Just one-fifth of HR professionals are fully confident in their company’s overall ability to assess entry-level candidates’ skills — even though, according to new data, the majority of applicants possess some of the skills employers value most, including dependability, integrity and respect.
The research, conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management and Mercer, also found employers are relying on longstanding methods of screening entry-level candidates.
Most use in-person interviews (95 percent), application reviews (87 percent) and resume reviews (86 percent); nearly one-half of HR professionals, however, have little or no confidence in application and resume reviews.
Employers, as a result, could be missing out on qualified job applicants, according to Mercer and SHRM.
Less than half of companies — 42 percent —use selection tests to hire entry-level candidates; only 10 percent use cognitive ability tests and 2 percent use online simulations to select entry-level employees.
For more information, view this press release about the SHRM/Mercer job skills survey.