Leveraging Scientific Assessment Tools for Remote Hiring
Technology has transformed our very existence - lives, our perspectives, practices, and our work. Its accelerated implementation has been inspired by the convenience it provides and the outcomes we gain from it. Be it for hiring, education, work, or entertainment, technology has changed every aspect of our lives. Not just from a convenience point of view, but secure AI-enabled tools and findings from tonnes of data prove the need for technology in improving efficiency, business models, and enhancing customer experience.
While the pandemic and ensuing lockdown had compelled companies to pause traditional hiring, virtual hiring enabled companies to restart their hiring processes and build an efficient workforce innovatively by embracing technology. Apart from moving to virtual activities, companies are now adopting a scientific approach and are overhauling how they acquire talent. According to a report, ‘The State of Developer Recruitment 2020’, by HackerEarth, about 47% of the Indian tech recruiters who earlier followed traditional hiring processes have switched to online assessment tools during the outbreak.
Choosing the right candidate
Technology-led assessments allow for easier customisation to uphold the unique hiring and workforce development needs of organisations. Conventional assessment methods like phone screening or in-person interviews fail to give precise insights into a candidate's ability to tackle some of the problems and can also prove tedious. Scientifically designed assessments aid organisations assess huge volumes of candidates to help cut costs, biases, human error, and improve the quality of the hires. Every candidate is evaluated fairly and justly, and the outcomes are reliable to foresee future conduct and performance. Read ahead to understand how scientific assessments can help to hire a suitable candidate for a job.
Cognitive assessments
Cognitive assessment tests help determine a candidate’s ability to learn fast, solve problems, and fathom fresh ideas and accomplish performance targets. These evaluations are crucial in understanding a candidate’s logical reasoning, decision-making and critical thinking. Cognitive tests can precisely predict more about their abilities than in-person interviews. The test scores can indicate how an applicant will perform on the new job and how quickly they will acquire new skills through training programs. The ease of conducting these assessments is exceptional as it can be conducted on any mobile device.
Behavioural assessments
As opposed to the screening of a resume or conducting a face-to-face interview, behavioural assessments produce objective, quantifiable information that offer insights into significant personality traits of candidates like motivation, honesty, leadership-orientation, partnership, adeptness, abstract thinking, creative thinking, and critical thinking. Behavioural assessments need to be customised depending on the nature of the job role for which the candidate is being assessed. As each role demands a different set of skills and aptitude, these have to be chosen correctly and modified to suit the job description. The high validity and reliability scores help to determine if the candidate is the right fit, has high emotional quotient (EQ), the right work ethics, and the right attitude.
Technology has made it possible for organisations to quickly switch to a virtual hiring process and employ scientific assessment tools, enabling a reliable recruitment model for the future. The practice of virtual hiring which gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic is anticipated to continue even after normalcy returns as it is highly advantageous for both employees and employers. To address the needs of a dynamic market, organisations must leverage technology in the hiring process for an agile and more efficient decision-making process that is backed by scientifically-proven methods.
(The given article includes the inputs from Sujatha Kumaraswamy, CEO, MeritTrac Services)
