Even with Structured Interviews and Aptitude Tests, Candidate Assessment Remains Difficult — 65% of HR Professionals Agree, According to back check Survey

back check Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku, Tokyo; CEO: Yoshinori Sudo), operator of the reference and compliance check service 'back check' (https://site.backcheck.jp/), conducted a 'Survey on the Reality and Challenges of Hiring Assessment' targeting 1,000 business professionals working in HR departments nationwide.

In recent years, while many companies use structured interviews and aptitude tests to make hiring decisions, the difficulty of making accurate assessments is actually increasing. This is driven by intensifying hiring competition and the widespread use of generative AI, which has homogenized the quality of application documents and interview preparation, making it harder to see the actual differences and true capabilities of individual candidates.

Under these circumstances, companies are forced to make hiring decisions based on limited information, creating a gap between the information needed for accurate assessment and the information they can actually acquire.

This survey focused on this structural challenge of 'information limits' to clarify the reality of hiring assessments.

Summary of back check's 'Survey on the Reality and Challenges of Hiring Assessment'

Result Summary 1: The Reality of Hiring

- Approximately 60% of companies have experienced a hiring mismatch.
- Even when no issues were found in interviews and aptitude tests, about half of the companies discovered problematic behaviors after the candidate joined.
- Due to intense hiring competition, more than half of companies have 'proceeded with hiring despite feeling uncertain about the assessment.'

Result Summary 2: Structural Challenges in Hiring Assessment

- While hiring methods are becoming more sophisticated, 65% answered that candidate assessment is difficult.
- Over 60% recognize 'lack of information' as a challenge behind hiring mismatches.
- Crucial information, such as evaluations from previous jobs and actual work attitudes, cannot be sufficiently verified during the selection process.

Result Summary 3: Changes in the External Environment and Required Responses

- More than half feel that generative AI has made it harder to assess candidates.
- Over 60% feel concerned about the reliability of application documents and interview content.
- About 70% of HR professionals answered that 'third-party information is necessary,' realizing the limits of relying solely on interviews and documents.

[Topics] Do you feel that assessing job candidates is becoming more difficult despite the sophistication of hiring evaluation methods? (n=1,000, single answer)

Assessment Remains Difficult Despite Sophisticated Methods, Over 60% Agree

We surveyed 1,000 HR professionals nationwide regarding their perception of the difficulty in assessing job candidates amid advancing hiring evaluation methods. As a result, 65.1% answered that 'assessing job candidates is becoming more difficult' (Strongly agree: 20.0%, Somewhat agree: 45.1%). This indicates that many companies are struggling to assess candidates accurately despite employing more sophisticated methods.

This result clearly shows that the sophistication of hiring evaluation methods alone has not resolved the difficulty in candidate assessment.

Q1. At your company, have you experienced a hiring mismatch after a candidate joined within the past 3 years? (n=1,000, single answer)

About 60% Experienced Hiring Mismatch in the Last 3 Years

We surveyed the presence of hiring mismatches among personnel hired in the past 3 years. As a result, 57.6% answered 'There was a mismatch' (Frequently: 13.8%, Sometimes: 43.8%), revealing that approximately 60% of companies have experienced post-hiring mismatches over the last 3 years.

Q2. Have you ever experienced a situation where a candidate showed no problems during interviews and aptitude tests, but problematic behaviors such as harassment, poor attendance, or interpersonal troubles were discovered after joining? (n=1,000, single answer)

Problematic Behaviors Discovered Post-Hire in About Half of Companies Despite Passing Assessments

We investigated whether companies had experienced situations where individuals who cleared interviews and aptitude tests without issue later exhibited problems like harassment, poor attendance, or relationship issues after joining. As a result, 50.6% answered 'Yes' (Frequently: 9.7%, Sometimes: 40.9%), showing that in about half of the companies, problems undetected during the selection stage surface after employment.

This result suggests that conventional selection methods, such as interviews and aptitude tests, may not sufficiently capture certain behavioral characteristics and workplace adaptability post-employment.

Q3. At your company, are there situations where you are forced to proceed with hiring despite uncertainty in the assessment due to intensifying competition in the job market? (n=1,000, single answer)

Intensifying Competition Leads to 'Hiring Despite Uncertainty' in Over Half of Companies

We surveyed whether companies are forced to hire despite assessment uncertainties due to the highly competitive hiring market. As a result, 55.1% answered 'Yes' (Frequently: 13.8%, Sometimes: 41.3%), showing that the majority of companies find themselves in situations where they must push forward with hiring even when they harbor doubts about the candidate's assessment.