The importance of Microsoft Office skills in the workplace cannot be overestimated. The suite that includes Word, an app to create, polish and share documents, Excel, a tool for analysing data and spreadsheets, PowerPoint, a means of elegantly presenting ideas, and Outlook, an communication-focused app to organise emails, is used by some 1.2 billion people, and most of the world's businesses. Needless to say, Microsoft Office software has become indispensable, and it could not be more important that employees of your organisation are proficient at using these tools. Though you might think that these skills are an essential part of 21st century working life, they are, in fact, surprisingly rare among candidates. A study by the OECD shows that in the US, very few job seekers are encouraged to take Microsoft Office courses. This results in a startling statistic: only 5% of adults between the ages of 16 and 65 display a good level of computer literacy, and only 26% display intermediate skills in essential software. What this means is that, statistically, most applicants will not have the Microsoft Office skills to meet the requirements of most roles today. However, during standard interview processes, this is not immediately apparent to employers. With these skills being so essential to the modern workplace, recruiting a new employee who is not equipped with these skills can be problematic for many organisations. Pre-employment tests are an excellent and bias-free way for employers to minimise the risk of bad hires and guarantee that they choose the right person for their organisation, who is capable of performing the functions of the role. Whilst numerous types of aptitude tests exist for this purpose, if the role that you are recruiting for requires an in-depth understanding of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office skills tests can be ideal for benchmarking performance and ensuring that you are only inviting candidates to interview who have the MS office skills needed for the role. Here are a few reasons why you should implement Microsoft Office Skills testing as a part of your organisation's pre-employment process.
Improve Hiring Decisions
Skillsarena's pre-employment tests ensure that your organisation finds the best applicants. Candidates for the large majority of roles, regardless of their industry, need adequate levels of ability using Microsoft tools. A study by Capital One and Burning Glass Technologies revealed that 82% of positions demand a high degree of proficiency in productivity software. This means that to ensure an organisation does not fall behind, its workforce must undergo pre-employment testing on these crucial skills. The Skillsarena Microsoft Office Skills Tests module includes specific aptitude tests for crucial areas. MS Excel Tests and MS PowerPoint Tests, for example, are online tests designed to assess skills which are necessary in the modern workplace. This goes beyond simply knowing how to make a spreadsheet or having a rudimentary awareness of formatting; employees who are confident using Excel and PowerPoint will have the tools to share and communicate their ideas successfully. Excel features calculation, graphing tools, and pivot tables, all calculated to make work more efficient and to format graphs in order to present information in the best way possible. Excel also allows users to create and edit formulas, and to connect formulas across documents. Like Excel, PowerPoint comes with various features which aim to make work more efficient and communication clearer. Skill in PowerPoint also leaves room for personal engagement with tasks, offering new ways of formatting, along with custom templates and themes to express individual taste or reflect company branding. It has been shown that certain personality traits and skills, such as organisation and collaboration, can be seen to be magnified by tools such as Excel and PowerPoint. Alongside behavioural assessment tools such as Personality Tests, Microsoft Office Skills pre-employment testing is an efficient way to guarantee that your company attracts candidates with the right certifications, skills and MS Office training.
Enhance Your Organisation's Productivity
Microsoft Office products are so widely used in part thanks to the fact that they are designed to maximise job performance and magnify existing skills. Outlook, for example, includes functions such as calendaring, task managing, note-taking, journal logging and browsing. If properly harnessed, these features mean that each worker has the option to tailor their work to their own personal needs and skills, resulting in greater efficiency and satisfaction. The MS Outlook Skill Test is one of the most useful pre-employment assessment tests that we offer, measuring an applicant's engagement with the various functions which can help them be more efficient. Pre-employment aptitude tests help everybody, applicants and hiring managers alike. One way to see Microsoft skills is as a leveller, bringing all employers confidence and success when delivering their responsibilities on the job. MS Word, for example, with its standardised templates, and its proofreading and editing tools, is a good way to ensure widespread professionalism and a consistent company tone. Our MS Word Skill Tests are an excellent way for employers to gauge applicants' ability to use the technology that will boost their performance and foster their skill set. Knowing the basics of MS Office is a necessary quality in an applicant, but being able to fully harness the many benefits of MS software and having advanced skills makes all the difference, and that's where testing comes in.
Microsoft Office Skills Are Used Around the World
Microsoft comes with excellent compatibility, meaning that users can switch between different operational systems when needed. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac, and with the help of cloud computing, Microsoft files can be accessed, edited and shared all over the world, its collaboration features also meaning that users can easily save files which they wish to access at a later date.
Pre-Employment Tests in Microsoft Office Skills Are The Future
Back In 2013, the IDC analysed 14.6 million job postings, and found that skills in Microsoft Office were among the top three most valuable in the eyes of employers, and most sought after in pre-employment tests. Since then, the necessity for workers to have a good grasp of these invaluable tools has only increased. MS Teams, for example, which offers workspace chat and videoconferencing, is a valuable feature for employees in our current climate. As these tools become more and more unavoidable, so do pre-employment assessment tests. Recent versions of MS 2019 and MS Office 365 include new ways of organising and completing virtual work. Indeed, in our post-COVID-19 world, in which remote work has become ever more common, this software will continue to enable people all over the world to connect and share ideas in simple, but effective ways. It's safe to say that skill in Microsoft Office is absolutely imperative in the workplace today as well as in the foreseeable future, making pre-employment testing a necessary element of the recruitment process. The MS Office Skills Test module is an efficient tool for improving hiring decisions, and finding those who will be able to make the most of the valuable tools offered to them, and in turn maximise the productivity of your organisation as a whole. Take a look at our packages to find out more about the range of pre-employment tests and personality tests offered by Skillsarena, or if you would like to speak to us directly, be sure to get in touch.
