Data-Driven Recruitment: CVs and Interviews Are Not Enough to Assess Candidates

Jakarta – Having a large number of applicants does not necessarily make recruitment easier. When several candidates have similarly strong experience, education and communication skills, HR teams often face a more difficult question: who is the best fit for the company’s needs?

CVs and interviews remain important parts of the selection process. However, they do not always provide a complete picture of how candidates think, work, interact or handle the demands of a particular role.

For that reason, many companies use psychological tests or assessments as an additional source of information during recruitment. The aim is not to replace HR’s decision-making, but to provide further data so that companies can assess candidates more comprehensively.

Choosing the wrong candidate can affect the business

Recruitment decisions do not end when a candidate signs an employment contract. If the successful candidate proves poorly suited to the demands of the role, the effects may include a longer adaptation period, suboptimal productivity, additional pressure on supervisors and teams, and the possibility that the company will have to reopen the recruitment process.

This can be especially significant for growing companies, where every position contributes to business operations. The selection process should therefore do more than answer the question: ‘Does this candidate have relevant experience?’

It should also answer: ‘Are the candidate’s abilities and characteristics suited to the work they will be doing?’ This is where assessments can provide additional information.

Why CVs and interviews alone may not be enough

A CV helps HR teams review a candidate’s work experience, educational background, skills, certifications and achievements. Interviews then allow companies to explore that experience in greater depth, while also assessing how candidates communicate and explain situations they have faced.

However, some aspects are not always easy to identify through CVs and interviews alone. These include a candidate’s ability to understand information, reason, maintain accuracy, handle repetitive tasks, or display particular tendencies at work.