Pre-employment Testing for Manufacturing

Manufacturing is fiercely competitive, rapidly changing. and skill-dependent business. Management confronts complex issues involving regulations and productivity to supply chain disruptions and staffing on a daily basis. Meanwhile, workers often endure long hours, physical work, and fast-paced environments.

That’s why pre-employment testing for manufacturing companies is so important. It shows companies if an applicant may be the best fit, and helps management make better decisions about productivity, turnover, retention, and ultimately save money.

Keep reading below to learn more about the advantages of pre-employment testing in manufacturing!

Pre-Employment Testing for Manufacturing Jobs Is Vital

After any job application process is finished, business leaders want to learn more about the candidates. They want to identify their strengths and weaknesses and learn more about their potential. They want to discover how candidates can add value to the company and vice-versa.

Unfortunately, recruiters and hiring managers don’t have the opportunity to meet everyone personally. It would be great if they could sit down and chat with everyone on the job floor. But that simply isn’t feasible.

To get the insight that leaders need while still giving them time to run the company, many companies use pre-employment testing. This is a process that candidates go through so that leaders can learn more about their aptitude and attitude. Through this kind of testing, companies can learn if a person is a good fit for the job, team, and culture.

Companies can also make sure employees benefit from what the company has to offer too.

A Wage Shortage Doesn’t Mean You Should Compromise on Quality

Companies today worldwide are saying they’re having a hard time finding workers. Workers say that a large part of the issue is their wages, but that’s not the only issue. There are also simply not enough people to fill open positions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and what Ira S Wolfe calls the Perfect Labor Storm.

Unfortunately, compromising on worker quality upfront can lead to lower product quality, higher turnover, and more mistakes or accidents in the long term. Hiring people just to fill positions and not testing them can cost the company a lot more than money. It can hurt its brand and also put workers’ and consumers’ lives at risk.

Just because hiring can be challenging right now doesn’t mean you should try to fast-track people through the application process. Yes, you need to be quick but not cut corners. Every new hire still needs to be qualified for the role (or have a lot of potentials) to contribute positively to your company.

The Best Pre-Employment Assesment Tests Can Be Completed Online

One of the best reasons to conduct pre-employment testing is that they can almost always be done online. If your applicants have access to the internet, they can complete almost any assessment quickly, even on their smartphones. For the recruiter and hiring manager, results are available immediately too.

Some companies prefer to “proctor” the pre-hire assessments by asking the candidates to complete them on-site or at an assessment center. While completing the assessments on a desktop computer or kiosk might be ideal, handing a job candidate a tablet or laptop is more practical. You can even test candidates at career and job fairs using laptops and smartphones.

Honesty and Integrity Are Core in Manufacturing

One of the best and most popular pre-employment screenings focuses on their honesty and integrity. As Ira S Wolfe, founder of Success Performance Solutions, says, “these integrity tests can tell you how likely it is for your next hire to show up for work, show up on time, not steal and lie, and not get into fights or conflicts.” These kinds of tests also ensure you can trust applicants to be safe and productive in the workplace. Of course, you can also learn more about their personalities and how they will approach your customers and fit on the team.

Many reports that are generated by pre-employment tests for manufacturers include management tips and suggested interview questions. You can design individualized developmental plans for management to work with them, and even find ways to improve their skills from day one. An integrity test will often reveal information that typically might take months on the job to discover.

These pre-hire tests can fast-track an employee’s onboarding process and help you better acclimate them to the company’s culture and workflow.

Office Skills Aren’t The Same as Line Work

Working in manufacturing often requires skills on the line, knowing how to safely handle machinery and equipment while staying safe. However, that’s not all there is to working in a manufacturing company. Some employees also need to know to perform administrative office and computer skills too.

They need to know how to properly file paperwork, enter data, type documents, multi-task, and use popular office suite software such as Word and Excel. Pre-employment screening can give you insight into their aptitude both on the floor and in the office. It can reveal unexpected shortcomings in their skills which you can immediately address.

The Best Candidates Demonstrate Both Skill Sets

Finding good candidates means examining “under the hood” of each candidate and developing a sense of their capabilities as workers. Some people are good at riveting sheets of metal or operating dye machines or operating computers. Others may be natural communicators and work well with management.

The best individual workers can demonstrate aptitude both on the line and in an office. And a good overall workforce includes people with strengths and weaknesses in all kinds of fields. Pre-employment screenings can help you identify employees that have the strengths you need, even if they don’t realize it themselves.

Pre-Employment Testing Can Save You Money

One of the best reasons to invest in pre-employment testing is the fact that it can save you money. That seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? But without testing applicants about their personality and their skills, you may bring someone who is a liability into your company. They may end up misusing a vital piece of equipment, wasting resources, creating disruptions, or even getting someone hurt.

As a result, your company may end up spending time and money on redoing work, rebuilding customer confidence, and sometimes paying legal fees and increased insurance costs. That doesn’t even begin to measure the loss in revenue that may result from damages to your brand. And worse, it can all be avoided with simple pre-employment screenings.

Always Invest in Pre-Employment Testing

Pre-employment testing for manufacturing companies is one of the best ways businesses can protect themselves. Companies that work with dangerous, complex, and/or sophisticated machinery, such as those in manufacturing, must take steps to protect both the equipment and your workforce.

The best pre-employment tests reveal what risks businesses take when hiring someone, while also giving insight that can help companies boost productivity and safety. And it’s easy to integrate the results of these pre-hire screenings into your onboarding process.

To start, just reach out to us!