Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Why Testing Sales Candidates is a Must


Whether it is testing candidates in a classroom environment or testing them online, pre-screening candidates can do wonders for your recruitment process. This blog discusses what types of tests are available and why it is something you should really consider.
Testing doesn’t predict who will succeed or fail in a position, it should be used in combination with other recruitment tools, however…testing can make the hiring process more productive by preventing costly mistakes and identifying who will be your organisation’s top performers.

There are hundreds of tests on the market today, and they measure literally hundreds of attributes from basic personality traits such as honesty and aggressiveness to specific sales skills such as prospecting and upselling.
 

Assessment Centres – They are a hugely successful way to recruit for the simple reason that over the course of the selection process you see how a candidate will actually perform in your role rather than the façade of their interview mode. Assessment Centre methods have been proven to increase both ‘on the job’ performance and reduced staff attrition.

Assessment Centres are commonly made up of any of the following:

·         Aptitude tests
·         Psychometric Profiling
·         Individual Exercises
·         Group Exercises
·         Presentation
·         Lateral thinking and problem solving
·         Competency interview
·         Group role play
 

Psychometric Profiling – Psychometric Profiling is a form of personality questionnaire which would normally take no more than ten minutes for each candidate to complete. They are a fast, simple and inexpensive pre-interview guide which when used effectively allows the interviewer to ‘get beneath the skin’ in a quicker period of time and enables you to make the most of the interview time.

Most psychometric questionnaires look at the following areas:

·         Assertiveness
·         Drive
·         Extroversion
·         Confidence
·         Social Sensitivity
·         Caring
·         Structure
·         Openness to Change

Upgraded Psychometrics – Most basic psychometrics will come at no extra cost, however for a small price you can get your candidates to complete an upgraded psychometric which could be any of the following:

·         Advanced Sales Questionnaire (ASQ)
·         Rapid Personality Questionnaire (RPQ)
·         Personality Profile Analysis (PPA)
·         Tests for Selection and Training (TST)
·         General Intelligence Assessment (GIA)


Skills Tests – There is a huge number of skills tests available, most contain questions for basic, intermediate and advanced skill levels and questions are randomised. Skills tests can vary from 15 – 45 minutes depending on which test is taken. Skills tests cover every imaginable area though here are some of the most popular for sales candidates:

·         U.K. Sales Concept
·         U.K. Analytical Skills
·         U.K. Basic Office Skills
·         U.K. Logical Reasoning – Deduction
·         U.K. Logical Reasoning – Mathematical
·         U.K. Call Centre Outbound Sales Skills
·         U.K. Call Centre Inbound Sales Skills
·         Marketing Fundamentals

 

Written by Liam Oakes

Liam is the Candidate Manager at Aaron Wallis and has been with the company for 2 years after having a career with the RAF; Liam has helped hundreds of Sales Professionals secure a new Sales role and ensures that Aaron Wallis runs smoothly.





No comments:

Post a Comment