Technical screenings are a vital tool in any recruiter\u2019s toolbox. They help you take those hundreds or thousands of applicants and whittle them down to those with the skills it takes to do the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s just one problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most software developers and other technical professionals don\u2019t have a very high opinion of them. A lot of tech pros will even refuse to take them, considering them time-consuming and beneath them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To them, it\u2019s another way big business takes humanity out of the already dehumanizing application process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The last thing you want to do as a recruiter is offend your candidates by offering a test as the first step in the application process. But you also don\u2019t want to spend the next nine days of your life combing through a phonebook\u2019s worth of resumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what\u2019s a recruiter to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s all about presenting the testing in a way that makes it palatable to your candidates \u2013 highlighting why you use it and how it will help improve the hiring process, not worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can take four key steps to make the assessment step more acceptable to your candidates so that they actually partake in it so you don\u2019t have to toil over a stack of resumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Setting expectations early on in the process will prevent the candidates from feeling that they\u2019ve received a nasty surprise when they\u2019re told that a skills assessment is part of the application process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be transparent in job ads<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The best place (and really the only place, if a skills assessment is at the beginning of the process) to be open about testing in your hiring process is in the job ad \u2013 and be upfront about the reasons, like needing to fairly assess all 732 applicants so that you can respond to all of them in a reasonable time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That way, candidates will not feel misled when they receive an invitation to test in their inbox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Stating this requirement in the email also helps prevent the candidates from feeling like they\u2019ve been singled out. Everyone sees the same job ad and must take the same assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To increase the chance that candidates will see the notice, it may also help to include a notice about it in the automated \u201cyour application has been received\u201d emails that go out when a candidate submits their application. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Communicate time commitments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the more important parts of communicating that there will be an assessment is the time commitment involved. There\u2019s a big difference between a 45-minute test and a 2-hour test, especially when you\u2019re a candidate already juggling another job, university courses, a family life, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly stating the time commitments helps the candidate plan their testing and shows respect for their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re expecting a candidate to take a test to \u201csave you some time,\u201d you’re not highlighting any benefit to the candidate and they might avoid the test altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However if you\u2019re having the applicants take a test so you can judge candidates fairly AND save yourself time, you have a winning reason for candidates to follow through with the application process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explain the role of testing in fair hiring<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Skills testing is a great way to eliminate bias from the hiring process<\/a> \u2013 it doesn\u2019t matter what fancy schools or prestigious companies you have on your resume. As long as you can pass the skills test, you can move on to the next round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And since everyone is taking the same test, no one candidate will have a non-skills advantage over any other. The playing field is level, as they say. There\u2019s no room for unrelated details to influence hiring decisions at that point in the interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discuss how it helps create a diverse applicant pool<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many candidates want to know that the companies they\u2019re going to work for care about diversity and inclusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcd6 Further reading: 8 Steps Recruiters Can Take to Instill Inclusivity in Tech Interviews<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In your job ad and elsewhere, let them know how skills testing increases diversity. Because it eliminates the bias of background or physical appearance, skills tests increase the diversity of the applicant pool precisely because they can\u2019t (and don\u2019t) assess those trivial details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, it helps bring in candidates who don\u2019t have a traditional computer science background. If you drop the degree requirement and only look for skills fit, you\u2019ll open up your talent pool to a broader range of candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there\u2019s one thing software developers hate, it\u2019s an inefficient use of time. Wasting their time with long and useless tests is a cardinal sin that will drop your Glassdoor ratings to basement levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep assessments concise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of your applicants will be unemployed and heavy in their job search. Others will be balancing full-time jobs, childcare, volunteer work, health issues, and any other part of life that takes up our time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a general rule, the shorter your assessment, the more likely you are to not only have candidates complete it but to have them start it in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people working a full-time job\u2014and even a significant portion of people out of a job\u2014don\u2019t have 3 hours to spend on a skills test. If you create a test that long, you risk significantly decreasing your talent pool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you create your skills tests, you\u2019ll want to balance the need for accurately testing skills with respecting the candidate’s valuable time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll want to make the test as short as you can while also feeling confident that the right candidates make it to the next round of interviews. A test that can be completed in one hour or less is ideal and if you find that you can design one for your needs that is even shorter, that\u2019s even better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Focus only on essential skills<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps the best way to reduce your test duration is to focus only on the skills necessary for the candidate’s job. Ideally, you\u2019ll assess only the \u201cmust-have\u201d skills and leave the optional ones for a later discussion with the technical interviewer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Developers often joke about the job ads which have a laundry list of nice-to-have skills which are completely unnecessary for the actual post. Show you are more realistic and focus only on the skills which will actually make a difference day-to-day. Developers appreciate this pragmatic approach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This may require an uncomfortable discussion with the hiring manager to determine which skills are essential for the test and which ones are just bonus skills. You\u2019ll have to bring up the tradeoffs of long tests measuring lots of skills, which will reduce the talent pool, versus shorter tests measuring fewer skills, which will increase the talent pool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Doing a test to never find out how you performed can be frustrating. While giving individual feedback after every interview can be overly time consuming, the same cannot be said for test results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Provide test results<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When a candidate puts in time to take a test for your application process, they\u2019ll appreciate seeing some kind of result from the test. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Interviews are fraught enough with one-sentence rejection emails; having a test result at least makes the interview process seem a little worthwhile. In other words, receiving results provides an additional incentive to complete the test. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHighlight fairness and diversity<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Respect candidates\u2019 time with efficient testing<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Prioritize feedback<\/h1>\n\n\n\n