Top Candidate Assessment Tools to Prevent Hiring Mistakes

For highly skilled jobs, recruiters always face pressure is on to identify individuals who not only fit the role but will also contribute to the company’s long-term success. About 74% of hiring managers admit that they have hired the wrong person for a job. [1] Conversely, the cost of a bad hire can reach 30% of the role’s salary and result in low productivity.[2] This is where candidate assessments come in to save you from the troubles. In this article, we’ll explore the best candidate assessment platforms and types of assessments you can implement.

What is a Candidate Assessment?

Candidate assessment is a tool you and hiring managers use to evaluate candidates’ skills, knowledge, abilities, and personality traits. These assessments can take various forms, including aptitude tests, personality questionnaires, technical skills evaluations, cognitive ability tests, and situational judgment tests, among others. The objective is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a candidate's suitability for a role beyond what can be gleaned from resumes and interviews alone. With these tests, you can make informed hiring decisions, reduce bias, and ideally increase employee retention by ensuring that new hires are both qualified and a good fit for the company culture. You can also use assessments to identify candidates who have the potential to grow and succeed within the company.

Best Candidate Assessments Platforms and How to Use Them

There are quite a few candidate assessment platforms that you can use depending on your hiring goals. Here are the key platforms:

Codility

Focuses on coding skill assessments, crucial for technical roles, ensuring candidates meet programming demands. The platform evaluates candidates equally based on technical skills that matter, saving hiring managers’ and recruiters’ time.

Key features:

• CodeCheck: Create role-specific remote skills assessments to evaluate the technical ability of candidates before inviting them for an interview.‍
• CodeLive: Conduct technical remote or onsite interviews via a shared editor using various templates and whiteboards.‍
• CodeChallenges: Host online coding competitions or maximize impact at events.

How to get started with Codility:

• Set Up: Sign up on Codility.com.
• Pick Skills: Decide which programming skills (e.g., Python, algorithms) to test based on the job.
• Choose a Test: Use a pre-made test or create your own with tasks, setting a time limit (e.g., 1-2 hours).
• Invite Candidates: Send test links via Codility.
• Track Progress: Check who’s completed the test in Codility’s dashboard.
• Review Scores: Look at auto-generated scores and reports to see how candidates did.
• Decide: Pick the best candidates based on scores and other info, such as interviews.

Integrating Assessments into Your Recruitment Process

You can integrate Codility with an applicant tracking system (ATS) like Manatal to make the recruitment process more seamless. Manatal also integrates with other assessment tools to evaluate candidates thoroughly, reducing the risk of bad hires. These tools complement Manatal’s built-in features, such as standardized interview scorecards and custom evaluation forms, to provide a holistic view of candidate suitability.

Sourcing candidates shouldn't be hard

Source & hire candidates faster with Manatal's ATS.

Sign up for Free

Testlify

Testlify provides insights for hiring the right people with accurate, automated, and unbiased skills assessments. It integrates seamlessly with Manatal, allowing recruiters to send assessments and review results within the platform, enabling objective evaluations.

Key features:

• Extensive Test Library: Over 1,200 pre-built tests covering technical skills (e.g., coding, software proficiency), cognitive abilities, personality traits, and role-specific competencies across 50+ industries.
• Custom Assessments: Ability to create tailored tests with custom questions (e.g., multiple-choice, video, audio, file uploads) to match specific job requirements.
• Anti-cheating Measures: Features like webcam snapshots, screen recording, and disabled copy-paste to maintain assessment integrity.
• Live Coding Tests: Real-time coding assessments to evaluate problem-solving and programming skills.

How to get started with Testlify:

1. Sign Up: Create an account on Testlify.com (free trial available).
2. Define Needs: Identify the job role and skills to assess (e.g., Python coding, communication).
3. Build Assessment: Choose from the test library or create a custom test with relevant questions and settings (e.g., time limits, proctoring).
4. Invite Candidates: Send test links via email or your ATS to candidates.
5. Monitor: Track the completion status on Testlify’s dashboard.
6. Review Results: Analyze auto-scored reports and detailed insights to shortlist top performers.
7. Integrate: Sync results with your ATS for seamless hiring decisions.

Jobma

A video-based hiring platform designed to enhance candidate screening through asynchronous video interviews and digital assessments. It leverages AI to analyze responses, offering insights into tone, sentiment, and keyword relevance. With a focus on streamlining recruitment, Jobma integrates with Manatal, providing tools for creating custom assessments and tracking candidate performance.

Key features:

• Video Interviews: Asynchronous video interviews with customizable questions for candidate screening.
• AI-Powered Insights: AI-driven analysis of candidate responses for tone, keywords, and sentiment.
• Digital Assessments: Pre-built and custom tests for skills and knowledge evaluation.
• Analytics: Tracks candidate engagement and performance metrics.

How to get started with Jobma:

• Step 1: Sign up on Jobma.com and set up your company profile.
• Step 2: Create a video interview or assessment with specific questions or tasks.
• Step 3: Invite candidates via email or your ATS.
• Step 4: Review recorded responses and AI-generated insights on the dashboard.
• Step 5: Sync results with your hiring system to shortlist candidates.

Hirevire

Hirevire streamlines hiring by introducing online assessments, including video, audio, and file responses. This is particularly useful for assessing soft skills and communication, with the ability to track candidate progress and review evaluations directly in Manatal.

Key features:

• Multi-Format Responses: Collects video, audio, and file-based answers for a fuller candidate picture.
• One-Way Video Interviews: Candidates record responses at their convenience.
• Customizable Questions: Tailor questions to assess soft skills or technical fit.
• ATS Integration: Works with platforms like Manatal for easy management.
• Fast Screening: Designed to replace lengthy phone screens with quick evaluations.

Getting started with Hirevire:

• Step 1: Register on Hirevire.com and define your job role.
• Step 2: Set up a screening with video, audio, or file-upload questions.
• Step 3: Send invites to candidates via email or your ATS.
• Step 4: Review submissions on Hirevire’s platform.
• Step 5: Move top candidates forward based on their responses.

TestTrick

TestTrick is an online candidate assessment software tailored to assist organizations in identifying and recruiting top-tier talent efficiently. The platform provides customizable assessments that align with specific hiring needs. By utilizing AI-driven algorithms and comprehensive data analysis, TestTrick enables organizations to make informed and strategic hiring decisions. This ensures that companies can identify and secure the best candidates for their teams.

Key features:

• Skill-based coding tests: Test, spot problem-solvers, and evaluate how candidates think. Choose more than 12 programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, SQL, and more front-end, database, or full stacks.
• Video interviews: Effortlessly conduct video interviews and store, organize, and revisit them in one searchable dashboard.
• AI-powered proctoring: Detect suspicious behavior with dual proctoring (webcam + screen recording). Auto-flag unusual movements of off-screen activity.

How to get started with TestTrick

• Step 1: Sign in to your account
• Step 2: Choose from more than 250 pre-built tests.
• Step 3: Send invitations via auto-email or through Manatal’s integration. Candidates can test anytime, anywhere, with flexible scheduling.
• Step 4: Use its AI-powered proctoring features to prevent cheating.
• Step 5: Access automated scoring and detailed reports to evaluate candidate performance. Collaborate with teammates to analyze results and identify suitable candidates.

Screenify

Screenify functions as a specialized recruiting assistant. It integrates seamlessly into existing recruitment processes. The platform conducts in-depth AI interviews to assess skills accurately. This approach results in an objective score for each candidate. Screenify screens applicants with human-like AI interviews. The platform is fully automated, so you can focus your time on the best candidates.

Key features:

• Interactive Assessments: Evaluate applicants beyond questions by engaging them in real-world tasks like email writing, coding, or role-playing.
• Voice Selection: Choose your interviewer voice that makes the interviews feel more human.
• Auto-pilot Mode: Automatically shortlist candidates and advance them to the next round.

Getting started with Screenify:

• Step 1: Log in to your Screenify account, create a new role, and choose your questions.
• Step 2: Invite candidates or integrate the platform with Manatal to automatically send interview invites with auto-pilot.
• Step 3: Receive an email after a candidate completes the interview. You can check the feedback, scores, and transcripts.

Types of Candidate Assessments

While they all serve a purpose in recruitment and strategy building, it is important to consider which specific assessment fits your particular needs best. Here are some candidate assessment types that can help you identify the right talent right from the early stages.

Skill Assessments

Skill assessments determine whether a candidate has the abilities needed for a job. They provide clear, measurable data to make smart hiring choices. They can include things like multiple-choice questions, writing tasks, or project plans.

Examples:

• Work Sample Assessment: Candidates do tasks like writing, coding, or presenting to show how they’d perform on the job.
• Cognitive Ability Assessment: Tests reasoning and problem-solving with questions on verbal, numerical, or spatial skills.

Behavioral Assessments

Behavioral assessments check how candidates handle work situations, stress, and teamwork. They focus on personality and work ethic to see if they’ll succeed in the role and fit your company.

Examples:

• Behavioral Interviews: Ask about past actions to understand their behavior and decisions.
• Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs): Give hypothetical work scenarios and ask candidates to pick the best response.
• Job Simulation Tests: Candidates complete real job tasks to show their skills and approach.

Personality Assessments

Personality assessments reveal if a candidate’s traits match your team and company. They’re different from behavioral tests and focus on overall character. Learn more about them in this guide to personality tests for jobs.

Examples:

• Standard Personality Tests: Self-reported tests like Myers-Briggs or Big Five measure traits like extroversion or agreeableness.
• Projective Tests: Candidates respond to vague prompts (e.g., pictures) to uncover hidden traits.
• Self-Assessments: Candidates answer questions about themselves, either standard or custom-made.

Conclusion

With plenty of qualified candidates boasting certifications and skills, recruiters need objective tools to pinpoint the perfect fit early in the hiring process. Candidate assessments offer a deeper look beyond technical abilities, enabling comprehensive evaluations of suitability and avoiding the hassle of restarting the process if a hire doesn’t work out—something no recruiter wants. This approach ensures informed decisions that boost long-term success for both the candidate and the company.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do recruiters integrate candidate assessments into different stages of the hiring process?

A: Recruiters use candidate assessments at various stages of the hiring process to evaluate skills, competencies, and cultural fit. These assessments may include resume screening, online tests, technical assessments, behavioral interviews, and work simulations, helping to filter candidates and identify those best suited for the role and company.

Q: How can recruiters keep candidate data from assessments safe?

A: Recruiters can protect candidate assessment data by implementing strong data protection protocols, adhering to privacy laws like GDPR or CCPA, and using secure storage solutions. It's important to restrict access to sensitive information, conduct regular audits, ensure software is up to date, and train staff on data protection practices. These measures help safeguard candidate information and maintain trust in the recruitment process.

Q: What steps can recruiters take to ensure candidate assessments remain relevant as job roles evolve?

A: Recruiters can keep candidate assessments relevant by staying informed about industry trends and technological changes, collaborating with hiring managers to understand evolving skill demands, and updating assessment criteria accordingly. Using a combination of traditional and innovative assessment methods, such as situational tests and gamified assessments, and incorporating feedback from candidates and hiring teams are key strategies. This approach ensures assessments align with the changing nature of job roles.

Q: How do candidate assessments differ between small and large companies?

A: Candidate assessments vary by company size. Small companies often have informal and flexible processes, focusing on cultural fit and adaptability due to their dynamic roles and teams. Large companies typically use structured methods with multiple stages, emphasizing technical skills and industry experience, often employing technology for efficiency and data analysis. The company's scale and structure significantly shape their assessment approach.

Q: How can you easily add candidate assessment data to your applicant tracking system?

A: To streamline the addition of candidate assessment data to your applicant tracking system (ATS), use assessment tools that integrate directly or via APIs. This automation minimizes manual data entry, saves time, and reduces errors. Alternatively, use the ATS import function to upload data files. Training the recruitment team on these tools can further enhance efficiency in the hiring process.

Citations:

1. CareerBuilder
2. CareerBuilder