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Let’s be honest: the typical candidate experience sucks. We’re asking talented people to jump through hoops, often with tests that barely resemble the job they’re applying for. It’s like asking someone who’s auditioning to be a chef to solve a Rubik’s Cube—technically, there’s some logic involved, but what does it have to do with cooking?
This is a problem that’s particularly rampant in tech hiring, where coding challenges and generic quizzes have become the default. The reality is, people want to be tested on the actual skills they’ll use in the role, not on irrelevant puzzles or trivia.
Why Candidate Experience Matters
First off, let’s get this out of the way: Candidate experience isn’t just a buzzword. A poor hiring experience can cost you the best talent. Talented developers, engineers, and designers are being fought over by companies left and right. If your hiring process is a nightmare, they’ll move on to a company that respects their time and skills.
And it’s not just about making candidates happy—bad candidate experiences are a direct hit to your brand. Candidates talk, and word gets around if you’re known for frustrating, pointless assessments. A good candidate experience, on the other hand, makes people want to join your team and tell their peers about it.
The Problem with Traditional Assessments
Now, let’s get into what’s wrong with traditional coding challenges and assessments.
1. Irrelevant Tasks: A lot of these tests are built to screen for basic coding skills, but here’s the thing—senior engineers don’t spend their days solving puzzles. They’re making architecture decisions, doing code reviews, debugging live issues, and leading teams. Why aren’t we assessing them on that?
2. Stress Overload: Candidates are often given timed, high-pressure assessments that don’t reflect the collaborative, real-world work environment. If you’re hiring for a team that values collaboration and thoughtful decision-making, why test candidates in a way that’s completely the opposite?
3. One-Size-Fits-All: These tests often don’t account for the specific role or industry you’re hiring for. A front-end developer’s challenges should look very different from what you’d ask a DevOps engineer to do. Yet, many assessments are one-size-fits-all, leading to irrelevant questions and frustrated candidates.
How Skill-Based Assessments Fix This
Here’s where skill-based assessments come into play. Instead of relying on outdated or irrelevant testing methods, skill-based assessments match real-world tasks to the role a candidate is applying for. The goal? Make the assessment feel less like a pointless obstacle and more like a preview of the actual job.
Kodiva.ai, for example, focuses on assessing real-world engineering tasks like code reviews, debugging, and system design—tasks that experienced engineers perform daily. Rather than testing candidates in isolation, Kodiva.ai offers a hybrid of AI-driven evaluation and human oversight, providing a deeper, more accurate picture of a candidate’s abilities.
Tips to Improve Candidate Experience with Skill-Based Assessments
Here’s how to flip the script and improve the candidate experience in your hiring process:
1. Make It Relevant
Assess candidates on tasks they’ll actually perform in the job. For example, ask a front-end developer to build a UI component in a live coding environment instead of asking them to solve algorithm puzzles. For a senior engineer, have them review code, make architectural decisions, or debug an issue.
2. Provide Clear Instructions
You’d be surprised how many companies fail here. Candidates should know exactly what they need to do, how much time they have, and what’s being assessed. Clear instructions reduce stress and help the candidate focus on showing their skills.
3. Don’t Be a Jerk About Time
Timed assessments are useful, but don’t treat candidates like they’re running a marathon against the clock. Give them enough time to think critically and solve problems the way they would in a real-world scenario. You’re hiring someone to make thoughtful, impactful decisions—not rush through a task.
4. Offer Feedback
This is a big one. Candidates hate black-hole assessments where they complete the test and never hear back. Even if they don’t pass, giving feedback on their performance not only improves their experience but also enhances your brand. If they didn’t make the cut this time, they’ll remember your company as one that values their time and effort.
5. Simulate the Real Work Environment
Whenever possible, use tools that mirror real-world work environments. For example, Kodiva.ai uses GitHub for code reviews and debugging, which is what most developers are already using day-to-day. This makes the assessment feel more like a task they would encounter on the job, rather than an abstract test.
6. Customize Based on Role
Every role is different. The assessments for a senior backend engineer should look very different from those for a junior DevOps specialist. Tailor the challenges based on the specific skills and requirements for each role, and the experience will feel more relevant and engaging.
Why This Matters for Hiring Success
Ultimately, improving the candidate experience with skill-based assessments is about creating a hiring process that respects candidates’ time, skills, and career goals. If you want to hire the best, you have to show that you understand the value they bring to the table. Offering relevant, real-world assessments gives candidates a positive impression of your company and makes them more likely to accept an offer if they’re the right fit.
Hiring is hard. But it doesn’t have to be a nightmare—for you or for your candidates. By adopting skill-based assessments that reflect the actual work your candidates will do, you can create a more engaging, fair, and effective hiring process.
