The purpose of the skills based interview is to isolate a candidates particular skill set.
This will usually be conducted by someone with a specific skillset akin to that required by the position needing to be filled.
Generally it would not be a separate interview but would become part of a panel interview where one member of the panel is there to confirm that the candidate does have the skills they say they have.
This person will often not have great interviewing skills, it is not normally part of their role, but they will ask pertinent technical questions and make a judgement on the response provided from a technical perspective.
Occasionally a recruiter will engage someone with the appropriate skillset to join an interview. This allows the recruiter to be able to present candidates to the employer with a greater degree of confidence that they do have the skills needed to fulfil the role requirements.
Formal skills tests are available for varying skills. They are generally undertaken in an online environment and are used to test and validate specific skills. For example, it could include:
- Typing tests for speed and accuracy
- English competency
- Mathematical competency
- Communication and verbal reasoning
- Cognitive tests, Work, health and safety awareness
- Spreadsheet competency