A common misconception in pre-employment testing is that it is only commonly done among larger, Fortune 500 companies. In truth, any organization - no matter how large or how small - will benefit by screening their candidates. After all, a company is only as great as the people who work there. Brainbench's client list does include large companies such as NASA, Manpower, IBM, and Wells Fargo; but that is only the beginning. Literally thousands of small to mid-sized organizations rely on Brainbench assessments to help them hire right. Following are examples showing how smaller organizations have seen positive results by incorporating pre-employment assessments into their hiring process.

The Challenge:
Logan Bragg founded Udig, an information technology staffing and consulting firm, with two friends he had known since High School. Located in Richmond, Virginia, Udig's mission is to provide the most exceptional, local candidates to their clients. "We are not going after people who are desperate for jobs," Bragg explained, "We are going after winners." Udig prides themselves on their extremely intensive, branded recruiting process known as IntelliHire. Proving that they were recruiting superior candidates was their challenge, however. "We can tell everybody we are recruiting the top 20% of candidates in the Richmond market, but the proof is in the pudding. We needed to give evidence."

The Solution:
Udig evaluated three testing companies before choosing Brainbench. "We chose Brainbench tests because they were extremely well identified in the market." Bragg added, "The product clearly stands out." Udig found that Brainbench's tests gave them the evidence they needed to prove to clients they were recruiting only the highest quality candidates in the area. As a result, in the two years they've been using Brainbench, Udig was able to increase their sales by over 100%. "It is so much easier to increase your sales numbers when you have hard facts," Bragg comments. "We can not only say we recruit the best, we can provide proof. It is a huge sales tool. We have made money because of Brainbench."

The Challenge:
PRICE Systems, like many other companies, is constantly striving to improve operations. This world leader in Program Affordability Management Solutions has adopted the managing principles of Jim Collins. Collin's bestselling book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't, lays the groundwork for companies to "achieve enduring greatness". Geri Devlin, Director of HR at PRICE, attests to Collin's findings. "We abide by the principles and we work at it on a daily basis. One of the most important principles of the book is getting the right people."

Naturally, hiring the right people will lead to success, but doing that is often easier said than done.

Being the Director of HR for PRICE comes with its own unique set of hiring problems. Devlin explains, "Our biggest challenge is the uniqueness of what we do." PRICE provides consulting and cost estimating software for building unknowns exclusively in the aerospace and defense industry. "Because of the uniqueness of our software and the demand that we have, we need somebody to be able to jump in and do exactly what we are asking them to do."

The Solution:
After looking at several testing companies, PRICE successfully introduced Brainbench into their hiring process 4 years ago. Devlin found that the tests saved approximately 4 to 5 hours of her time during the hiring process per candidate. Additionally, the low cost of the assessments allowed her the flexibility to deliver the tests to benchmark their current employees. Most importantly, they were able to achieve their main goal finding the right people. "The people we've hired since we've been using Brainbench are still with us. That is the best measure of our success. They are still here, they are still working for us, and they are doing exactly what we expected them to do." PRICE's people serve on government oversight committees and industry association boards, have been recognized with award-winning projects and research, hold patents in cost estimating processes, and create the foundation for their "great" success.

The Challenge:
Webxites is one of the nation's 50 fastest growing technology companies and leading on-line advertising and marketing firms. According to Kelsey Ruger, Director of Technology and Web Operations, their biggest challenge is the "amateurization of the web." They found an influx of people who would apply for jobs without the requisite skill set. "Everybody can open up Front Page and make a web page," Ruger explains. "What you find is they had never really looked at the code." Webxites needed an evaluation process that would help them avoid hiring the wrong person. "You are not going to figure out right away if the person isn't going to work out. Maybe the person makes it to the 90 day probationary period or maybe not, but that is six paychecks. In terms of an $80,000 developer, you could be at $18,500!"

The Solution:
Ruger found that Brainbench's tests provided a good filter to reduce the number of unqualified candidates. This allowed him the opportunity to focus interviews on advanced topics and cultural fit. Most important, they were able to prevent costly mis-hires. "We've gotten some people whose resumes looked really good and they talked a good game, but when it came right down to it, they really didn't have the knowledge or skills. They didn't test well." Webxites was able to achieve their goal of saving money by being able to avoid hiring the wrong people. The cost of incorporating testing into the hiring process was clearly justified. "You don't have to pay a person a couple paychecks to figure out they really don't know what you thought they did." Ruger concluded, "We are saving money."

The Challenge:
At Monument Consulting, a Recruiting Process Outsourcing firm, there is a never-ending challenge of "finding the right person at the right time with the right skill set for the right money." Ethan Butterworth, one of three partners at Monument, explains that making sure their candidates' technical skills are in line with client expectations is one of their biggest challenges. "Our interviewers are not technical, we simply couldn't afford to employ a staff of architects and developers to perform our testing for us."

The Solution:
After having used a competitor's services, Monument decided to make a switch to Brainbench to provide the first level of technical screening for all their candidates. "We chose Brainbench for several reasons," explained Butterworth. "The primary reason was there was the lack of an annual contract." Another major selling point for Monument was that Brainbench offered a large variety of technical assessments, many of which were not available from other pre-employment testing vendors.

As a result, Monument was able to decrease the percentage of submittals to the client by 33%, saving their clients an estimated 250 interviews annually. "We have a higher confidence factor that our candidates will be accepted by our clients." Butterworth adds, "Subsequently, Brainbench assessments decrease our time-to-fill ratio, which is the ultimate metric that any staffing firm is judged on. It has kept our time-to-fill number well below industry average." Using Brainbench has hard cost savings to Monument in that they don't need to employ technical people to assist with interviewing. "These technical folks are not cheap. Brainbench testing is a huge time savings for us and our client. If we didn't have this testing in place, there would be more submittals and more waste of time," comments Butterworth. "We wouldn't operate our business without Brainbench."

The Challenge:
Network Architects, a solutions provider in the IT industry, focuses primarily on CISCO solutions such as CISCO security. As a result of their focus, it is incredibly difficult to find people with the right skill sets to perform the job well. "The number one thing that constrains our growth is finding the right people," states Sam Wong, President & CEO of Network Architects. "What we have had to do is 'grow' people." On average, Network Architect's new hires go through six to nine months of training. Because of this huge investment in training, the cost of a mis-hire is especially significant ranging from $50,000 to $70,000. "We've had some people leave the company who ended up just not being a good fit. As a result, we have to spend a lot of time making sure the people we hire are trainable." Since Network Architects bill out their professional services by the hour, every extra hour spent during the hiring process means lost revenue.

The Solution:
Wong found that using Brainbench employment testing helped him quickly assess his candidates. "I'd say it's one of the more accurate testing services that I've ever used in terms of determining a person's potential for being a good fit and potential for success." Having this insight into candidates' technical capabilities allowed Wong to cut interview time by 25%. "If we save just two to three hours time during the interview cycle, we save over $500." He adds, "The value of knowing exactly how this person measures up objectively is intangible!" Time saved during the interview process and training mis-hires translates to time that may be spent generating revenue. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Time is money." For Network Architects, this certainly rings true.

The Challenge:
Mid-Atlantic Computer Solutions was formed out of a need for better Macintosh IT consulting. Since Will O'Neal started the company four years ago, he has seen tremendous growth due to Apple's ever-increasing popularity. "Last year we grew over 300%. Talk about a management nightmare!" O'Neal commented, "We are growing so fast, I can't hire somebody that doesn't have the ability to hit the ground running." O'Neal wanted to be able to turn his new hires loose immediately. In order to do that, he had to ensure the candidates wouldn't need any training.

The Solution:
O'Neal found that using Brainbench not only made a difference in the level of employee he recruited, but it also gave him insight to where he needed to place his new hires. "The people who are tested, I know where they are going to be effective when I send them to a customer." O'Neal continued, "I also know where they are not going to be effective. Knowing how not to use someone is as important as knowing how to use them." Having this information in hand allowed O'Neal to reach his goal of being able to quickly send his employees out to work with customers. "You don't need to prove to me you know everything," O'Neal states, "but I do need to know where you are technically so I can place you at the right kind of job." With the help of Brainbench, O'Neal is able to make that perfect match.

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