With 51% of currently employed workers saying they are watching for or actively seeking a new job, hiring the right candidates is the first step in helping retain your employees. That’s where pre-hiring assessments come into play. These strategic tools provide an advantage in identifying candidates who not only have the necessary skills but also possess the personality traits and attributes for excelling in front of house retail and customer service roles.
This article will explore effective pre-hiring assessments tailored specifically for the dynamic environment of retail and customer service.
What Are Pre-Hiring Assessments?
Pre-hiring assessments are tests, tools, or evaluations used by employers during the hiring process to objectively assess a candidate’s skills, knowledge, personality traits, and suitability for a particular role. These assessments can take various forms, such as behavioral assessments, skill tests, leadership assessments, and situational judgment tests. They provide data to help employers make informed decisions about which candidates are the best fit for a given position.
The Benefits of Pre-Hiring Assessments in Frontline Hiring
Frontline employees generally provide an essential service to the public. They are the people that customers deal with to discuss and ideally purchase products or services. In a recent article by Gallup, Jim Clifton stated, “Your engaged employees create your engaged customers. When your employees are quietly quitting, the customers feel it and they begin quietly quitting.” Customer-employee interactions are what have the most significant impact on sales performance, and therefore the benefits of implementing pre-hiring assessment strategies are huge.
The benefits of conducting these assessments when hiring are:
- Reduction in employee turnover.
- Improved job performance and productivity.
- Happier employees who are less likely to experience burnout.
- Time and money savings due to less employee turnover.
- Improved employee engagement due to job fit.
- Data-driven insights that help reduce biases in the hiring process.
Recommended Assessments for Customer Service and Retail Roles
To pinpoint the best candidates for customer service and retail positions, certain assessments delve deeper into a candidate’s suitability for the demands of frontline roles.
- Personality Assessments
Certain personality traits become strengths in customer service and retail roles. By understanding the personality of applicants you can look at how their personality may impact their on-the-job performance.
A person with high coachability is open to learning new skills, knowledge and better ways to make the sale. The strengths they bring to your workplace are:
- Open to change and responds positively to suggestions for improvement
- Has the ability to apply new skills and learn on the job
- Actively seeks out job-related skill development
- Responds well to constructive criticism
Assessments such as TalentClick’s Attitudes-Values-Personality for Retail are created with ‘ideal profile’ job benchmarks to help organizations find the employees who are best fit for customer service and retail roles as well as the organization’s culture. This assessment is available in over 25 languages, ensuring candidates can fully understand the questions and feel comfortable answering.
- Cognitive Ability Testing
Cognitive skill assessments are designed to measure a candidate’s cognitive functions, including problem-solving, critical thinking, attention to detail, logical reasoning, numerical and verbal aptitude, memory, and information processing speed. By using these tests, employers aim to gauge a candidate’s capacity to handle tasks that are important in customer service and retail roles.
TalentClick’s Cognitive Quotient (CQ) skill test is specifically designed for frontline and entry-level workers, and evaluates their cognitive ability to solve work-related problems. The CQ measures language, numerical, and spatial/mechanical capabilities and has been shown to help employers make stronger hiring decisions to reduce employee turnover and increase productivity. TalentClick’s CQ is available in English, French, Spanish, and other languages, enabling workers to complete the assessment in their native language.
- English Proficiency Testing
English proficiency (EP) tests measure English language competencies, including writing, vocabulary, and typing speed and accuracy. Proficiency in English is important for frontline employees who interact directly with customers, as it ensures they can both understand and be understood, ultimately improving communication. TalentClick’s EP is only available in English.
Easily Pre-Assess Customer Service Workers with TalentClick
Pre-hiring assessments help pinpoint candidates with the necessary skills and traits for customer facing roles. They provide several benefits, including reducing turnover, enhancing job performance, and identifying employees who will not only be engaged but also be adept at fostering customer engagement.
By incorporating personality assessments, cognitive skill tests, and English proficiency testing, organizations can enhance their hiring process and build a team that exceeds customer expectations in retail and customer service. In this fast-paced industry, having the right team can make all the difference. Start implementing pre-hiring assessments today with TalentClick and try the Attitues-Values-Personality assessment for Retail and Hospitality for free.
