Most job seekers in Russia consider test assignments to be the norm when hiring

Experts hh.ru , the leading online recruiting platform, conducted a study and found out how Russian applicants feel about completing test tasks in the employment process. The survey results show that for most candidates, a practical test of skills has become a familiar and understandable stage of selection. The research data was reviewed on January 30 by Izvestia.

It is clarified that 41% of Russians consider test tasks to be a natural way to assess professional competencies. Another one in five respondents (20%) is confident that well-written practical assignments help unlock a candidate's potential and increase the chances of getting a job offer. At the same time, 10% of respondents admit that they have no sympathy for the practical part of the selection, but perceive it as a standard element of job search. 5% of respondents are neutral about test tasks, performing them without much involvement, and only 5% of applicants completely refuse such checks.

"Test assignments are one of the most objective ways to evaluate a candidate's real skills. With their help, employers can check exactly those competencies that are in demand here and now. For applicants, this, in turn, is a signal that the market requires constant updating of knowledge: regular development and updating of professional skills allow them to pass the practical part of the selection confidently and without unnecessary stress," said the head of the Career and Skills department hh.ru Marina Dorokhova.

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Experts expect that this will help in the fight against personnel starvation.

In addition, attitudes towards practical tasks vary markedly depending on the professional field. More often than others, experts in the field of personnel management and training believe that test tasks help to unlock potential and get closer to receiving an offer — 36% of respondents share this position. A high proportion of positive ratings were also recorded among representatives of art, entertainment and mass media (29%), marketing, advertising and PR (28%), lawyers (27%), as well as workers in the manufacturing sector and service services (26%).

At the same time, representatives of sales and customer service, transport and logistics, as well as administrative and financial staff see the least benefit from practical skills testing. In these professional areas, the proportion of positive ratings does not exceed 14-16%.

The dependence can also be traced to the level of the position claimed by the candidate. Interns are the most positive about completing test tasks: 27% of them consider this stage an opportunity to show their potential. This point of view is shared by 22% of the respondents among directors, managers and heads of departments. The share of positive ratings among job seekers and leading specialists is slightly lower — 20% each. Among line staff and experts, this figure is 18% and 16%, respectively.

The lowest proportion of those who see a direct benefit in test tasks is recorded among the self—employed and individual entrepreneurs - 14%. According to analysts, this may be due to the fact that in these categories, employers and customers are more likely to focus on portfolios and already implemented projects, rather than on the results of verification exercises.

On January 17, Vladislav Bykhanov, managing partner of CORNERSTONE HR company, told Izvestia that technology had accelerated hiring, but had increased negative attitudes towards resumes. According to him, one of the key reasons is the vaguely formulated requirements for candidates. When an employer does not fully understand who exactly they are looking for, a flood of inappropriate responses becomes inevitable. An additional burden is created by the mass mailing of resumes by applicants, who send them to almost any vacancy in the hope of a random response.

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