The comparison: Online assessments better than analog assessments?

The goal of both variants of assessments is identical: to gain information that will help to make the right personnel decisions. However, the methodology is fundamentally different. Analog assessments usually last at least half a day to three days and are conducted by one or more assessors. Proper online assessments work with various tests and questionnaires to be completed in one hour. The tests and questionnaires are then evaluated by experts.

Which is better?

One thing should be said at the outset: All assessments require professional experts to conduct them and the appropriate methodology. Any assessment is useless if it is not valid and reliable, i.e. if it does not measure what it is supposed to and does so reliably and meaningfully.

Online assessments vs. analog assessments

In the following, the respective assessment will be examined to see how well it performs in the following criteria.

• Objectivity: The point for objectivity clearly goes to online assessments, since here the expert has no direct contact with the candidate, cannot build empathy, and can thus make a recommendation to the recruiters, free from his gut feeling and personal impression.
• Scope: Analog assessment centers have an advantage here. They not only perform analyses, but also simulations. For example, a good assessor can use a role play to see how well a candidate masters a difficult management situation, incorporates gestures and facial expressions, or how he or she communicates. Of course, candidates are aware that they are being observed, which could influence their behavior. However, competent assessors are very good at setting up the right setting and interpreting it correctly, so the bias in this discussion is negligible. However, it should be noted that the client of the assessment can also gain information on how a candidate communicates or how they appear overall - this is what introductory interviews are for. Nevertheless, the point about scope goes to the analog assessments.
• Cost: An assessment always costs, not only a lot of money, but also time for the candidate. If the candidate is still employed, it can be quite difficult to miss one to three days of work in order to carry out an assessment. The online assessment is the clear winner here. The financial costs of the digitized version are lower across the board and candidates benefit from flexibility in spades. Candidates are free to do the assessment where and when they want and need a maximum of one free hour.
• Efficiency: This means obtaining the greatest possible return with the least effort. In the case of assessments, the return is meaningful information that is needed to make the right decisions. The effort, the time and financial costs that one has to bear.

The costs for an online assessment are considerably lower than those for analog assessments. The quality of the analyses is comparable, however, online assessments are more objective. Analog assessments can be more comprehensive (but do not have to be). However, it is not always necessary to create even more extensive analyses and is therefore not a decisive factor in making the right personnel decision. For these reasons, the online assessment is clearly the winner in this category: the performance is comparable and more objective, although the costs are lower. The additional scope of an assessment in the traditional sense is not always needed, which is why it is not worth investing more and more there.

Online assessments: advantages outweigh disadvantages

Overall, analog assessments or assessment centers are still justified in a few cases. For example when the most comprehensive analysispossible is required, or if the client would like to delegate the entire recruitment process. However, the latter is not possible in my eyes, never really justified when you think about the extent that one wrong personnel decision can have.

To the author:
Noah Werder is an employee at Outvision GmbH. Outvision helps companies to make the right personnel decisions and relies fully on online assessments. Scientifically tested online tools are used. www.outvision.ch