Improving the accuracy and efficiency of candidate selection

We have designed and delivered a set of highly personalised online assessments to help RSA accurately and efficiently identify top performers in the early stages of their recruitment process across their UK and International region. 

Since the launch of the new assessments, RSA’s applicant-to-hire ratio following an assessment centre has improved from 3:1 to 3:2.

We were looking for an assessment solution that would help us accurately and efficiently identify the most suitable candidates to take through to the assessment centre stage of our selection process. We also wanted to provide a more engaging and insightful experience for candidates, giving them a flavour of what they’d experience in the role to avoid any surprises later in the process.

Joanna Dawson, Talent & Leadership Specialist UK & International, RSA

The Objective
Raising the standards

RSA’s goal was to raise the standards in assessing and hiring great people by improving the accuracy and efficiency of the way they select candidates for two key role families within the business - Claims Handlers and Customer Service Advisors.

They were looking for an assessment solution that meant they could accurately screen candidates against the key high performance behaviours for each role, whilst also creating cost and operational efficiencies by reducing reliance on more resource intensive and less predictive existing assessment methods.

It was important to RSA that the new assessments also gave candidates a realistic preview of the company and roles, so they knew what to expect should they be a successful applicant. The company also realised the importance of delivering a great online experience, taking full advantage of mobile technology so candidates could complete the assessments quickly and easily on any device.

The Solution
Personalised, precise and engaging

We conducted in-depth interviews with current jobholders and leaders in the business and held group discussions with line managers, to identify the key requirements of the roles. We then developed a series of questions focused around the key day-to-day scenarios that candidates may encounter in the relevant jobs. The questions were designed to measure the behaviours linked to the key competencies required for each role, enabling RSA to consistently identify high performers.

We added a short video at the beginning of the assessment – featuring existing jobholders and line managers in RSA’s offices – which explained the key activities of the role, what it’s like to work for RSA and what to expect from the assessments. This was designed to help reassure candidates during the assessment process, as well as convey the real-life culture, environment and diverse population of RSA.

We then integrated the assessments with RSA’s applicant tracking system (ATS), to provide a simpler, more automated process for the HR team as well as deliver a seamless applicant journey for candidates. They can also access candidates’ assessment results via the ATS integration. The assessment data includes an overall suitability fit score for each candidate as well as a profile breakdown by competency; this enables RSA to identify the most suitable candidates to take through to the next stage of the selection process. They can also generate personalised candidate feedback reports, giving individual feedback and developmental input on the key areas measured in the assessment process.

By working with Sova Assessment, we’ve been able to seamlessly integrate our candidate attraction, applicant tracking, and assessment and selection processes, in order to identify and select the most suitable candidates for our roles and our company.

Joanna Dawson, Talent & Leadership Specialist UK & International, RSA

The Result
Identifying the best

RSA started using the new assessments from May 2016 during the initial stages of selection, to sift out unsuitable candidates and identify those to put forward to the next stage. With predictive accuracies of 78% and 73% for the Claims Handler and Customer Service Advisor assessments respectively, the results confirm that the assessments provide a predictive and efficient method of successfully identifying strong candidates early in the recruitment process.

This has already led to a marked improvement in RSA’s applicant-to-hire ratio following an assessment – with the ratio going from 3:1 to 2:1 for Claims Handlers and 3:1 to 3:2 for Customer Service Advisors. The new assessments have increased the quality of the candidates progressing to this final stage of selection, making it easier to increase retention.

The successful integration of Sova assessments into RSA’s selection process, combined with the initial positive impact on the hiring ratio, is not the end of the story though. After six months, we’ll validate the assessment data of successful candidates against ‘live’ performance data from line managers, to confirm the assessments’ continuing predictive accuracy.