scores to prove abilities along with other endorsements. Clients appreciate the extra work we do on their behalf."

    Skills can now be assessed via the Internet, too, thus eliminating the need for dedicated "testing" computers. Tests can be taken at home when companies want to perform a thorough screening prior to inviting the applicant for an interview. In addition, results are automatically emailed to the test administrators, and test reports can be accessed 24 hours per day.

Know It All, Inc. was founded in 1993 in Philadelphia, PA. Products are widely used by corporate human resources departments, corporate training divisions, training companies, staffing and consulting services companies, and schools. For more information, call 800-935-6694 or visit www.knowitallinc.com.

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