Resumes and interviews may only reveal a small portion of a candidate’s personality and professional abilities. While employers and hiring managers want to see the best of the person in front of them, a typical hiring process doesn’t paint the full picture.
Hiring a professional firm, such as Barada Associates to perform cognitive assessments as part of the pre-employment background screening process can help fill in gaps and display a more accurate image of an applicant’s mental state and abilities.
Contact Barada today to schedule a free consultation, and read on to learn more about cognitive assessments for job candidates.
What is a Cognitive Assessment?
In the medical field, cognitive assessments help identify mild cognitive impairment and cognitive decline. It can help provide early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, mild dementia, and other related illnesses.
The types of cognitive assessments utilized in pre-employment screenings are different. A cognitive ability test, also called a behavioral test or assessment, can measure a job candidate’s cognitive skills. Cognitive skills encompass abilities that require a certain degree of thinking, including:
- Abstract reasoning
- Processing speed
- Learning ability
- Learning agility
- Problem solving
- Language comprehension
These tests display how an applicant might solve problems in the workplace and provide insights into their general cognitive ability to measure whether or not they possess the personality and ability to perform management, sales, and other work-related duties. The information collected can also help determine if an applicant would fit into your work environment and culture.
A cognitive test typically includes questions featuring verbal analogies, arithmetic calculations, spatial relations, puzzles, sentence completion, and reading comprehension.
Difference Between a Cognitive Ability Test & Skills Assessment
While cognitive ability assessments and skills tests are often conducted in tandem, they vary in purpose and content. A skills assessment is often more industry-specific, as the goal is to determine if a job applicant possesses the tangible skills necessary to perform specialized tasks and job duties.
In simpler words, cognitive assessments are personality-based and focused on soft skills. In contrast, skills tests measure more hard skills and are tailored to industry standards and specific job requirements, including competency in Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, and other common office applications.
How is a Cognitive Test Beneficial to Employers?
Barada Associates offers a cognitive assessment test as part of our all-encompassing pre-employment background screening service because the results can be a good predictor of a candidate’s future job performance.
The best hiring decisions are informed hiring decisions. Knowing the cognitive abilities of your applicants can help you identify the best candidates for the position and ensure a fair process for all. A candidate’s resume can paint one impressive picture, while a cognitive assessment could reveal gaps in their skills.
The hiring process can be long and drawn out, but a pre-employment cognitive test can help speed the process up by quickly filtering out candidates who may not have the skills and experience they claim to have.
Barada’s assessments can benefit employers during the hiring process in the following ways:
- Highly accurate and reliable results
- Can be administered in group settings for expedited hiring
- Test scoring can be completed using computer scanning equipment
- Lower cost and more reliable than personality tests
Contact Barada today to learn more about the advantages of cognitive assessments for your company.
Common Types of Cognitive Tests
There are many kinds of cognitive tests across industries. Barada partners with national experts to provide the most comprehensive, accurate tests. Our range of professional assessments includes:
With a variety of assessments, we can help you identify which style is right for your specific industry. Tests can be conveniently administered online from your office or an applicant’s personal location. Different types of cognitive tests also require their own benchmarking system. Our team is skilled at developing an internal benchmarking system for your company so you best evaluate the cognitive abilities important to your operations.
What To Do When Candidates Fail a Cognitive Assessment
Even the most picture-perfect candidates are at risk of failing a pre-employment assessment. A failed test typically displays that a candidate is not capable of performing the duties of the position.
But there also are a lot of reasons besides a lack of ability that can cause a top applicant to fail. They could be naturally poor test takers, or simply need an additional certification or training session to be brought up to speed on new industry standards. That’s why a cognitive assessment is a hiring tool, not a final decision-maker.
As with any background screening solutions, it’s up to your team to decide what scores will be your cutoff and when to make exceptions. The selection of the type of assessment and how it is administered are also important to the success of your candidates. Additionally, performing multiple types of background checks can provide further evaluation of a candidate’s abilities and character to help make this decision.
Professional Cognitive Testing from Barada Associates
After you’ve verified a candidate’s experience, resume, and references, and completed a background check with Barada Associates, let our team of experienced pre-employment screening professionals implement efficient cognitive ability tests.
Since 1979, we’ve been one of the top screening providers in the country, and have helped hiring managers across industries find their ideal candidates without overextending the hiring process. We believe that you deserve new employees with top-performance capabilities, and our background screening services can help you achieve that.
Don’t be fooled by false resumes or pleasant personalities. Dive deeper into your understanding of a candidate’s potential with Barada’s cognitive assessment service.
Contact Barada Associates Today
From cognitive ability tests to reference reports and criminal background checks, Barada Associates is your #1 partner in pre-employment screenings. We can measure soft, professional, and technical skills, and ensure your team has all the information you need to make a quality hiring decision. Our team acts as an extension of your staff, creating a customized plan for your unique goals, always in a timely manner. Contact Barada Associates today to schedule your next cognitive assessment.