Why Skills Tests Miss the Signal in Hands-On Hiring

Skills-based hiring has won.

According to TestGorilla's 2025 State of Skills-Based Hiring report, 85% of employers now use skills-based hiring, and 76% use skills tests to validate candidates. Meanwhile, résumés are losing ground: only 67% of employers report using résumés in 2025, down from 73% the year before.

The shift is real. But in hands-on industries — restaurants, haircare, skilled trades, automotive, construction — employers say the new tools still miss the mark.

Tests have become the new résumé: a filter that doesn't show what matters.

What Skills Tests Measure Well

Let's give tests their due. They do measure some things effectively:

• Cognitive ability: Problem-solving, pattern recognition
• Domain knowledge: Terminology, procedures, regulations
• Hard skills: Software proficiency, language competence
• Consistency: Everyone takes the same test

For corporate roles, coding jobs, and knowledge work, skills tests are a genuine improvement over résumé-based screening.

But not all roles are the same.

What Skills Tests Miss

In hands-on, performance-based work, the skill is the job.

And tests — even good ones — can't capture:

• Technique under pressure: How someone handles a rush on the line
• Physical execution: The precision of a fade, the plating of a dish
• Customer presence: How they communicate face-to-face
• Problem-solving in context: Walking through a real repair, not a theoretical one

"In roles where performance is physical and customer-facing, a multiple-choice assessment doesn't show how someone handles pressure on the line, communicates with customers, finishes a fade, or walks through a repair."

Tests can help. But they're incomplete.

Comparison: Skills Tests vs Skill Demos vs Skill Videos

The most effective skills-based hiring combines these methods — using video for screening and demos for final evaluation.

When Skills Tests Still Make Sense

Tests aren't useless. They make sense when:

• The role is primarily knowledge-based
• You need to filter high-volume applications quickly
• Regulatory compliance requires documented competency
• The job involves software or systems that can be tested

But in restaurants, salons, trades, and customer-facing service? Tests are one signal among many — not the whole picture.

The Signal Problem

Service and trade businesses often aren't struggling with a lack of applicants.

They're struggling with signal: sorting through volume to find candidates who can actually perform.

Résumés can exaggerate experience. Test results can be difficult to interpret when the job depends on technique, pace, communication, and professionalism — factors that don't translate into a score.

Employers in these industries aren't looking for a number.

They're looking for confidence, technique, communication, and reliability.

Proof-Based Hiring: The Missing Layer

What if hiring combined the best signals available?

• Experience still matters
• References still matter
• Assessments can matter

But in many roles, the clearest signal is still a real demonstration of skill.

A short video showing:

• A barber executing a fade
• A cook demonstrating knife skills
• A technician diagnosing an issue
• A server explaining their approach to hospitality

When employers can see the skill, they stop guessing.

This is the core of proof-based hiring — and it works alongside tests, not against them.

Trust Goes Both Ways

Proof isn't just about talent demonstrating ability.

It's about building trust on both sides of the marketplace.

At Vetano, talent profiles are ID-verified. Business and employer accounts are also ID-verified by the business owner. This two-sided verification creates a hiring marketplace where both sides know who they're dealing with.

Businesses can also show their side: culture, standards, workspace. A restaurant can post a kitchen tour. A shop owner can show their setup. Candidates decide faster whether it's a fit — before anyone wastes time.

For more on verification, see What 'Verified' Actually Means.

FAQs

Are skills tests effective for hiring?

Yes — for the right roles. Skills tests work well for knowledge-based and cognitive roles. But in hands-on, performance-based work, they miss technique, presence, and execution.

What's better than a skills test for trade hiring?

Skill videos. A 30-second video showing real work tells employers more about technique and professionalism than any test score can.

Should I stop using skills tests?

Not necessarily. Tests can be part of a broader evaluation — especially for knowledge or compliance. But they shouldn't be the only filter, especially in service and trade roles.

What is proof-based hiring?

Proof-based hiring means evaluating candidates through demonstrated ability — skill videos, work samples, and verified profiles — rather than relying solely on claims, credentials, or test scores.

Continue Your Skills-Based Hiring Journey

Pillar content:

• Skills-Based Hiring: The Complete Guide
• The Résumé Is Dead
• The Real Cost of a Bad Hire

Industry-specific guides:

• Restaurant Hiring | Barbershop Hiring
• Trades Hiring | Automotive Hiring
• Healthcare Hiring | Retail Hiring

Industry landing pages: Restaurants | Barbershops | Trades | Automotive | Healthcare | Retail | Hospitality

Skills speak louder when you can see them.

— Chris