When selecting a pre-hire assessment vendor, it is important to ask them about their expertise and experience. But, it is also important to ask them about their clients.
1. Who are the vendor’s clients?
Don’t believe just anyone can collect and manage your company’s assessment data. It’s important to first understand whether or not the vendor has experience handling data types and volumes similar to what your company will have. You want to avoid an unprepared vendor that cannot handle your candidate volume, amount of data, and analytical needs. The result could be candidates that cannot access the hiring process, platforms that do not work, and the inability of the vendor to create actionable discoveries from your data.
Bottom line: Experience working with companies comparable to your own is usually a good indication a vendor can adequately manage your candidate volume and data requirements.
2. Can they provide references?
You’ll want an honest opinion about the vendor, and past clients with favorable experiences can shed light on what makes their services unique. They may also be able to alert you to potential issues that, with enough foresight, could be avoided. You will want to explore how the vendor has supported and trained the recruiting team, handled candidate support issues, and implemented changes. You should also explore if what they claim in the sales process is actually what happens once the assessments are up and running.
Bottom line: Ask to speak with other companies that have worked first-hand with the vendor for an outsider’s perspective.
Topics: Talent Selection Ideas