{"id":67306,"date":"2016-10-10T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-10T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.talogy.com\/?p=67306"},"modified":"2026-11-10T14:02:55","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T14:02:55","slug":"what-to-do-when-a-promising-candidate-fails-a-pre-employment-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talogy.com\/en-ae\/blog\/what-to-do-when-a-promising-candidate-fails-a-pre-employment-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do when a promising candidate fails a pre-hire assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wouldn\u2019t it be great if every candidate that we expect to pass our established hiring hurdles did and went on to be a stellar employee? While ideal, this ideology is a bit far-fetched, and in reality, many times those we expect to cruise through the selection process don\u2019t. We are then left scratching our heads on how our intuition could have been so wrong and potentially having some awkward conversations in the aftermath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are not isolated instances \u2013 every organisation has experienced them. It\u2019s how you respond to them that matters in the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When pre-employment assessments screen out THE candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pre-hire, or pre-employment, behavioural assessment implementations across organisations often go something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client<\/strong>: \u201cWe are raising the bar! We\u2019ve identified what we are looking for in our future employees. Between the application, pre-employment assessments, a structured behavioural interview<\/a>, and reference-checking tool, we will significantly increase our ability to make the right hire more often. We love the more objective approach. If a candidate scores below X on the assessment or the interview, we will NOT hire them. We\u2019ll never again rely on subjective, unreliable, and inconsistent ways to evaluate candidates<\/a>!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we get the call\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client<\/strong>: \u201cOh no \u2013 we have a candidate who\u2026 (insert any of these scenarios here: a) looks good on paper, b) worked with so and so before and they swear that they are really good, or c) is the niece of the director of such and such) and they failed the assessment!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talogy<\/strong>: \u201cWell, we did a job analysis<\/a> \u2013 the competencies that we\u2019re measuring are critical to success, right? We also did a validation study<\/a>. We decided that for certain positions, if someone fails the assessment, they won\u2019t move forward because the data shows they don\u2019t meet the minimum requirements and aren\u2019t likely to succeed, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client<\/strong>: \u201cBut the hiring manager (or former coworker or the aunt) isn\u2019t happy!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clients sometimes want to give the aforementioned candidate another chance due to the reference or how great they look on paper. This is when it\u2019s particularly important for the client to have a refresher on the ins and outs of using a pre-employment assessment in the hiring process and learn best practices for talent selection<\/a> to ensure they make the right call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 key tips to remember about pre-employment assessments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to pre-employment assessments, they are a valuable tool but not an end-all solution. The best organisations keep the following things in mind when a promising candidate fails their pre-hire assessment: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. It takes a lot to fail the assessment.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The candidate likely scored really<\/em> low in some crucial attributes that would impact their ability to meet the basic qualifications of the job. For example, a frontline healthcare worker scoring below your pre-determined standards for compassion and patient-focus. Is that someone you would want to risk putting in a role with patient interaction \u2013 someone who may not subscribe to the same care standards of the organisation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Although we may have a preconceived notion about a candidate, the candidate still may not be a high performer in this particular job. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pre-hire assessments measure key behavioural competencies and tendencies that are hard to observe in casual interactions. No source of information is as predictive or well-developed as an objective talent assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Basing experience solely on the CV or the opinions of former coworkers is not the best bet. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How often do those candidates turn out to not<\/em> be what you were looking for? Are you saying you\u2019d let your niece through if she didn\u2019t interview well? It sounds like in the past an informal reference from a former coworker, an outstanding CV, or being someone\u2019s relative trumped the sort of objective data that predicts performance. How likely is that approach to help you build a high-performing culture where the performance bar is being consistently raised, not lowered?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Sometimes it is okay to leave a position open. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Recognise that there will be the occasional situation where keeping the position open a bit longer rather than taking a mediocre candidate is a better option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Consistency is key.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From a legal defensibility perspective<\/a>, there is much benefit to remaining consistent in your hiring practices. Exceptions to objective decision-making processes can lead to flawed hiring processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-hiring recommendations and considerations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pre-employment assessments prove to be useful, but they require an efficient system around them. When designing hiring processes<\/a>, they should be viewed as pieces within the full story of a candidate. Keep these tips in mind when implementing a pre-hire assessment into your organisation\u2019s hiring process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Use pass\/fail methodology only when it makes sense.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you have a large candidate pool, and you need to narrow your focus on those most likely to succeed, a pass\/fail methodology has a lot of utility. Otherwise, think about using the candidate\u2019s pre-employment assessment results as information considered as part of the overall decision-making process (rather than a hard cut).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Do not use the assessment as the only data point. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You should have clear application requirements, CV requirements, phone screening requirements, interviewing requirements, and reference requirements \u2013 all of these make up an effective selection system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Do not underestimate the importance of coordination. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A structured talent selection solution utilises the invaluable resources of manager-level training and senior team buy-in. The organisation needs to know that you are establishing a new bar for hiring quality and that it will be different than what they\u2019ve done traditionally. They\u2019ll understand the idea of \u2018evidence-based\u2019 hiring \u2013 i.e., putting tools and processes in place that statistically increase the likelihood of making better, more informed hiring decisions \u2013 decisions that support the organisation\u2019s goals. Know that you\u2019ll likely need to re-do the training soon after someone\u2019s niece (or best friend or former coworker) fails the test. Constant education and reinforcement are essential to sustained implementation to make sure a promising candidate failing a pre-employment assessment doesn\u2019t derail your whole hiring process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Establish clear programme performance metrics. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nothing gets everyone over these concerns faster than data showing that hiring managers are saving time. By interviewing fewer, better-qualified candidates, that time-to-fill rate decreases, turnover is reduced, and selection system data correlates with positive job performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making assessment-based hiring work with Talogy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Using pre-hire assessments as a hard cut point in the hiring process can be a great approach. Many companies do it, but you need an experienced assessment vendor and consulting team who knows how to do this in an effective, legally defensible manner and in a way that\u2019s likely to \u2018stick\u2019 in your organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where Talogy comes in. Once you\u2019ve determined what that process looks like and secured a trusted vendor, educating the stakeholders and maintaining consistency in the process will ensure you are securing the best hires for the role \u2013 even if it\u2019s not who you originally thought that would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"hiring<\/figure>
\n

Hiring future-ready early talent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

73% of early career professionals won’t apply for a role based on other people’s bad experience. In recent years, the early talent landscape has transitioned. Demographic changes, rapid advancement of technology, and the changing dynamics of the workplace mean that the skills required for success in early career roles have shifted.\nOrganisations face a very competitive recruiting environment. Candidates who are a good fit for the role are in high demand and attracting top talent is becoming more competitive.\n\nBy next year, Gen Z will make up 27% of workers, so it\u2019s important to reconsider what factors attract early career talent to organisations and their roles.\n\nIn the summary of our latest early careers research, we explore:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n