Virtual assessment centres have transformed my role in graduate recruitment, revolutionising the way I approach the hiring process and interact with candidates. These digital solutions, which simulate centres in an online environment, have become an indispensable tool in my professional toolkit, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For someone like me, focused on attracting top graduate talent, virtual assessment centres have provided an efficient, inclusive, and cost-effective way to meet recruitment goals.
Prior to 2020, I had been using a mix of online platforms to deliver on international campaigns. These were often disjointed, unreliable and unfamiliar to both my candidates and clients.
Virtual Assessments are here to stay and I am delighted. Out of what became a very quick transition (as we entered lockdown, we had 6 weeks to build a robust virtual selection process in April 2020 for a food manufacturing client) I have seen huge benefits and developments. Here are some of the highlights:-
One of the most significant changes I have experienced is the ability to make our recruitment process more accessible and inclusive. Virtual assessment centres eliminate the need for candidates to travel, making it easier for individuals from diverse geographic locations and socio-economic backgrounds to participate. This has allowed me to connect with a broader and more diverse pool of talent than ever before, fostering a more equitable hiring process.
For candidates with accessibility needs, virtual platforms offer tools that I can customise to meet individual needs, such as screen readers, adjustable font sizes, and captioning for video content. This adaptability has helped me ensure that all candidates have a fair opportunity to showcase their skills.
From a cost perspective, virtual assessment centres have streamlined my role significantly. In the past, traditional assessment centres required substantial budgets for venue hire, travel arrangements, catering, and printed materials. By moving to a virtual model, I have been able to cut these expenses while maintaining a high standard of evaluation. This has allowed me to allocate resources to other critical areas, such as enhancing employer branding and developing innovative recruitment strategies.
Efficiency and scalability have been game-changers in my day-to-day responsibilities. Virtual assessment centres allow my team to manage large volumes of candidates simultaneously, which is invaluable during peak recruitment seasons. Digital tools automate scheduling, communication, and data collection, freeing their time to focus on personalising the candidate experience.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics has also transformed how I evaluate candidates. Real-time insights provided by AI-driven tools have improved the accuracy of assessments and helped our recruitment team to identify top talent more effectively, all while minimising unconscious bias through standardised evaluation criteria.
Virtual assessment centres have allowed us to offer candidates greater flexibility, accommodating their personal commitments and time zones. Feedback from candidates often highlights how much they appreciate being able to participate from the comfort of their own homes, which has resulted in more authentic demonstrations of their skills and abilities.
Additionally, I’ve been able to incorporate engaging activities such as gamified assessments, video interviews, and virtual group exercises. These innovations have not only made the process more enjoyable for candidates but have also given them a deeper understanding of our client’s company culture and role expectations.
Sustainability is a priority for me and the organisations I work with, and virtual assessment centres align perfectly with these values. By eliminating travel and reducing the need for physical infrastructure, I’ve been able to support environmental goals while enhancing our employer brand among graduates who prioritise eco-consciousness.
For many of the recruitment campaigns we run for our clients a constant challenge is having access to recruiting managers to be part of the assessment panel. This can simply be because of busy diaries, travel commitments, working from home, family life commitments or recruiting for international across multiple locations.
The virtual assessment centre platform has allowed greater access for assessors to be a part of the assessment panel through flexibility of time, removing the need for travel and operating across multiple time zones.
Many of our candidates have commented on the senior level of the assessors and how it reflects on the company’s commitment to recruiting graduates.
I am excited for the future and look forward to seeing the continued innovation in this space
Navigating the complexities of graduate recruitment in a rapidly evolving landscape requires strategic expertise. At Discovery, we deliver solutions completely tailored to your business and situation. Whether you are recruiting 1 or 100 we offer fully managed campaigns with 12-month guarantees to cost-effective Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solutions ensuring you attract the right people, with the right skills and behaviours who will drive your business forwards.
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For over 24 years Sarah Evans has been living her passion of supporting organisations across the globe to recruit and develop graduates to ensure they have the workforce for the future.
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