Hiring for IT and Technology Graduates: Why these pre-employment assessments should be adopted

As recruiters, you know first-hand that technology has revolutionized and continues to revolutionize how organizations and colleagues operate. Virtually every business, across various industries and sectors, now relies on technology and digital initiatives to maximize their performance. Subsequently, the demand for skilled Technology and IT Graduates is high, with many organizations regularly onboarding fresh graduate talent to bridge skills shortages and shape their workforce of the future.

In this comprehensive article, you will find a step-by-step guide highlighting the most effective pre-employment assessments and robust selection tools to integrate into your recruitment process for Technology and IT Graduates. These assessments will guarantee that you identify top-tier and best-fit candidates equipped with the vital skills required for success in both the tech industry and within your organization.

Contents: 

1. What is an IT and Technology Graduate and what do they do?
2. What is the best assessment process to hire top IT and Technology Graduates?
3. Concluding remarks

1. What is an IT and Technology Graduate and what do they do?

What is an IT and Technology Graduate?

An IT and Technology Graduate is an entry-level position, typically part of a structured graduate scheme offered by large, medium, and small companies across various industries. These schemes involve on-the-job training, live tech projects, and exposure to the different areas of technology to ensure graduates develop the well-rounded skills and knowledge they need to become future tech leaders.

What are the main areas a Technology Graduate could work in?

A Technology Graduate might choose a specialized graduate scheme from the outset or move into a more specialized area as they progress. These areas are: 

• Cyber Security
• Data Science and Engineering
• Software Development
• Software Testing
• Strategy and Technical Operations
• Robotic Automation
• Tech Project Management
• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• IT Support and Infrastructure
• Cloud Computing

What would be the roles and responsibilities of an IT and Technology Graduate in my organization?

Technology Graduates will primarily be tasked with transforming businesses’ digital solutions, softwares, networks, and systems so that they are more efficient, reliable, and secure. This may involve working with companies’ financial processes, security systems, websites, service delivery framework, and IT infrastructure. 

Common responsibilities for an IT and Technology Graduate include: 

• Designing, developing, and maintaining databases, networks, software applications, hardware, and other IT systems
• Data analysis and data management to ensure accuracy, security, and integrity
• Troubleshooting technical issues and resolving complex technical problems for businesses or clients, including responding to bugs, faults, crisis, and risks
• Protecting and managing company systems and data by detecting and mitigating cyber security threats through audits and implementing security controls
• Assisting in project planning and the managing of technology projects from start to finish as well as stakeholder management
• Cross-department collaboration and communication of technical information to both technical and non-technical colleagues and clients
• Designing, testing, and implementing digital transformation initiatives and digital strategies
• Working with programming languages, including JavaScript, C#, CSS, Microsoft SQL, and Java

What skills and competencies are essential for IT and Technology Graduates?

To effectively assess and hire IT and Technology Graduates, it is essential that you consider a range of skills and competencies in your hiring process. We recommend evaluating a combination of technical expertise and soft skills, such as:

• Problem-solving skills
• Analytical skills
• IT technical knowledge and skills, including coding
• Numerical skills
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Teamwork skills
• Innovation and creativity
• Project management
• Flexibility
• Commercial awareness
• Resilience

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2. What is the best assessment process to hire top IT and Technology Graduates?

Creating a pre-hire assessment process customized for Technology Graduates requires thorough evaluation of candidates based on the specific skills and competencies essential for the variety of IT and Technology roles.

That is why below we have outlined in detail our recommended assessment process for hiring IT and Technology Graduates. Adhering to this strategy will offer you accurate and reliable insights into candidates’ skills, strengths, and on-the-job performance, ensuring you make hiring decisions with confidence.

1. Pre-employment Aptitude Tests

During the initial stage of your IT and Technology Graduate assessment process, we first recommend asking candidates to take selected pre-employment ability tests. These assessments will quickly and accurately screen candidates and identify those individuals who have the required technical skills for your Tech role. 

What aptitude tests should I include at the initial sifting stage of my IT and Technology Graduate assessment process?

To begin assessing candidates for your Technology role, you should consider the following skill-based pre-employment aptitude tests:

• A pre-employment numerical reasoning test: Technology Graduates will be working day-to-day with large amounts of technical and numerical data from IT systems, softwares, databases, and networks. Therefore, assessing candidates’ analytical skills, numerical aptitude, and ability to conceptualize and reason with data through a numerical reasoning test is key to determining their ability to handle numerical information effectively in the workplace. 

• A pre-employment logical reasoning test: Technology Graduates in the workplace will also be tasked with innovatively troubleshooting complex technical problems, whether bugs, faults, or cyber security risks. A logical reasoning test will assess candidates’ problem-solving skills and identify those who are natural problem-solvers and logical thinkers, ensuring their advancement to the next stage of assessment.

2. A Pre-employment Situational Judgement Test

We also suggest asking candidates to take a pre-employment situational judgement test at the initial stage of assessment, or the stage after. This assessment presents candidates with diverse work-based scenarios in which they must select the most and least appropriate action. The responses provide accurate insight into candidates’ core behavioral competencies and how they might actually behave and perform in the role.

What’s more, you can tailor your Technology Graduate situational judgement test to include real scenarios and challenges that graduates might face within your role and organization. Customizing this assessment and the questions also allows you to target the specific competencies that are essential for your IT and Tech role.

What specific competencies should I assess in my IT and Technology Graduate situational judgement test?

The competencies which are essential for IT and Technology roles and should, therefore, be assessed in your situational judgement test are:

• Analyzing
• Solving problems
• Innovating
• Delivering results
• Working with colleagues
• Deciding and initiating action
• Influencing
• Resilience

3. Pre-employment Coding Tests

At the next assessment stage, you may also consider adding a pre-employment coding test to your IT and Technology Graduate assessment plan to assess candidates’ programming knowledge,  problem-solving skills, and attention to detail. These assessments often require candidates to write clean structured code using programming languages, such as JavaScript, C#, CSS, Microsoft SQL, and Java, and will help to identify candidates with the necessary programming expertise to succeed in IT Tech roles where coding proficiency is required. 

4. A Pre-hire Video Interview

As the penultimate stage in your Technology Graduate assessment process, it is best practice to get candidates to record their answers to a series of predetermined questions in a one-way timed video interview. From their recordings, you will learn more about your candidates and their skills, relevant technical knowledge, experience with IT systems, and alignment to the role and company. 

As a recruiter, what questions should I include in my IT and Technology Graduate video interview?

Your IT and Technology Graduate video interview should be structured around competency-based, strength-based, and technical questions or focus on candidates’ motivations, preferences, and why they want to work within tech. 

As assessors, you have the flexibility to apply your own hiring criteria when shortlisting candidates for the final assessment stage. This enables you to confidently identify the candidates who are best suited to your tech role and organization and who have the core strengths and skill set to succeed.

5. An Assessment Center

For the final assessment of your IT and Technology Graduate recruitment process, we advise inviting your top shortlisted candidates to an in-person or virtual assessment center. Through various exercises during this assessment day, you will be able to gain a holistic understanding of each candidate and their behaviors, skills, strengths, and areas for improvement. This comprehensive insight enables you to make well-informed hiring decisions and select the right candidates first time.

How should I set up an assessment center for my IT and Technology Graduate role?

Your Technology Graduate assessment center should involve a variety of exercises tailored to your role and organization, which are strategically designed to assess shortlisted candidates’ technical skills and knowledge, behaviors, strengths, and personality. These exercises may be technical and non-technical, such as: 

• A group task assessing how well candidates work in a team under pressure and how they communicate complex technical information to different audiences
• An individual or group presentation on a technical project to understand candidates’ project management skills and technical depth
• A case study exercise or role-specific tasks, such as programming
• A role play exercise, for example, troubleshooting a technical problem for a client
• A final interview, with various senior staff from the respective specialist IT department – this should be technical and explore candidates’ technical knowledge and skills specific to your role.

As assessors, by utilizing these exercises, you can determine which candidates best fit your Tech role, your team, and company culture. This will empower you to choose and hire the top candidates, with confidence, who have the skills and strengths to thrive in your organization. 

3. Concluding remarks 

Basing your IT and Technology Graduate recruitment strategy around these 5 assessments will provide you with a fast, accurate, and well-rounded understanding of each candidate and their varied skills, technical knowledge, and behavioral competencies. This invaluable and objective insight, offered to you as professionals within talent acquisition, will empower you to confidently select and hire the top best-fit candidates first time for your role and organization.