What is job knowledge?

Job knowledge refers to technical or professional knowledge related to a specific position. It represents the knowledge the person already has and not their potential for learning new material. For highly technical or specialized positions, a mastery of job-related information is particularly important. For example, an accountant needs a strong grasp on accounting principles, financial statements and regulations governing business finances.

What is a job knowledge test?

A job knowledge test is a formal assessment to measure the job knowledge a professional has. It’s a role-specific test that drills down to the essential technical knowledge of the position. Most of these exams use a multiple-choice format, but they may also use short-response or essay questions. Careers that require credentialing, such as a license or certification, use job knowledge tests to grant those professional credentials. You can conduct assessments for job knowledge to help you make hiring decisions.

When to assess job knowledge

A job knowledge test can be useful at various stages in the employee life cycle, from job candidate to tenured employee. The process can vary slightly based on when you conduct the assessment.

Hiring process

Conducting a job knowledge test or interview assignment before you hire a candidate helps you evaluate their qualifications for the role. You might ask all applicants to complete the assessment or wait until later in the process. Some companies use them as a screening tool to identify a smaller group of candidates to interview. You can also reserve the assessment for the finalists after the interviews to help you make your decision.

Performance review job knowledge

Ongoing evaluations of your employees’ job knowledge are also useful to your organization. Performance review job knowledge questions ask the supervisor to evaluate how well a team member understands the technical side of their role. This type of job knowledge assessment can help make decisions to nurture employees and help them grow.

Benefits of job knowledge tests

Asking candidates and employees to complete a job knowledge test can benefit your company in several ways, including:

• Candidate selection: The results of a job knowledge test can help you choose candidates for interviews or select your final candidate. Assessing knowledge is a good skill-first hiring technique and can help you identify candidates with potential for the open position.

• Improved productivity: An applicant with strong job knowledge can potentially reach full productivity faster than someone who needs to learn the basics. This can reduce your training costs while increasing productivity.

• Better performance: Having a solid understanding of the technical skills of the job also helps to improve performance. An employee is less likely to make a critical mistake when they fully understand the regulations and procedures for the job duties.

• Training and development needs: Conducting these tests with current employees can help identify gaps in knowledge and opportunities for learning and development. You might identify individual needs for specific employees or general training needs for all employees.

• Promotion selection: You might use job knowledge tests to evaluate how well a current employee could fill a higher position. This can help you make decisions on employee promotions.

• Team placement: Using these assessments with new and current employees can help you assemble well-rounded teams and fill in skills gaps on those teams.

How to use a job knowledge test system

You likely already consider job knowledge informally when you hire new employees and evaluate your current team. Creating a formal evaluation process can give you more data to help with employment decisions. The following tips can help you get started.

1. Identify your purpose

Decide when you’ll use job knowledge testing with your employees. You might use it only during the recruiting and hiring processes to help you choose candidates, or you might also evaluate job knowledge during current employee performance reviews. Knowing your purpose helps you decide how to evaluate job knowledge and what to look for in the assessments.

2. Perform a job analysis

Knowledge assessments are specific to each role. Technical knowledge varies based on the job duties. Some technical skills overlap between positions. For instance, basic bookkeeping skills could apply to payroll processors, accountants, office managers, accounting clerks and tax preparers.

Performing a job analysis helps you create tailored assessments for each role. Review the job duties and qualifications to identify essential technical knowledge. If you’re not familiar with the career, consider interviewing your current employees in those roles or external experts in the field. This gives you a better understanding of what applicants need to know and how current employees should progress in their knowledge.

3. Develop corresponding tests

If you want complete control over what you assess, you can develop internal job knowledge tests to conduct with applicants. Many testing providers offer job knowledge assessment templates online that make the process easier. Compare the available testing options to ensure they cover the skills you’ve identified for your positions.

4. Update your employee evaluations

For your current team, decide how you want to evaluate their job knowledge. Current employees can take tests similar to new candidates, such as multiple-choice tests. This gives you a concrete measure of what they know. Another option is developing detailed performance review job knowledge questions for your regular employee reviews. This type of assessment often uses a ranking system to evaluate the level of mastery the employee has over a certain skill.

5. Evaluate the results

Tracking new employee metrics, such as productivity and retention, can help you determine if the job knowledge test assisted with your hiring decision. Reviewing the job knowledge methods regularly helps keep them up to date as roles change.

FAQs about job knowledge tests

What are the drawbacks of using job knowledge tests?

Since a job knowledge test doesn’t assess learning potential, it could impact candidates who are new to the industry yet have strong potential. A fast learner could gain that knowledge quickly. Job knowledge is only one aspect of what makes a candidate a good fit for your company. Soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, self-awareness, compassion and communication, are also often essential for job success.

What are other types of assessments for prospective employees?

The interview process is an important part of evaluating candidates. It lets you ask a wide range of questions, not just on job-related topics. You might also conduct other types of testing, such as situational judgment tests, which look at a person’s response to challenging workplace situations. Some companies conduct personality and emotional intelligence tests if those attributes are pivotal to the role.

What other types of assessments can you conduct for current employees?

Job knowledge is often a part of employee evaluations, but there are many types of reviews you can use. Traditional evaluations use the manager’s ratings and comments on the employee to assess their performance. Other options include 360 employee reviews, which gather feedback from multiple people, and self-evaluations with reflections from the employee. Many forms of evaluations incorporate other elements, such as goals, accomplishments and soft skills.