Professional Goals

Usually, the teams won’t directly get the parallelism on the professional goals from technical-related tests. Rather, the HR staff will depend on the results of their interviews with some candidates. This screening phase is crucial to grasping what the candidates hope for and matching them with what their firms have to offer.

What are professional goals in recruitment and selection?

The professional goals in recruitment and selection are finding the right employees who will support the company’s business in the short and long term. The word “support” may refer to technical and non-technical sides. The technical element refers to the professional abilities of the workers to solve problems in the firms based on their studies or experiences.

For example, if you hold a bachelor’s degree in Economics, you will have to apply this knowledge to propose effective sales marketing strategies. Typically, conducting a test on technical skill serves as the first stage of the overall recruitment process. What makes it a bit tricky comes next, which is measuring candidates’ soft skills.

In this regard, the HR teams will ask questions to dive deeper into the candidates’ attitude that will contribute to achieving the professional goals of this process. This is crucial to ensure that the new staff will work well in a team. Without a good attitude, the whole group may not meet their job deadlines, hence the company will suffer from material and non-material losses.

Three common technical tests in the HR recruitment process

Each company has its own policy regarding technical tests. This is what makes them different from one another. A corporation will feel that one technical test is enough. Yet another firm will have to filter hundreds of candidates through several tests. The results of their tests will help the HR team attain professional goals in terms of the technical aspects of the recruitment process.

Examples of the technical goals are having candidates with excellent English speaking and writing proficiencies. Usually, the number of tests depends on the job positions. The higher the position, the more the number and complexity level of the exams are. Let’s check the common examinations in the hard skill area in the list below.

• Aptitude (cognitive) test

This exam is for discovering the verbal, numerical, and logical levels of the candidates. The results are crucial for achieving the desired professional goals of the process. In the verbal test, the would-be workers will have to answer questions on vocabulary, speaking, and reading comprehension. The numerical exam will measure their skills in calculation, numerical, and mathematical problem-solving. Besides, they must show the ability to identify patterns and solve problems logically.

• Specific technical exam

HR teams design this exam to measure candidates’ expertise in their fields. The formats are varied, such as answering questions verbally and showing real-time practices. An example of direct answering is when you face a group of panels, and they ask for your solutions to a legal case. Real-time practices may be used to screen capable doctors or nurses.

• Psychological test

The professional goals in the recruitment process, in terms of psychological tests, are to find out the traits of the candidates. The HR team will obtain a deeper look at their ambitions and emotional stabilities. All of these will impact their job performances when accepted. Generally, the HR hiring team prefers to accept those with stable emotions because the traits will allow them to finish their tasks no matter what.

Three techniques in soft skill tests

The professional goals of soft skill exams cover two areas. The first is quite similar to the psychological test, which explores candidates’ characteristics more deeply. The results of the exam will roughly inform the HR staff on whether the potential workers are in line with the cultural values of the workplace. The second purpose is to ensure that the incoming employees have good stress management systems.

These skills are the key to maintaining positive atmospheres within a team. If the members have poor coping mechanisms, the whole team will suffer. This leads to their failures to meet job deadlines and lower potential profits at the end of the year or quarter. There are three methods for conducting the exams, as you can read below.

1. In-depth interview

Doing in-depth interviews is among the top techniques to achieve the professional goals of the recruitment process. During this stage, the HR members can choose to apply the Situation, Task, Action, and Result (STAR) method. This technique focuses on the candidate's past work experiences. Besides, the HR staff can ask questions about how they handle specific situations that require their soft skills.

2. Simulation test

In this exam, the HR team offers a simulation test that requires the candidates to work in a team, lead a project, or handle certain tasks in real-life settings. The exam is helpful for observing how they solve problems. In addition, the HR staff will see how they interact and collaborate with their teammates.

3. Situational judgement test

One of the professional goals of this exam is to evaluate the reactions from the candidates when facing multiple possible work schemes. In this case, the HR team will present one work situation and ask for their solutions. An example of this is asking for the candidates’ reactions when receiving an urgent job request from their supervisors.