Trying to find the right person to hire has turned into a bit of a gamble these days with how misleading an applicant’s resume can look like and how easy it is to ace an interview with online coaching lessons.

Thanks to the ever-increasing access to technology, virtually everyone is only a few clicks away from getting the assistance of numerous websites and professionals that can help tailor their resume to look like they are the perfect choice for your company.

As a result, it is becoming increasingly common for hiring managers to make a mistake and give the job to someone who can’t handle the duties and responsibilities of the position that they are applying for.

Although there are other reasons, most ‘bad hires’ are due to them actually not having the cognitive skills needed to do the tasks and problem solve effectively, them not having the behavior or attitude that is expected of them as an employee, or them being only able to provide good results within the first few months of their employment before suddenly becoming subpar.

To prevent this from happening, most companies now require all applicants to pass the WonScore test early on or even at the beginning of the hiring process so that they can immediately filter out the ‘bad apples’ and focus their resources on assessing and developing those that meet the cut.

So, let’s take a look at the things that you can do in order to figure out which candidate is the best for an available job position and how the Wonderlic WonScore Assessment can help you with it.

• Confirm their cognitive skills

When hiring people for entry-level positions, one of the most common worries that hiring managers stumble upon while sifting through the applications of fresh graduates is that ‘can they even do the job properly?’.

Apart from making sure that the resume of the candidate meets the cut, hiring managers have to figure out if said applicant is capable of understanding written and spoken instructions; write coherent but concise reports or documents; perform simple to complex calculations, especially if they are applying for a position that requires them to do that regularly; be able to problem solve even if the solution is not immediately available or requires them to think outside of the box; and know how to read and interpret information from graphs and statistical data.

This is where the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test of the Wonderlic WonScore assessment comes in.

On top of measuring a candidate’s verbal, numerical, logical, and graphical/statistical reasoning skills, the exam will also give you a good look on their time management, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.

How? Well, this is because the exam contains 50 questions and the test-taker needs to answer as many of it within the 12-minute time limit as possible.

During the entire exam, not only are they pressured to meet the minimum score of your company, they are also constantly aware of the fact that they are always losing time.

This means that trying to read the question again or staying too long on a single one will prevent them from answering the rest of the test and can even harm their score significantly.

However, if an applicant managed to get an impressive score despite this nerve-wracking experience, then you can be sure that they can handle the pressure of the workplace well and that they can make timely and decisions.

• See if their workplace behavior is in line with the role and your company

When it comes to positions that already require a significant amount of experience, an applicant’s cognitive skills are rarely put into question because their employment history usually speaks for itself in proving their capabilities.

This means that you will need to confirm two other things: if they are the right person for the job and for the company.

Such is the purpose of the Wonderlic Personal Characteristics Inventory section of the WonScore exam and other personality tests in the market.

Even if an applicant can show that they can handle the duties and responsibilities of the job that they are applying for, you cannot afford to make the mistake of hiring an incredibly aggressive or unhelpful customer service agent, an unsociable project coordinator, an inattentive accountant or consultant, or even a reckless driver.

By making them take a personality test to see if they can adjust their attitude and behavior that is expected of someone in the job that they are applying for and someone who bears the name of the company, not only will you preserve the reputation of your organization but you will also know if the applicant is someone that you want to work with for the years to come.

• Make sure their motivation is not short-lived

As funny as it may sound, making sure that a person has the right amount of motivation to work for you is just as vital as confirming their credentials and if their workplace behavior is compatible with your company.

Why is this so? Well, imagine this: you hire someone that is impressive across the board in terms of personality, cognitive skills, and work experience.

For the first few months, their performance was exemplary, but by the end of the year, you begin to notice that their productivity decreased to a point that they weren’t as good as when they first started.

This is the purpose of the Wonderlic Motivation Potential Assessment in the WonScore test.

By mapping out the key drivers of a candidate, you will be able to know if their motivation is only good in the short term, if a reward is present or if incentives are promised in return for performing well, if competition is present, or if they can do their job well in the long run without losing motivation even if their tasks are repetitive.

• Consider employing a Situational Judgement Test (SJTs)

Another good way to identify which of the applicants is the most appropriate one to hire for a job is to put them in the shoes of that role and see how they will react or handle the problems that your employees face on a regular basis.

Although this is not included in the WonScore test, you can administer one through a different course provider or even through your interview questions.

SJTs are considered as a good way of knowing just how the candidate will act should they be presented with a scenario containing a misunderstanding, problem, conflict, or even technical issue caused by someone else like a customer or a coworker.

It is here you will know if they are someone that you can depend on, if they are someone that can follow the rules of the company well, if they are more likely to give in to the demands of the customer instead of following procedures, or if they are someone that does not understand the nature of the job that they are applying for in the first place.

The main reason why SJTs are valued is because it can be configured in a way that the questions and ideal answers are unique for each company, making it virtually impossible to cheat on because only the hiring manager or interviewer will be the ones to know the best or correct answers.