The Best Recruitment Software for Predicting Job Performance

10 best recruitment software with in-built predictive analytics 

Let’s dive into the features and functionality of 10 recruiting tools that incorporate cognitive or behavioural testing. 

1. SHL 

SHL tests are available in 30 languages across 150 different countries. Although the tests are relevant to any industry, they're especially popular for grad recruitment programs. Talent acquisition teams use them to screen candidates for the skills and natural aptitude to progress into leadership roles for a company. 

SHL has a vast catalogue of test categories, including: 

• Cognitive ability: including verbal reasoning, deductive reasoning, and numerical ability tests. 
• Behavioural: including universal competency frameworks and situational judgement testing. 
• Personality: including motivation questionnaires, and occupational personality questionnaires. 

The verdict: SHL is one of the most well-known aptitude tools in the field with a rich array of tests for your candidates. However, fame in the industry also means the internet is awash with articles and videos showing candidates how to take and pass these tests. It’s pretty easy for candidates to achieve a high score, making it more of a challenge for recruiters to cherry pick the best of the best. 

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2. Ideal 

Ideal is an ATS that screens candidates from your existing talent pool. Using your database of rejected or passive candidates you’ve previously engaged with, Ideal uses an AI-assisted screening feature to match qualified talent to vacant roles. 

Candidates are more likely to engage with a familiar employer brand, making this a quicker time to hire talent into your job openings. The platform also pumps out data-backed insights for a fairer hiring process resulting in a more diverse workforce. 

The verdict: Ideal will save you time and money across your entire recruiting process, but only if you already have a dynamic talent profile. It's best suited to midsized businesses and above, that have been established a while. 

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3. Criteria 

Criteria is built based on I/O psychology and offers a range of assessment tools, including: 

• Cognitive aptitude 
• Personality 
• Emotional intelligence 
• Risk 
• Skills 
• Game-based assessments 

This recruiting software goes one step further by continuously validating these assessments to ensure they're useful and still relevant to talent teams. The tool aims to predict job performance, resulting in long-term retention and overall organisational performance. 

‍The verdict: Criteria offers an excellent range of tests that help recruiting teams make talent decisions based on potential over pedigree. But it’s not an all-in-one solution, so you’d need to integrate Criteria with your choice of HRIS or ATS for a seamless hiring process.

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4. Hacker Rank 

Hacker Rank is an excellent choice for the recruitment of developer roles. The product could be a game changer for volume hiring in tech companies as it automatically reviews, scores, and ranks suitable candidates based on their skills rather than their resumes. 

As you’d expect from a tech-focused tool, Hacker Rank uses in-built coding assessments and real-world challenges that candidates might use in their jobs. For example, you might ask them to build a web application, debug a codebase or fetch API data—all to pinpoint those with the best developer skills before you reach the candidate interview stage. 

The verdict: Hacker Rank’s approach ensures you’re selecting the highest-calibre candidates for a developer job, rather than being wooed by a meaningless college degree. Check out the rest of our list if you’re hiring for a non-developer role. 

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5. HighMatch

HighMatch is an assessment company that predicts future employee job performance using a library of questions based on 500 criterion-rated validation studies. 

The aim is to measure a candidate’s ability to perform role-specific tasks using hard skills assessments while determining work ethic and communication style through personality tests. 

Cognitive aptitude testing makes up the suite, digging deep into spatial reasoning and problem-solving capabilities. 

The verdict: HighMatch helps recruiters from industries as varied as healthcare to construction and retail to finance. Its intuitive platform makes candidate matching a cinch for any role you're recruiting for.

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6. Workable 

Workable is a flexible automation software that keeps the recruitment pipeline moving quickly. In terms of job performance predictions, the platform offers cognitive testing as a premium add-on. This uses a scoring methodology called IRT (Item Response Theory), and a candidate's final score (T-score) is based on the average score of all other candidates. 

The verdict: Cognitive testing is integrated within the overall Workable platform. This eases the administrative burden of using an external assessment provider and clicking around different tools to find the candidate information you need. However, the T scoring can be confusing if your candidate pool differs from industry averages. 

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7. Zoho Recruit 

Zoho Recruit is an all-in-one ATS that uses predictive analytics to measure and respond to data. The idea is to spot hiring trends to predict future behaviour and results. These include: 

• tracking patterns to source high-potential candidates 
• focusing on candidate relationship management to ensure a positive experience for prospective hires
• strengthening the talent pool to predict high performers. 

The verdict: Zoho Recruit's Assessment module uses weighted screening questions to rate job seekers automatically. However, some of the questions in the background check, like "How would you describe your credit history?" could allow hiring bias to creep into the recruitment process. 

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8. Traitify

Traitify has an entirely different take on cognitive assessments, opting for human interactions with images as its predictor of talent. 

The premise is that human brains process images 60,000 times faster than words. So, what better way to dig deep into how a candidate thinks than by using Traitify’s 90-second visual-based test? 

The test segments your talent pool according to categories like candidate fit, interests, and personality. It'll tell you if a potential candidate is a "mediator" or "campaigner" or if they score well in areas like "emotional stability" or "extraversion."

The verdict: Traitify is a fun assessment tool that your candidates will love. It lacks the nuance of more in-depth cognitive and real-world testing, but it is science-backed and easily accessible from a smartphone. 

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9. Talogy 

Talogy includes two cognitive tests to predict future job performance: Logiks and Mindgage. 

• Logiks is aimed at general vs. university-educated candidates and uses a mix of verbal, numerical, abstract, and ability skills testing. 
• Mindgage is a context-free testing tool suitable for any role, level, or background. It measures cognitive abilities through 3 modules: Crunch (numerical), Flow (image rotation), and Seek (perceptual ability.) 

‍The verdict: Talogy uses a combo of psychology and technology to deliver stellar testing for corporate recruiters. But as a stand-alone tool, you’ll need to slide it into your existing tech stack rather than rely on it to handle your entire applicant journey.

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10. Applied 

Here at Applied, we built our recruitment software to be data-driven and bias-proofed. The Applied Platform uses anonymous applications and rigorous skills-based assessments to shine a spotlight on the most qualified applicants for the role. And crucially, those applicants that could easily have slipped through the net using traditional hiring methods or less capable tools. 

In-app testing features include: 

• Mapped cognitive tests: ideal for predicting performance in consulting and finance roles. 
• Skills-based shortlisting: smarter hiring led by science-backed insights. 
• Numerical skills testing: a repeatable process designed to identify genuine numerical skills, including reasoning, computation, estimation, and data interpretation. 

The verdict: We built Applied to assess candidates in the most predictive, fairest way possible. Every step of our process is based on behavioural science research to help organisations hire the most qualified and highly skilled candidates on the market. The biggest difference between our approach and most of the recruitment software providers above is that all of our assessments are job-specific. Using generic cognitive tests isn't explicitly wrong - this is certainly better than using a traditional, CV-based process. However, by testing candidates on small parts of the job itself, Applied can reliably predict who will actually perform, should they get the job.

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Select high-performing candidates using Applied’s recruitment software

If you’ve got to the end of this list and feel frazzled by all the different recruitment software options and their many features, let’s take a second to regroup. 

Recruitment tools with inbuilt predictive analytics will take the guesswork out of how well a candidate will perform once they’re in-seat. Science-backed cognitive assessments are a key part of these tools, allowing you to zone in on specific skills and competencies you need for the required role. 

While there are some truly excellent assessment tools in the market, you can’t beat those that are incorporated into a solid applicant tracking system, with bells and whistles like job posting functionality or the ability to send automated company emails to unqualified candidates. 

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Not only does a centralised ATS provide a single source of truth about your talent pool, but it also supercharges communication with candidates by providing critical information about their position in the hiring funnel. 

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Applied was purpose-built to take a skills-based approach to hiring. It phases out any hint of bias from the entire recruiting process to provide companies with the best talent in the market.

Start transforming your hiring now: book in a demo.

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