Post-Hire: Why Giving Routine Skill Assessments Is Beneficial

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It’s been proven that adding skill assessments to the hiring process generates a higher chance of employing the right candidates. Even after a new employee has been hired, however, administering routine skill assessments has some benefits.

The Rise of Skill Gaps

A skill gap is a difference between skills that are necessary and skills employees currently possess. The rapid evolution of technology, in particular, has caused those gaps to increase. In order to decrease skill gaps, which is preferable for a company’s success, employees need to be able to keep up with technological advancements. The rate at which the gap widens can be determined by the company’s products or services, the size of the company, available resources, and experience.

If a skill gap isn’t monitored, it can cause problems such as:

  • Decrease in productivity
  • Lower quality standards
  • Issues with expansion
  • Revenue loss
  • Decreased morale among employees

Benefits of Routine Skill Assessments Post-Hire

  1. Decrease skill gaps.

As previously mentioned, skill gaps can lead to problems within the company. However, companies that administer routine skill assessments show a lower skill gap rate among their employees. This is because the assessments should be designed to measure employees’ skills with the current and future goals of the company. It also lets employees know the kinds of things their employer expects from them.

  • Identify a potential need for outsourcing.

It could be possible that the employees in a company don’t possess a certain skill set or level of experience in a specific area. Skill assessments can point that out. While an obvious solution is to train them or hire someone else, that can be time-consuming and expensive. Administering skill assessments on a routine basis may identify whether outsourcing is a good option. Outsourcing can be a temporary solution until employees can be trained in what they are missing.

  • Designate teams or individuals for certain divisions or tasks.

Looking at employees’ skills could help a company’s management team place people with common experience and complementing personalities, for example. It will strengthen the company’s infrastructure.

  • Help establish a continuous learning environment.

One of the things skill assessments can show is what a person can improve on. This is subject to how the assessments are constructed and administered (i.e. pass or fail, percentage grade, etc). Giving them routinely could promote a company culture that nurtures learning new skills. Employees will know an assessment is coming and are much more likely to take the initiative to make sure they are up-to-date on the skills they need.

Conclusion

The hiring process is committed to producing the most qualified and experienced candidates. But, after a person is hired, keeping those candidates becomes much harder. At that point, money, resources, and time have been given toward that new hire. Bringing in a good employee is entirely possible so making sure they live up to the potential their employers see in them is important. Administering routine skill assessments should be implemented into a company’s culture for the benefit of not just the employee but the company as well.