Why we don’t use tests or questionnaires
Standard tests can screen out good people for the wrong reasons. We talk instead.
Many hiring processes start with an online test or a long questionnaire. It looks objective, and it is easy to scale. We decided not to use them.
The problem with standard tests
A test measures how someone performs on that test, on that day, in that format. It can favour people who have taken similar tests before, who have more free time, or who are comfortable with a particular style of question. None of that says much about how they will do the actual job.
Questionnaires have a similar issue. They reduce a person to a set of boxes, and the boxes are chosen in advance. Anything that does not fit is lost, and that is often the most interesting part.
What we do instead
We talk to every candidate directly. We ask about real work they have done, the problems they solved and the decisions they made. We agree job-related criteria with the client before the search starts, and we apply them the same way to everyone.
This takes more of our time. That is the point: we have automated routine processes that don’t involve personal data, so our time goes into conversations, not into administering forms.
Fair by design
Avoiding methods that can lead to discrimination is not a slogan for us. It is the reason we work this way. If you want to know how we would run a search for your role, just ask.
Hiring for an IT role?
Let’s talk it through. No forms.