86 percent of best-in-class organizations used validated assessments in the pre-hire stage. The research group defines those top companies based on data including performance review ratings, successors identified for key positions and average year-over-year improvement in hiring manager satisfaction.

“Especially for entry-level jobs, hiring managers are looking at assessments to help them more efficiently wade through the large volume of applications they are receiving,” says Mollie Lombardi, senior research analyst for human capital management at Aberdeen.