The 7 factors to consider when selecting a candidate evaluation platform

Before deciding on a candidate evaluation platform, let’s first outline the key capabilities. Keep in mind that different platforms may use slightly different terms, but the general types of products are:

• Assessments: In a recorded and timed online environment, candidates solve automatically graded challenges, projects, and questions.

• Interviews: In a real-time video/audio environment with interviewers, candidates collaborate in a code editor, whiteboard, or other experience.

• Upskilling: Internal benchmarking and coursework for levelling up workforce across technical skills, often in preparation for the AI age.

Within and across these capabilities are a series of 7 important factors that every employer should consider when selecting a candidate evaluation platform. There are tradeoffs for each platform and there is no universally perfect solution. Rather, each employer should evaluate how important each of the following features are to them as they find the solution that best fits their unique criteria.

1. Content library

While many employers will create their own questions for each role, it’s important to have access to a large, modern, and validated library of questions and challenges. Candidate evaluation platforms are in a much better position to craft and test unbiased challenges. When possible, pick a platform with thoughtfully designed challenges for each role and skill you prioritize.

2. Question types

Across environments are different question types that will be critical to accurately evaluating candidates. Beyond coding challenges are multiple choice questions, open-ended questions, video response questions, tasks with custom uploads, whiteboard questions, and take-home projects.

3. Cheating detection

It’s an unfortunate reality that many candidates will try to cheat. Sometimes cheating is egregious like copying and pasting an entire solution found online and sometimes it’s less serious, like searching for the right syntax for a function. The best platforms will both prevent and detect cheating so that you can evaluate each candidate in the context of any unfair advantage they may have sought.

4. Integrations

If your applicant tracking system (ATS) is your home for all recruiting workflows, it may be important that the candidate evaluation platform you select have a seamless integration for sending assessments, scheduling interviews, and receiving results.

5. Candidate experience

While often overlooked, the candidate experience is perhaps the most important criteria for any platform. The best candidates get multiple offers and will drop out of any subpar recruiting experience quickly. Make sure you select a platform that puts candidates first with clear instructions, user experience, and features.

6. Security & compliance

Candidate data can be sensitive and employers increasingly need vendors to demonstrate SOC 2 and GDPR compliance, among other cybersecurity and privacy measures.

7. Pricing

The investment required is both an economic factor but also a strategic factor in any evaluation criteria. Platforms that severely restrict the number of candidates that can be evaluated largely defeat the purpose of using the technology in the first place. If employers must pre-screen who they screen, they are directly introducing bias into a process meant to eliminate bias.