Making any type of testing the first step in the recruitment process—especially when engaging senior professionals or high-caliber talent, potentially discourages them.
Pre-employment tests often fail to accurately assess the depth, strategic thinking, leadership skills, and nuanced decision-making that senior roles require. These qualities are best evaluated through meaningful conversation, case-based discussions, and real-world scenarios.
Starting the process with a personal and respectful approach not only sets the right tone but also increases the likelihood of attracting and retaining exceptional individuals.

Why Pre-Employment Tests Often Fail for Senior or High-Caliber Talent:

👉 Time Management: Start with a simple, human conversation, which sets the tone for mutual respect and allows both sides to understand if there's a cultural and strategic fit. Once mutual interest and clarifications are established, candidates are more likely to see the value and purpose of any necessary assessments that follow.
👉 As Individuals Develop in Life, They Already Proven Themselves: Senior professionals have real-world success and years of results—testing feels redundant.
👉 Ignores Experience: The expertise can’t be measured by generic questions or timed tasks. There are several inputs and consequences that senior professionals get used to think of in real life.
👉 Testing Fatigue: Experienced candidates are often tired of impersonal assessments that overlook their actual value.
👉 Lack of Context: Tests can’t capture leadership, judgment, or decision-making in complex, dynamic environments. They can't quite capture real-world complexity or situational judgment.
👉 One-Size-Fits-All: Standardized formats ignore unique strengths, styles, and domain expertise. Let candidates talk and express themselves in a real way.
👉 Disrespectful Signal: Leading with a test may come off as distrust or disregard for their whole employment being.
👉 Cultural Fit is Invisible: No test can evaluate emotional intelligence, adaptability, or values alignment.
👉 False Negatives Are Common: Top candidates may not test well, but shine in strategic roles.
👉 Easily Manipulated: Tests can be gamed or coached, giving a false sense of accuracy.
👉 Misses Strategic Thinking: Leadership, vision, and foresight are not measurable in multiple-choice formats.

⭐ More Importantly: There are still research-based limitations of pre-employment testings. The studies are not certain on their predictive validity, which is an another post subject.