sunny 2007-6-7 02:46 PM
How Online Testing Saved Recruiters’ Sanity
In this fast-aging Age of the Internet, almost everyone who works in an office spends part of their day online. From communicating with peers to conducting research, the benefits of the Web are obvious—it’s faster, easier, paperless, and inexpensive. In response to this obvious efficiency, companies are moving more and more tasks to online formats, including pre-employment testing.y0Z*u pc)?4a
As with all other web-based tasks, online testing takes less time, less money, and less manpower than the paper-based alternatives, says Emily Malone, accelerated management program coordinator for Lithia Motors, an automotive retailer based in Medford, Oregon that owns and operates 85 dealerships across 12 western states. Lithia uses the Web-based version of the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT)—a 12-minute, timed test of cognitive ability, such as the ability to solve problems and understand directions. Lithia transitioned from the paper-based version a year ago in an effort to better manage the nearly 2,000 applications the company receives monthly.
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“Our 55 recruiters are always very busy,” she notes. “To sit and monitor each candidate for 12-minutes while there are a million other things going on just wasn’t working.”tJY F$k i
Before Lithia made the transition, recruiters used timers to track applicants’ progress. “Sometimes there would be three or four timers beeping all at once. It was hectic.”
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[indent]These days, all Lithia applicants take the WPT online at one of the dedicated testing computers located in each of the Lithia recruiting sites. The online tests automatically control the time, eliminating the need for individual timers./D0k6i*j-x!w2l)V
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[/indent]Applicants see a countdown clock on screen so they can track how much time they have left and the computer cuts them off when their 12-minutes runs out. “That alone is a huge help, and it makes the testing process more consistent,” Malone says. In the past, if there was too much going on, some applicants might get extra time to finish before their recruiters responded to the beeping, or the recruiters got distracted and wouldn’t start the timer right away. “This way we can guarantee everyone gets exactly 12 minutes.”
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Malone also likes the fact that the online test-timer pauses if there is a slow-loading page, ensuring that applicants don’t get short-changed when the server isn’t performing at top speed. “That’s a big deal if all you’ve got is 12 minutes,” she notes.
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Once applicants complete the WPT, the test is automatically scored and results are emailed to the recruiter in a matter of minutes. Before, says Malone, recruiters had to manually grade each test with a scoring key. “It saves our recruiters a lot of busy work.”'Fw]:^0U^u)S
[indent]“Online testing is easier to use than paper tests. For as many tests as we administer, it’s just more efficient.”
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— Lisa Dyson, Retention Recruitment Manager for North Mississippi Medical CenterV4d\]Aq&A"c9E
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[/indent]Lisa Dyson, retention recruitment manager for North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS), in Tupelo, Mississippi agrees. NMHS uses three Wonderlic tests: the WPT, the Comprehensive Personality Profile (CPP), which assesses personality traits linked to job performance; and the Employee Reliability Index (ERI), which measures likelihood for disruptive behavior in the workplace. The hospital recently transitioned all of the tests to online formats. “Online testing is easier to use than paper tests,” she says. “For as many tests as we administer it’s just more efficient.”
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NMHS, which has 6,000 employees, completed roll out of the online testing formats in July, and recruiters have already administered more than 3,000 tests. The facility has three dedicated testing computers, managed by one administrator and a support person, and they are in use all day long. Dyson says the two employees could never have managed that volume of test takers if they were still using paper-based tests. “Online testing is the only way we could do it.”
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Dyson also noticed a surprising added benefit to the online format. Since the rollout, more existing personnel have taken advantage of the tests, using them as workforce development tools. “Volume is triple what we expected for internal use,” she says. Managers are using them to evaluate staff members for further development and employees are using them in anticipation of transfers and promotions. “I don’t know if they would have used them as much if they were all on paper.”