The pressure is on during the hiring process to single out the best future employee. Your company wants to be sure that any new employees are skilled enough to complete the required tasks, but whether or not someone will be a good fit for your company and current employees goes beyond the resume.
Many companies think to offer skills tests or employ background checks in order to assure themselves that potential hires are indeed capable of doing the work required. Aptitude testing, especially for engagement, is another key step toward choosing your company’s best fit and investing in future growth.
More Than Just Employee Satisfaction
Employee engagement is a measurement of how passionately employees feel about their jobs. The more passionate an employee is, the more committed they will be to your organization and the more effort they will put into their work. High employee engagement increases worker output and the quality of that output, while also extending the length of time an employee will remain at the job, decreasing worker turnover.
Employee engagement is not synonymous with employee satisfaction. Employee satisfaction measures how content employees are without addressing questions of motivation, involvement, or emotional commitment. An employee might be satisfied doing minimal work and collecting a paycheck, and increasing employee satisfaction will not necessarily lead to increased performance.
Engaged employees, however, are far more likely to be top performers. They will embrace change, search out ways to continually improve, and challenge the status quo in ways that will push your company forward. Engaged employees also expect all others to be just as invested, increasing workplace accountability and encouraging others to also increase their engagement.
The Value of Employee Engagement
True employee engagement goes beyond once-a-month teambuilding exercises and truly drives performance. Engaged employees are able to understand their tasks within the frame of the entire company, knowing exactly how they fit and how their role supports the bigger picture. Engaged workforces outperform their competition, boasting higher earnings and quicker recoveries after setbacks.
Employee engagement is a key indicator for growth and innovation. In a world where the mobile professional has become more common, employee engagement can help companies retain top talent. Companies concerned with investing in employee engagement are more likely not just to retain their top employees, but also to attract new talent and continue to grow.
Since employee engagement is so important to the longevity and success of a company, how can employers screen for engagement during the hiring process in order to help choose the most successful candidate?
Integrity/Aptitude Testing
Many companies now include aptitude testing as part of the hiring process in order to bolster the candidates’ documents, interviews, and background checks. There are a wide variety of aptitude tests available, with different focuses and different formats, so you should be sure to choose the test that is the best fit for your company. Consult with your background screening company to explain your specific needs.
Aptitude tests are the best predictor of work performance, above and beyond an applicant’s past experience or interview ability. Since employee engagement is such a strong predictor of a company’s success and retention, it makes sense to use an aptitude test to determine the engagement of potential employees in order to hire the best fit. An engaged employee increases the value and resilience of a company, making an aptitude test a solid investment in the company’s future.