Finding the best candidate for a position is a multifaceted task that requires strategy. The more high-stakes and complex the job, the more involved the recruitment process becomes.
For those looking to refresh their talent acquisition protocol, we’ve got the latest and greatest in recruitment software to help you do just that.
Each of these 15 candidate assessment tools is designed to assist hiring managers by streamlining and simplifying a different aspect of the hiring process.
By measuring candidates’ skills across all sorts of domains, these assessments provide invaluable information to ensure you get the best person for the job.
Best Candidate Assessment Tools
We’ve broken each pre-employment assessment tool into four categories based on which aspect of the hiring and assessment process they help facilitate.
Depending on your needs, one may be sufficient — or you may decide to use more.
Technical Ability Screening
For technical roles, it’s critical to go beyond what’s written on resumes and take the time to test each candidate’s technical skills.
These assessment software tools screen candidates to make sure they have the knowledge and skills required for the job. The technical assessment should be done before or during the interview process.
1. Qualified
Qualified assessments test for various tech-related job positions, such as software development, programming, Python, and more. Users can even create a custom assessment covering the specifics of what the job might entail.
The multitude of assessments available helps develop a profile of each candidate, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. This offers crucial insight into whether or not they have the necessary skills to succeed.
2. HackerEarth
HackerEarth helps employers evaluate hopeful candidates’ coding abilities.
Coding tests are created based on the criteria outlined in the job description, which employers upload to the site.
The coding assessment platform is designed to report tab switching and has copy-paste restrictions. In addition, the strictness of proctoring can be customized across the board to ensure fairness.
FaceCode, their online coding interview tool, lets users set up, invite, and conduct coding video interviews all on their platform.
3. Codility
Codility is another resource for employers to test potential employee ability and assist with technical interviews.
Their assessments are created under the guidance of industrial-organizational psychologists who developed a system that generates a skill-map, which is used to assess each person.
These skill-maps identify gaps in knowledge and overall skills, as well as screen for the right candidate with the know-how and experience necessary to succeed.
The goal is to let data inform hiring decisions and eliminate the likelihood of bias skewing the decision-making process.
4. DevSkiller
DevSkiller has over 500 ready-to-use assessments covering the cloud, cyber security, data science, and more.
They help simplify the candidate selection process for even the most technically complex roles. Users can also generate their own unique custom assessments.
Their TalentScore candidate dashboard is an excellent way to compare test results between applicants. Recruiters are also able gain deeper insight into each by reviewing the data provided.
The TalentScore integrates with other applicant tracking systems and software, allowing hiring managers easy access to a well-integrated system.
5. TestDome
TestDome screens candidates for a wide range of job-related skills, including programming and IT, core skills, and business roles.
Employers may create custom tests or choose from over 150 pre-made assessments. Their work samples and general cognitive ability questions yield high predictive validity.
To rule out cheating, employees can use webcam and screen proctoring. Additionally, there are duplicate IP and browser detection capabilities and copy-paste protection. The questions posed in the assessment are also AI-resistant.
Skills Assessments
Along with technical skills, some employers like to measure the candidate’s ability in other areas to help make better hiring decisions.
The assessment tests for this aspect of the recruitment and interview process can provide a sense of a candidate’s soft skills.
Some employers like to have their prospects take general cognitive ability tests, as well as other assessments that help them gain a deeper understanding of someone’s characteristics and tendencies.
The goals here are to:
- Find the right person.
- Reduce turnover.
- Increase the quality of hire.
These online assessments go beyond just technical abilities, and are designed to highlight skills and traits that are equally important.
6. Criteria®
Criteria® offers tests to evaluate things like:
- General job-related skills
- Job readiness
- Risk
- Cognitive aptitude
- Emotional intelligence
The theory is that assessing candidates through multiple dimensions makes it much easier to generate a complete picture of a person—one that goes beyond what a candidate may reveal in the interview itself.
7. Vervoe
Vervoe examines incredibly important skills, such as creative thinking and collaboration. These can be excellent adjunct skills to test along with the technical testing inventories.
Competency-based assessments help hiring teams create a pool of top talent with diverse skill sets and capabilities that they can use to determine who to interview.
Applicants are ranked by performance relative to the job description, and employers receive detailed reports on each prospect.
8. eSkill
Along with testing for skills related to an office environment, eSkill enables users to create customized job simulations of the work environment.
In addition, they provide skills testing across different domains, plus cognitive and behavioral evaluations.
Besides pre-employment assessments and assistance, eSkill promotes current employee growth and development through a feature that identifies knowledge gaps — areas where additional training could be helpful.
Applicant Tracking Systems
Another handy resource (for hiring teams especially!) is applicant tracking systems. These powerhouses keep candidate information organized and categorized … no jam-packed metal filing cabinets necessary!
9. Greenhouse
Greenhouse helps find, track, and vet potential candidates — then hire the most promising one.
It automates some of the more tedious aspects of the recruiting process and onboarding, and assists in making informed hiring decisions by providing data-driven resources.
10. Teamtailor
Teamtailor streamlines and optimizes recruitment. Its workflows are fully customizable and come with features like automated triggers, anonymous hiring, and a generative AI-powered assistant.
Personality Indexes
These recruitment assessment tools provide valuable insight into specific psychometrics and personality types. Choose an assessment highlighting the traits and soft skills you’re looking for in a candidate.
11. Myers-Briggs
This incredibly popular personality test has been circulating in use since 1963.
It measures where an applicant falls within these groupings:
- Extraversion vs. introversion
- Judging vs. perceiving
- Intuition vs. sensing
- Thinking vs. feeling
Employers mainly use this test to better understand each employee’s operating style. This is extremely helpful for improving communication and teamwork, assisting in conflict resolution, and more.
Once individuals know where they fall on the spectrum, they can leverage this new knowledge and apply it to personal and professional growth.
12. SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire
According to its website, the SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire assesses candidates to determine how well they fit a specific role and predicts their future performance with the company.
This is achieved by utilizing proprietary UCF science and data generated by over 40 years of assessments. The test takes about 20 minutes to complete, and is available in other languages besides English.
13. HEXACO Personality Inventory
The HEXACO Personality Inventory measures dimension of personality traits along these domains:
- Honesty-Humility
- Emotionality
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness (versus Anger)
- Conscientiousness
- Openness to Experience
The test is designed to provide objective, bias-free insight into candidates (as well as current employees). This gives employers valuable information about the individual’s character, personality, and tendencies.
14. Wonderlic
Wonderlic supports the entire candidate journey: personality assessment tools and cognitive ability tests (coupled with predictive job performance inventories).
Once the candidate is hired, Wonderlic further assists along the career path trajectory with various employee development tools.
Their pre-employee assessment helps recruiters to measure whether the candidate can and wants to do the job. It also predicts what their performance will be like if they’re hired.
The predictions are made based on an individual’s cognitive ability, personality, and motivation.
15. The Predictive Index
The Predictive Index helps employers craft detailed job descriptions to attract the perfect candidate.
After people begin submitting their applications, the employer can send a quick behavioral assessment that’s been scientifically validated to each person they deem promising.
The test is scored based on how well each candidate matches the traits the employer considers important for the specific position. Those who scored the highest can then be invited to interview.
The inventory shows both the strengths of each candidate, as well as their misaligned traits.
In addition, The Predictive Index also assists those who currently work at the company through tools that promote:
- Employee engagement
- Team development
- Successful leadership
Clarify the Ideal Candidate
Though it may seem tedious, it’s essential to detail who you’re looking for in the first place — what specific characteristics and skill sets they possess.
Many companies fail to update the criteria and specific skills they’re looking for regarding different job roles, consequently hiring people who are unsuccessful in the position.
It’s important to be detailed; list the experience, soft skills, and traits the desired individual has that will lead to success within the role.
There are a few ways to clarify the ideal candidate:
Look at Previous Ones
Apply lessons learned from previous candidates who fulfilled specific roles. Consider which attributes led to a successful job performance, and which didn’t.
Speak to team leaders, managers, and coworkers to gain a comprehensive perspective of the specific job-related skills necessary to excel.
Embrace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Another way recruiters tend to miss the mark is when they end up hiring someone with the same background, demeanor, and experience as everyone else.
This results in a flat, one-dimensional team that doesn’t always lend itself well to creative innovation — at least not in the same way a diverse team might.
Thus, instead of seeking an exact cultural fit, examine the position from the perspective of what aspects of company culture are missing:
- Where does the company fall short when trying to adhere to its values?
- How can that be remedied?
For example, if diversity is lacking, expanding the candidate search beyond the usual sphere to reach a broader range of qualified candidates is an excellent way to strengthen the team.
Another superb method of getting your company name in front of more people is to partner with organizations that serve diverse groups, such as Obsidi®. We support Black professionals in tech through education, networking, and more.
Many well-known tech movers and shakers have partnered with Obsidi®, as our suite of products and services is invaluable for employer branding, thought leadership and reaching an audience of qualified job applicants to fill open positions.
Conclusion
As you look at these helpful resources, keep your vision and goals in mind. The ideal candidate assessment tool — just like the ideal candidate — is the one that meets you where you are, and then takes you where you want to be.
Get started communicating with the most talented Black professionals in tech by signing up for Obsidi® Recruit today!
