What’s the best Candidate Assessment tool?

Candidate assessment tools are key to hiring decisions given how they analyse candidates' skills, competencies and cultural fit. With a wide range of options available on Stakkd, selecting the best candidate assessment tool can be challenging. 

Step 1: Identify Your Organisation’s Hiring Needs

Define your specific hiring challenges. Core parts to consider:

1. Role-Specific Requirements: What skills, competencies, or behaviours are essential for the roles you’re hiring for?
2. Assessment Objectives: Are you focusing on technical skills, cognitive ability, personality fit, or soft skills?
3. Hiring Volume: Do you need a scalable tool for high-volume hiring, or a more in-depth assessment for specialised roles?
4. Budget Constraints: Determine your maximum budget, also consider that some vendors charge a per-assessment fee.

Step 2: Define Must-Have Features

Must haves in the Candidate Assessment space, often include:

1. Customisable Assessments: Ability to create or tailor assessments for different roles or levels.
2. Pre-Built Assessment Libraries: Access to a library of ready-to-use assessments for various skills and competencies.
3. AI-Driven Insights: Use of AI to provide predictive analytics on candidate performance, potential, and fit.
4. Candidate Experience: Ensure the tool offers an intuitive, engaging, and mobile-friendly experience for candidates.
5. Integration Capabilities: Seamless integration with your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and HRIS.
6. Reporting and Analytics: Detailed reports on candidate performance with actionable insights for hiring managers.

Step 3: Evaluate Usability and User Experience (UX)

The tool’s ease of use for both recruiters and candidates is key to its success. Look for:

1. Recruiter Interface: A user-friendly dashboard for managing assessments, tracking candidates, and generating reports.
2. Candidate Experience: A seamless assessment process with clear instructions, timely feedback, and accessibility on mobile.
3. Customisation and Branding: Ability to customise assessments with your company’s branding to create a cohesive candidate experience.

Step 4: Assess Validation and Compliance

Candidate assessment tools must be scientifically validated to ensure they are accurate, reliable, and legally compliant. Evaluate:

1. Validation Studies: Look for evidence that the tool can accurately predict job performance.
2. Compliance with Employment Laws: Ensure the tool complies with local regulations. Common ones are: EEOC, ADA, and GDPR.
3. Bias Mitigation: Assess whether the tool has mechanisms to minimise bias in assessments and ensure fairness.

Step 5: Vendor Reputation and Support

Check the vendor’s expertise, reputation, and support offerings.

1. Vendor Expertise: Choose vendors with a strong track record in the candidate assessment space and proven industry experience.
2. Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Read reviews and case studies to understand how the tool has delivered value to other organisations.
3. Support and Training: Ensure the vendor offers robust support, including training sessions, onboarding assistance, and ongoing customer service.

Step 6: Request Demos and Conduct Pilot Testing

Before making a final decision, request live demos or trial periods to evaluate the tool in a real-world setting.

1. Simulate Key Hiring Scenarios: Test the tool with different roles and candidate profiles to evaluate its effectiveness. Use some of your own team and their jobs to see how the tool handles these real life examples.
2. Gather Stakeholder Feedback: Involve recruiters, hiring managers, and even candidates in the pilot to gather diverse perspectives.
3. Evaluate Performance: Assess the tool’s accuracy, ease of use, and the quality of insights provided during the trial period.

Step 7: Compare Pricing and ROI

Evaluate the pricing models (subscription, pay-per-use, etc.) and compare them to the expected return on investment (ROI). You can use the Stakkd ROI calculator here.

1. Hidden Costs: Look out for additional charges for training, support, or integrations.
2. Value Assessment: Balance cost against potential savings in time, improved hiring quality, and reduced administrative burden.

Step 8: Plan for Implementation and Adoption

Once you’ve selected the best tool, develop a clear implementation plan to ensure smooth adoption.

1. Data Integration: Ensure seamless integration with existing HR systems and tools.
2. Training and Onboarding: Provide comprehensive training for recruiters, hiring managers, and other stakeholders.
3. Continuous Improvement: Establish a feedback loop to refine the use of the tool and address any issues that arise.

In Summary

Selecting the right Candidate Assessment tool will enable your organisation to pinpoint the best candidates and level up how objectively it selects successful candidates. With the right tool in place, your organisation will be better equipped to achieve this.