Improving new hire retention rates by 50%

After an in-depth screening process and multiple rounds of interviews, any employer would assume they’ve chosen the right candidate for the job. But when a recruitment process is vulnerable to bias and selection error, they are just as likely to end up with a mis-hire struggling to deliver at the expected performance level.

According to Karthik Balaram Donthi, General Manager of Process Engineering and Human Resources at Orbit Technologies, the hiring managers struggled to assess candidates' technical skills and overall suitability for advertised roles.

“Generally, I work with the engineering team, but was brought on board by HR because they were facing problems with recruitment. The biggest issue occurred during candidate screening, previously conducted through technical interviews. Most of the people we talked to were well-prepared and answered questions satisfactorily regardless of their actual capabilities.” - Karthik Balaram Donthi

Interview bias leaves Orbit Technologies with a new hire retention problem

As a senior manager and, more recently, head of recruitment, Karthik was primarily involved in hiring for highly technical engineering roles. These positions called for applicants with knowledge and proven expertise in their respective areas. However, identifying the right people for these positions proved a difficult task. 

In many cases, candidates perceived as more likable or well-spoken were passed on to the next phase of the hiring process despite being poor fits for the company. Unfortunately, many of these employees ended up falling short of performance expectations and ended up leaving the company shortly after joining. In HR terms, this phenomenon is referred to as instant attrition.

Orbit Technologies needed a hiring tool to help them validate the full spectrum of candidates’ abilities to find the best talent for the role and not just the best interviewees. In doing so, they hoped to improve new hire attrition rates and overall performance levels across departments.

Standardized skill tests put the spotlight on the best talent

The HR team identified TestGorilla as the best tool for objectively assessing candidates’ skills. To test the platform’s accuracy, Karthik set up a custom assessment for current employees in his engineering team featuring a combination of personality, cognitive ability, and technical skills tests.

He found that the results matched up with what he already knew about the strengths and weaknesses of his team. He was also impressed by the product’s depth of functionality, which allowed him to make faster, more accurate hiring decisions.

“TestGorilla provided an easy-to-use platform where we could administer a standardized set of tests to all candidates. The automated scoring mechanism then helped me effortlessly rank the shortlisted candidates.” - Karthik Balaram Donthi

Particularly important features included:

• The sophisticated scoring and ranking mechanism enabled hiring managers at Orbit to easily shortlist ideal candidates. 

• The quality of questions and custom options offered during test creation helped Orbit create tailored assessments suited to the particular requirements of each role.

• The built-in anti-cheating measures helped the employer ensure candidates increased confidence in the accuracy of candidate scores.  

Following these findings, the HR team began rolling out TestGorilla for open positions across the organization, including engineering, data science, and HR roles.

Accurate data helps Orbit Technologies hire the right candidate for the role

Before working with TestGorilla, the Orbit Technology’s main objectives were to:

• Significantly reduce instant attrition rates.

• Minimize bias across their hiring process.

• Improve the overall quality of hires.

• Ensure new hires are aligned with the company culture.

After using TestGorilla, the company saw clear impacts in each of these areas:

• Instant attrition rates decreased by 50% as hiring managers were able to find candidates with the right mix of technical knowledge, soft skills, and attitude to excel at the company.

• Assessments validated (or, in some cases, disproved) inferences made about the competency and preparedness of candidates during the interview stage.

• The hiring process was streamlined and optimized, so hiring managers like Karthik could make correct selection decisions more often and minimize the chance of mis-hires.

In an applicant pool filled with tailored resumes and well-coached candidates, skills tests equip you to find candidates who can excel on the job, and not just at the interview table.

About the company

Orbit & Skyline, is a prominent player in the semiconductor services sector, boasting a highly skilled and seasoned team of engineers. The company offers diverse services to the semiconductor industry, encompassing mechanical, electrical, and software engineering solutions tailored for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Their clientele includes prestigious integrated circuit (IC) chip manufacturers and OEMs across the United States, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.