Soon, you will gain access to a brand new tool: Matchscore. The new tool provides a more objective assessment of how well candidates match a job profile.
Research in best practice shows that when using tests in recruitment, the best results are achieved if the first step in the recruitment process is a job analysis (Carless, 2009). It’s a rigorous process of identifying the competences, abilities, and qualifications that are essential to thrive and succeed in the job.
We recommend that the job analysis is converted to a job profile highlighting the 4-6 most important personal competences of the future employee. The job profile can be created using our virtual competence prioritisation tool, which we presented in our last newsletter
If you need a refresher, we’ve outlined the main points below.
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Why it’s a good idea to start with the competence framework
What does it mean to be completing, analytical, or ambitious? You can probably describe it, but are you certain your manager would describe these characteristics in exactly the same way? Probably not.
We rarely attribute exactly the same meaning to words, which of course means that something can be lost in the recruitment process, unless the parties involved complete an initial clarification of concepts. The competence framework can help. Each competence card contains a competence with a short and precise description in order to ensure that everyone using the competence framework has the same understanding of the personal characteristics.
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In addition to creating a shared language for those involved in the recruitment process, the competence framework can also be used to select the 4-6 competences that constitute the job profile. There are a number of appropriate selection methods; find inspiration by clicking here.
The competence framework is accessible directly from the test platform. This means you can quickly and easily create a job profile by simply clicking on the competences identified in the job analysis.
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How to get a matchscore
Once the job profile has been completed, it is time to determine how well a candidate profile matches the job profile. For this purpose we have developed a Matchscore, which is generated when a job profile is added to an analysis. The score ranges from 0-100, where 0 represents the worst possible match between the job profile and analysis results, and 100 represents a perfect match between the job profile and analysis results.
The Matchscore thus offers insight into how well the candidate’s score matches the job profile. The assessment is data-driven and ensures a consistent and objective evaluation of all candidates, free from unconscious bias, where too much weight can be assigned to features such as the candidate’s first impression, clothes, appearance, gender, or something you may recognise from yourself, which are unrelated to the candidate’s expected job performance.
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Four considerations to make when using the Matchscore
- Is your job profile on point?To get the most out of the Matchscore, it is crucial that the job profile is accurate. A good job profile focuses on the personal competences that are essential to succeed and thrive in the job – based on job requirements, other team members, company culture, etc. If the candidate is not matched against the right criteria, the Matchscore is of little value.
- Is your job profile realistic?You often want to find the candidate who has it all – and then some. In the real world, however, some combinations of attributes will be more frequent than others. For example, someone who scores high on Detail-oriented is more likely to also score high on Orderliness, but less likely to score high on, say, Tempo. A low Matchscore does not necessarily indicate a bad match, but may instead reflect that the job profile is unrealistic or very difficult to achieve.
- How much should the job profile contain?The more attributes are prioritised in the job profile, the more difficult it will be to achieve the maximum score – especially if many of the ranges are narrow and placed at very high or low levels of the scale (e.g. 70-100 or 0-30). Similarly, very broad ranges can make it easier to achieve high scores, resulting in low variation among candidates’ Matchscores.
- What is the basis for your assessment of the candidate?With this tool, it can be tempting to use the Matchscore as an objective measure of which candidate is the best fit for the job. Remember, however, that no matter which or how many analyses you use it for, the Matchscore does not take into account other relevant factors such as education, relevant work experience, or other qualifications. You should therefore be sure to make an overall assessment of the candidate without assigning more weight to the analysis results than you normally would.
