What is the best selection method in the world?
Spoiler: There isn’t one. But there is a formula.

Everyone wants to know: What’s the best way to pick the right person for the job?
Is it intelligence testing? Structured interviews? A gut feeling wrapped in a polished CV?
The truth? There’s no one-size-fits-all method. But there is a way to compare and combine methods into the best possible mix for your specific hiring situation.
Four elements that matter
At Assessio, our approach to building effective selection processes is based on four key criteria:
• Prediction – How well does the method predict job performance?
• Fairness – Is it biased? Are you unintentionally excluding qualified candidates?
• Cost – Is it worth the time and money, especially at scale?
• Candidate experience – How does the process feel from the other side?
In this article, we focus on that last one – because it’s often underestimated, and it can make or break your hiring process.
Candidate experience is often treated as a ‘nice-to-have’. It’s not. It’s a performance factor.
Why candidate experience is important
Candidate experience is often treated as a “nice-to-have.” It’s not. It’s a performance factor.
It directly affects whether people apply, accept offers, recommend your company, or reapply in the future. Candidates drop out every day – not because they’re unqualified, but because the process feels confusing, impersonal, or irrelevant.
What candidates react to
Research shows that fairness isn’t just about equal treatment. It’s about perceived justice. Candidates assess whether the outcome felt fair, whether the process made sense, how they were treated, and whether they received enough explanation.
One of the strongest drivers of a positive experience is perceived job relevance.
Work samples and structured interviews usually score high. Personality or cognitive tests, on the other hand, can seem random – unless you explain how they relate to the role.
Even a short sentence like “This helps us understand how you approach job-relevant challenges” can change how the process is perceived.
Your process is a signal
People don’t just judge the process. They judge what it says about you.
Your selection methods send a message about what you value and how you work. Are you a company that prizes ambition and career progression? Or one that emphasizes social responsibility and team cohesion?
There’s no right or wrong answer but there is a risk in sending the wrong signal. Context matters. When your selection process reflects your values, candidates notice and respond.
And remember a poor candidate experience doesn’t just cost you talent or hurt your employer brand.
In mass-market companies, candidates are often customers too – and it’s not uncommon for people to stop buying from a brand after a negative hiring experience, especially if they didn’t get the job.
Want to design the right mix for your next hire?
Curious about how to balance the other three key criteria – prediction, fairness, and cost – and combine methods that actually work for your situation?
Sign up to receive our upcoming white paper, The Science of Selection Methods.
It will be released on May 26 and is packed with insights on how to build the right selection process for your specific context and avoid the most common mistakes in modern recruitment.
