After joining my first big company, Monster.com, I was sent to my first big conference. As their social media ninja, they wanted me to know the most forward-thinking social strategies and sent me to learn from the big brands. I geeked out. I read all of the overviews and had my agenda planned days ahead of getting there. Not only was this one of the first times I traveled alone for business, but my boss was spending big bucks to put me in a room with some of the best marketing brands in the world.

Sitting in those rooms and watching team leads speak from companies like Visa, Lowes, and Pepsi, I was in complete awe. Not just because of the brand names, though. They really were leading the way and using social media in ways most people weren’t even considering. They were talking about virtual reality to full stream automation when most people were just creating Twitter accounts. The worst part? At the end of the presentations, they would tease us with a line about how they’re hiring.

I would have dropped anything to go work at those companies. I wanted to be writing their story instead of writing about them. I never got into this field to read and replicate case studies–I wanted to do something different. That’s what they were doing. That’s where I wanted to be.

Assessments For Attraction

These companies missed (and continue to miss) a big hiring opportunity. Those speakers should have been trying to recruit me with something better than “come find me, I’m hiring.” Instead, they could have been using a quick 1-2-3 assessment.

Think about it. You’re sitting in a room of 100+ people you know are qualified and have parallel experience at big brands. Why the hell would you dump them on a careers home page just to get lost? Give them something to do. Something to remember.

Most importantly, something to make them apply while they’re all dreamy-eyed about the company and the work, right?

I love it because it contextualizes the work better than any job description, no matter how good the copywriting is. It also means your people have the chance to go out there and sell the job as themselves to people who are clearly interested in learning and want to work with the best. We’re checking a lot of boxes here and moving from intent to action.

Assessments also provide candidates an opportunity to really shine before their face-to-face interviews. Before, they were bringing home a business card and a glowing recommendation. Now, your speakers are bringing in candidates with details that help hiring happen faster. It’s a whole new level of trust–and almost as good as a referral, even if you just met.