While candidate attraction strategies have long been viewed as a top investment priority among HR and wider business circles, subsequent assessment processes have not always received the attention they deserve. While this may be because the value of ‘fit-for-purpose’ tools has historically been hard to quantify, organisations are increasingly realising the significance of the assessment element within the candidate lifecycle and experience.
As competition for some of the best talent became increasingly fierce, the approach taken by many hirers was, historically, to source as many individuals as possible with the right basic profile with the hope of finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. However, the downfalls of such an approach are numerous. In the first instance, sifting through a multitude of candidates can be a lengthy process and will certainly prove disheartening if a significant proportion of applicants are irrelevant for the position. The sheer volume of talent being interviewed and assessed often makes it difficult – if not impossible – for hiring managers to provide thoughtful feedback to all unsuccessful individuals. And we all know that these individuals are not just potential employees, but also potential customers. Such a negative candidate experience, therefore, can be damaging to business success.
But perhaps the most important impact is on the perception of a company’s employer brand. If your assessment process doesn’t live up to expectations raised during the sourcing and attraction process, your highly prized candidates will switch off and disengage before you’ve even got them through the door. So ask yourself: are you still using a broad-brush approach to psychometric tests that have little or no apparent relevance to the role hired for? Are you confident that you’re supporting your interviewers in doing a great job at presenting your business favourably and asking smart questions that actually determine a candidate’s culture fit? And what about that non-branded self-made case study from 2003 that Tom in Finance pulls out of the drawer every time he hires analysts?
Not providing meaningful (or in some cases… any!) feedback to candidates on how they’ve done is an obvious area with “room for improvement” in most large organisations. But it’s all those additional touch points in the assessment process that are often overlooked – and underestimated – in terms of how they contribute to brand perception. And that’s not even mentioning the ever elusive “quality of hire”.
Thankfully, however, there is increasing recognition from business leaders and talent management professionals alike that no one will win this numbers game. Instead, there is a shift towards greater investment and focus on what actually happens to candidates once they are in the recruitment “funnel”, by bringing in more relevant and focused assessment processes that are intrinsically tied to your EVP and are flexible and agile enough to take into account supply and demand of talent.
After years of relying on antiquated, off-the-shelf, assessment tools and processes, organisations are now seeking more robust assessment consulting services that utilise technology and provide a full end-to-end package rather than rely on this one great tool or test to solve all problems. The market is responding with innovative solutions, based upon proven design principles, which are developed with both the candidate and hiring manager experience in mind, and the realisation that one size does not fit all.
The term ‘gamified assessment’ is perhaps the latest buzzword to add here, in the imaginations of decision makers seeking to upgrade their assessment processes. It is encouraging to see so much innovation happening in this space, and as organisations and providers advance in measuring ROI and impact of their recruitment and assessment processes on talent and business outcomes, the market will see what will stick in the long term. On a practical level, the assessment process should first and foremost be a user-friendly, engaging and tailored experience on the mutual journey of “getting to know each other”, which fits succinctly within the wider candidate and hiring manager experience.
Assessment processes have arguably been stuck in the Stone Age. Many businesses will use the same tests again and again, often without considering just how relevant they are for the company or for what they are trying to achieve. However, as more organisations begin to recognise the need to invest more in their assessment processes and take a true end-to-end perspective, we will see greater success rates and, perhaps more importantly, an improved candidate experience.
