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Blog thumbnail Kirsty Birch on Why You Should Have a Well Being KPI

Most businesses only chase key performance indicators (KPIs) like growth, revenue, and customer retention. In the relentless pursuit of these goals, they become obsessed with the numbers. This often comes at the cost of their employees’ well-being, resulting in underperformance, retention issues, and reputational damage.  Hitting business goals while nurturing your employees might seem like a stretch. But Kirsty Birch, a seasoned workplace well-being trainer (and an experienced accountant, to bo

Workplace well-being expert Kirsty Birch says companies should have well-being as a KPI

Blog post thumbnail Scaling back DEI will have consequences

“DEI would have ruined this country. And now it’s dead.”  With these words, newly elected President Trump declared an end to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs in the federal government during a press conference on February 1st, 2025. With a rising tide of political and cultural backlash against DEI, many employers are unsure where they stand.  My take? Companies must stand firm in their commitment to DEI policies and practices where they can.  In this article, I take a closer look 

Scaling back DEI will have consequences – here’s why

What will applying for jobs look like in 2050 featured image

The way we hire has changed so much over recent decades. Job applications are entirely digitized, companies are using AI resume scanners, and applicant tracking systems have turned candidate management on its head.  But this isn’t the end: Change is expected to continue and perhaps accelerate.  How can you invest in the right technologies, plan effective hiring strategies, and beat the competition? We can help.  Below, we share eight ways that applying for jobs will change between now and 2050 s

What will applying for jobs look like in 2050?

Technology, AI, and new work practices have shaken things up and sparked a hot debate: Are middle managers still relevant?  While some argue these roles will vanish, others insist they remain crucial – but that they’re on the brink of complete transformation. You must grasp the shifts in middle management and strategize so you’re not left behind by more adaptive market leaders.  That’s where we come in. Below, we define what middle management is, dive into eight ways it's changing, and discuss w

The future of middle management: Will it evolve or end?

are graduates career ready featured image 

A recent survey revealed that over 60% of employers aren’t confident that their current talent pipeline solutions will meet their workforce needs in the next 5-10 years. One particular solution they're concerned about is the education-to-workforce pipeline – many employers (40%) feel that graduates aren’t career-ready when they join the workforce.[1] Employers must do something about their lost confidence in the graduate pipeline. The question is – what? In this article, we take a deep dive into

Are graduates career-ready? 40% of employers don’t think so. What’s going on?

Is a ‘covering culture’ undermining your organization’s well-being efforts featured image

– “I edit the way I talk and act around my coworkers so as to make myself appear ‘less gay.’”  – “As a Black woman, I don’t want to be seen hanging out with a group of only Black women. It would seem 'too Black' if we were all seen together.” – “I don’t want people to know I was poor growing up, so I try not to talk about my childhood at work.” [1] The above quotes collected by Deloitte reflect employees’ experience of “covering” – or downplaying their true selves – in the workplace.  Covering c

Is a “covering culture” sabotaging your employees’ wellbeing?

As a recruitment professional, you know how much work goes into finding the perfect candidate for a role. You then need to make sure you successfully onboard them to set them up for success in their new job.  After all this effort, the last thing you want to do is lose a talented team member because they become demotivated and disengaged. To guarantee you retain the best talent and keep them performing at their best, you need a toolbox full of strategies that motivate, engage, and empower your t

What is job enrichment? Examples, benefits, and more

Today, more and more applicants are using AI assistance to write resumes. Is this a good or bad thing, and how should employers feel about it?  There are advantages and disadvantages. For instance, while AI can save candidates tons of time, employers might be frustrated by resumes that all look the same – which makes it harder to spot the best talent.  But AI isn’t going anywhere, and neither are AI-generated resumes. So, in this guide, we explore the pros and cons of AI-generated resumes for jo

AI-generated resumes – the good, the bad, and the ugly

Mindfulness at work benefits and best practices graphic

Mindfulness isn’t just a trending buzzword – it’s a meaningful shift in how we approach work, and it’s here to stay.  Companies that embrace mindfulness often see better focus, reduced stress, and improved productivity. Ignore it, and you risk employee burnout, lower engagement, and a blow to your bottom line.   Despite this, many employers struggle to incorporate mindfulness. Some don’t really know what it means or how to practice it. Others brush it off as fluff or face pushback from those who

The case for mindfulness at work: Benefits and best practices

Human sustainability isn’t a corporate buzzword featured image

The modern workplace is facing serious and unprecedented challenges. Employees are burning out, struggling with economic uncertainty, and worried about losing their jobs to AI. This pressure can quickly spiral into high turnover, underperformance, and a web of other problems that impact your company's long-term success.  Many employers try to tackle these hurdles one at a time – offering a wellness program here, a training course there – but this piecemeal approach falls short and doesn’t solve 

Human sustainability isn’t a corporate buzzword. Here’s why you should care.

If you’ve noticed tension, a drop in morale, or excessive conflict in your workplace, you’re not alone. A 2023 survey from the American Psychological Association revealed that 1 in 5 employees reported their workplace environment was somewhat to very toxic.  Perceptions of workplace hostility are common, but where do you draw the line between everyday work tension and a hostile work environment? And if your workplace does fit the criteria, what can you do about it? If you’ve been pondering these

What is a hostile work environment? Signs and solutions

No matter where you look, modern recruitment has its fair share of problems. But, for every problem, there are experts and practitioners working to equip hiring managers and talent acquisition with the information and tools to help them hire better. Katrina Collier is an author, speaker, and facilitator based in the UK. She’s aiming to resolve the human issues that make talent acquisition clunky and harm candidate experience. We spoke to her about her new book – Reboot Hiring – her tips for usin

“You harm your bottom line if you don’t look after the people who bring in the people”: A conversation with Katrina Collier

In 2019, cognitive neuroscientist Frida Polli wrote in the Harvard Business Review: “AI holds the greatest promise for eliminating bias in hiring for two primary reasons… 1. AI can eliminate unconscious human bias [and] 2. AI can assess the entire pipeline of candidates rather than forcing time-constrained humans to implement biased processes to shrink the pipeline from the start.” [1] Five years later, we want to know: Has AI lived up to this promise? Looking at the data, we believe that while 

Is AI making hiring bias worse?

AI is not ready to interview job applicants featured image

AI (artificial intelligence) has helped many employers streamline their hiring processes, reduce time to hire, and save costs. Many employers are now even using AI to interview candidates. But what are the implications of this? Are these tools really ready to interview candidates without any human involvement? We don’t think so.  However, there are ways to use AI safely and conscientiously in your hiring process. In this article, we look at some of the risks with AI interviews and share how to u

AI is not ready to interview job applicants. Here’s why.

Why did the world-s largest HR association drop the E from DE&I featured image

This month, a 250-word LinkedIn statement announced that the world’s largest human resources organization is removing “equity” from its “diversity, equity, and inclusion” framework.[1] The Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) President and CEO explained the organization would instead prioritize an inclusion-first (I&D) approach: “We're going to lead with inclusion because we need a world where inclusion is front and center. And that means inclusion for all, not some people.” The backla

Why did the world's largest HR association drop the E from DE&I?

How to build mutual respect at work featured image



Mutual respect in the workplace is crucial for building a high-performing team. Employees who feel respected are more engaged, productive, and satisfied in their roles.  In fact, the American Psychological Association found that 95% of workers say it’s fundamental for them to feel respected at work.  Unfortunately, it’s easy to lose focus on mutual respect when building your workplace hierarchy. Regularly testing candidates’ skills to ensure they can work in a team effectively tends to take a ba

Mutual respect: How to build a better company culture

Skills-based and merit-based hiring are not the same featured image

Recruitment is on the brink of a complete revolution. With growing intolerance for unfair hiring and nepotism, companies are under more pressure than ever to find top candidates while still providing equal opportunities for everyone.  While many employers claim to be moving toward a fairer approach, several of them have made no tangible change in how they hire. College graduates are still snagging top jobs over those who are skilled but less privileged.  The issue is that employers are now focus

Skills-based and merit-based hiring are not the same: Here’s why

Quiet quitting and how to re-engage your workforce featured image

Given the current labor market shortages, knowing how to stop quiet quitting in your workforce is tough because it’s just that – quiet. You might have the HR management skills to spot a drop in productivity, but that doesn’t mean you can identify which employees are quietly quitting or why they’re doing it. In this article, we discuss what quiet quitting looks like and how to prevent quiet quitting in your workforce. 


Quiet quitting: How to re-engage your workforce

4 reasons to use language agnostic coding tests in your hiring process

TestGorilla’s IP development and engineering teams have been working hard to update our platform’s coderunner. A major reason why we’re doing this is to make sure it can support language agnostic coding tests.  We’re big fans of language agnostic coding tests, and this work represents an important development – not just for TestGorilla, but for the world of coding tests more widely. Things are changing, and testing universal coding skills in a language-specific environment just doesn’t cut it an

Discover-A-simple-guide-to-multi-measure-testing

We recently surveyed over 1,000 employers and found that 81% are now using skills-based hiring methods – assessing candidates for their real-life skills, not just their resumes. Since making the switch, employers have been able to hire faster, better, and cheaper.  That said, not everyone truly maximizes what skills-based hiring offers. Some employers are overly focused on hard skills, putting them at a disadvantage to those taking a more holistic approach with something called “multi-measure te

A simple guide to multi-measure testing

11 innovative ways to attract quality talent featured image

Between labor shortages, widening skills gaps, and ongoing economic uncertainty, the current outlook for recruitment can feel bleak. The competition between employers to attract and hire the best talent is heating up.  As a result, three out of four employers worldwide have difficulties filling vacancies. [1] The issue isn’t getting enough applicants – it’s attracting and finding the right ones. The solution? Think outside the box and introduce innovative solutions to entice quality talent. In t

11 innovative ways to attract quality talent

Time to hire how to calculate it, and how to cut it featured image

Think that a longer recruitment process will guarantee amazing hires? Think again.  Yes – a thorough hiring process will help you select top talent and avoid making rushed decisions. But thorough doesn’t mean long and drawn out. In fact, long hiring times can lead to missed opportunities, higher costs, and frustrated candidates who’ll move on to more efficient employers.  That's why you must monitor your average time to hire and strike the right balance between hiring fast and hiring right.  In 

Time to hire: Top tips to calculate and cut it

Top 10 Recruiting Trends for the Future of Hiring

Outdated hiring practices often overlook the full spectrum of candidates’ skills. In addition, traditional recruitment practices are often slow and biased, making it difficult to find the right talent. These problems leave companies with workforces that are less diverse, innovative, and adaptable than they should be. In this article, we explore how to solve these issues with emerging recruiting trends, such as focusing on skills, using technology, and giving candidates what they want.  Let’s div

Top 10 recruiting trends for the future of hiring

Could AI lead to the rise of mediocre employees and mediocre work featured image

A 2023 survey by the professional network app Fishbowl involving over 11,700 workers found that 43% use AI for their work tasks. [1] This statistic raises various questions about the impact of AI on employees, businesses, and the future of work.  A question at the forefront of our minds is: Could AI lead to the rise of mediocre work? Our conclusion: absolutely, depending on how your employees use it.  TestGorilla’s Senior Product Manager, Gustavo Imhof, sums up our position: “AI, when not levera

Could AI lead to the rise of mediocre work?

The tech skills gap: What it is, why it exists, and how to close it in 2024 featured image

Nothing keeps employers up at night like the tech skills gap. Technology is evolving rapidly, but tech talent is hard to find, recruitment is competitive, and even non-tech roles are increasingly requiring digital skills – which workers are sometimes reluctant to learn.   This gap has persisted for years, and knowing what the future of work holds is hard. But waiting on the sidelines for a solution to appear isn’t an option.  In this guide, we explain why 2024 is a golden year to bridge the gap 

The tech skills gap: What it is, why it exists, and how to close it in 2024

7 inspiring organizational culture change examples featured image

Culture change in the workplace is the process of shifting your organization’s actions to better align with new values, such as increasing fair hiring efforts to support diversity and inclusion. Changing organizational culture is often necessary to transform the work environment for the better. It inspires employees, enhances their performance, and increases productivity. This article discusses how a positive company culture transformation is a powerful way to improve an organization by reviewin

7 inspiring organizational culture change examples

Why even the best process will fail without the right people featured image

Many modern business leaders believe process optimization is the key to success. Celonis, a software company specializing in process mining, recently surveyed 1,200 senior business leaders at large organizations across the US and Europe. Eighty-one percent of leaders said that processes are the “lifeblood” of their businesses, while another 83% said that processes are their greatest tools for creating business value and driving change. [1] Our take? Processes are not the lifeblood of organizatio

Why even the best process will fail without the right people

Actions speak louder than words: How to avoid diversity washing featured image

In a recent working paper, researchers looked at data from over 5,000 US public companies. [1] Looking at Securities and Exchange filings, they compared what these firms said about their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts to the diversity of their workforces.  The conclusion? Many companies were all talk and no action, with a “significant disconnect” between their DEI commitments and actual employee diversity. The researchers labeled these companies as “diversity washers.” Our advice

Actions speak louder than words: How to avoid diversity washing

Skills vs. experience: What matters more for hiring? 


A recent study by Korn Ferry estimates that by 2030, more than 85 million jobs will sit empty due to a lack of talent. [1] With fewer qualified workers, businesses must ensure their recruitment strategies are effective so they can fill their open positions with the right people. However, so many companies are still using outdated candidate screening methods – like resumes. For instance, we surveyed 1,500 employers in 2023 and found that 82% still use resume screening. Meanwhile, 69% think that r

Skills vs. experience: What matters more for hiring?

8 underrated soft skills and their benefits featured image

For over 100 years, employers have known that the strongest employees possess a variety of soft skills [1]. This is still true today, and employers are increasingly recognizing the need for these skills in their workforces. For instance, in TestGorilla’s 2024 State of Skills-Based Hiring research, 89% of responding employers told us that soft skills are more important now than they were five years ago.  Most companies are familiar with classic soft skills, like time management and communication 

8 underrated soft skills and their benefits 

Despite women making up nearly half of the US workforce, they hold only a third of executive roles in the S&P 500. [1] Ethnic minorities are also greatly underrepresented in leadership and executive positions, and there’s hardly any data on how many leaders come from a low socioeconomic background. [2] This information alone highlights that social mobility at work needs some serious work. In fact, only 9% of companies think about it at all in their diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) initia

7 ways to tackle barriers to social mobility at work

How to write a trading assistant job description featured image

Today’s workforce is undergoing unprecedented transformations, and it’s expected to continue evolving.  Failing to understand and respond to the intricacies of these changes can put your company at risk of losing top talent, making poor workforce planning decisions, and missing opportunities for innovation. This can impact your revenue, growth, and reputation.  But trying to understand the future of human resources can be confusing and overwhelming.  In this article, we discuss the four most imp

4 trends that are defining the future of HR

In the workplace, people often have little to no control over who they interact with. Individuals with different backgrounds, skills, and opinions are thrown together into one professional setting. The potential for conflict is high, and modern employers and managers face a dilemma.  On the one hand, employers must consider employees’ psychological safety and well-being and aim to prevent actual and perceived forms of harassment, bullying, and discrimination. On the other hand, employees are tol

Striking a balance between safe spaces and free speech at work

Hybrid working – once viewed as the groundbreaking future of work – is on the brink of collapse. A recent survey found that 90% of companies plan to bring employees back into the office by the end of 2024 in an attempt to increase productivity and revenue. [1] Many leaders are ready to threaten employees with dismissal if they don’t comply with return-to-office plans. But the BBC has shared that 50% of US employees would rather resign than be forced to return to office full time. [2] The situati

Choosing the right hybrid work strategy

Inclusive job listings are an essential first step to creating a diverse workforce, which studies show leads to greater innovation and problem-solving, reduced turnover, and better overall financial performance. They’re also the best way to ensure you’re not unintentionally driving away ideal candidates.  Of course, inclusive job listings are nothing new. But as society evolves and we learn more about social inequities, companies must adopt new approaches to inclusivity, grounded in authenticity

3 novel strategies for crafting inclusive job listings

The global skills shortage is ongoing.  Many skilled workers are being turned away by employers because of a lack of formal education or experience on their resumes.  Many employers are not offering workers learning and development opportunities even though 45% of workers say they would stay at their company longer if it invested in their growth.[1] Skills-based hiring is a proven strategy to locate, retain, and develop skilled workers. In fact, The State of Skills-Based Hiring 2024 found that 8

Is skills-based hiring the latest APAC hiring trend?

Business metrics often overlook age-related diversity. Generational diversity, which refers to workers of all ages being involved in today’s workforce, combats age discrimination and is good for your organization. One study found that 86% of workers prefer working on a multigenerational team, and 86% also said multigenerational teams enable them to develop innovative ideas and products.[1] Having multiple generations in your workforce makes your company more diverse, inclusive, and attractive, m

Generational diversity: Leverage this retention strategy and build an inclusive workforce

Picture this scenario. You get home after working late. It’s dark outside. You skipped your workout because you’re tired from the day, and when you pick up your phone, you see a text from your boss that starts with “URGENT.”  You open your laptop and wonder how long you can last at this job.  Nobody wants to be that employee or that boss. But without boundaries at work, this situation can happen repeatedly.  As an individual, it means honing your time management skills and learning to say “no.” 

Setting boundaries at work: Build a healthier company culture

Social media profiles can be a tempting source of insight into candidates during the hiring process. However, this approach comes with a few thorny risks. Non-compliant social media screening can result in large fines, discrimination complaints, and lawsuits, so you must proceed with caution if you choose to use it.  To help you decide whether to use social media screening in your hiring processes, we look at the relevant federal and state laws, including anti-discrimination laws, that may apply

Is it legal to screen candidates’ social media profiles during hiring?

In the first eight months of the 2023 fiscal year, the US welcomed 31,800 refugees – the highest number since 2017. [1] This influx represents a significant talent pool for employers. But hiring refugees involves unique challenges, including language barriers, unrecognized overseas qualifications, and additional training needs. Many refugees have experienced trauma, potentially affecting their work and workplace interactions. Further, the legal rules around refugees’ work rights are complex. Whi

Tearing down the canvas ceiling: The business case for hiring refugees

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