Virtual Interview Platforms for Data Scientist: The Benefits of Take-Home Interviews

Virtual interview platforms for data scientist jobs improve the interview experience through take-home tests and objective scoring standards.

HR staff, while highly experienced in hiring and recruiting, are minimally trained in specialized subjects such as data science. This deficit can derail the interview process for both employers and applicants as HR and recruiting teams are less confident in evaluating technical hires. Today, virtual interview platforms for data scientists provide a much-needed solution in technical hiring. Let's take a look at some of its benefits. 

Virtual Interview Platforms For Data Scientist Assessment

While hiring managers can ask questions and analyze answers, evaluating a candidate's actual skill level is a different matter. General tests taken from the web are unreliable due to an abundance of cheat guides and leaked answers. In-house developed tests are no better as it is very difficult to manage and becomes a very inefficient and unreliable part of your hiring process. That's why relying on virtual interview platforms for data scientist jobs and other positions is smarter for hiring technical talent.

Take-home assessments delivered via a virtual interview platform benefit the majority of technical candidates while streamlining the hiring process. A joint study from North Carolina State University and Microsoft showed that a higher percentage of participants failed technical interviews when put on the spot. Women, in particular, benefited from taking a technical test on their own. Results showed that traditional technical interviews, where candidates solve a problem on a whiteboard with an interviewer looking on, aggravated performance anxiety instead of demonstrating technical skills. On the other hand, take-home tests allow candidates to focus on the challenge. Below are three benefits of using take-home tests and virtual interview platforms for data scientist hiring:

Confidence In Skills Assessment 

Because data science entails a complex set of technical, mathematical, and analytical skills, hiring managers are often hard-pressed to find an adequate tool for evaluating skills like:

  • Data cleaning

  • Data visualization

  • Model selection

  • Feature engineering

  • Parameter tuning
  • Statistical analysis

  • Machine learning techniques 

Virtual hiring platforms supply HR with dedicated tests for the skills above. Best-in-class technical hiring platforms are also equipped with auto-scoring features which compare candidates’ output to a test case. This aspect gives HR an objective standard for measuring skills which can be used in conjunction with other aspects of assessment such as post-test interviews, resume screening, and others. 

Perhaps even more important is that virtual hiring platforms provide tests that mimic real-world scenarios instead of random questions. This characteristic focuses the hiring process on job-specific skills and not merely test performance. 

Better Candidate Experience And Retention

Virtual interview platforms are designed to facilitate a high level of take-home tests for data science applicants, allowing candidates to work on tests in their own time and workspace without the pressure of performing before a set of human spectators. Best-in-class technical hiring platforms provide the following additional benefits:

  • Video recording of the candidate solving the problem

  • Candidate explanation of their approach and solution on video

  • Test scoring based on output, time to completion, and other parameters

  • Fraud detection 

Not only do take-home tests improve candidate experience, but they also predict future performance. By mimicking actual challenges on the job, interviewers can observe how candidates perform in a realistic setting instead of in front of a whiteboard. Team leaders and senior engineers can also evaluate candidates’ problem-solving approaches in more detail with a take-home interview.

Objectivity For Internal Mobility

Similarly, virtual interview platforms for data scientist candidates offer companies an objective tool for facilitating internal mobility. Employees who are in line for a senior position can be assessed in a bias-free way to determine skill and expertise. Standardized scoring eliminates favoritism and ensures equal opportunity for all candidates. 

Faster Hiring Process

Here’s the best thing of all: virtual hiring platforms enable HR to interview more candidates upfront while ensuring high standards of skill assessment and candidate experience. Because tests and results are standardized, HR and engineers can assign multiple take-home tests and quickly identify the best candidates to interview. This quality shortens the hiring timeline and saves resources by successfully filling a position. 

Virtual interview platforms enable companies to acquire and assess talent from all over the world. High-level technical interviews can occur anytime, anywhere, without compromising quality and skill assessment. In this regard, virtual interview platforms widen the scope for both employers and candidates. 

Pick Your Take-Home Data Science Interview

Filtered.ai designs take-home interviews for technical hiring. Filtered is distinguished among virtual interview platforms for data scientist assessments such as:

  • C
  • C++
  • R
  • Python-3
  • Java-8
  • Javascript
  • Swift
  • Go
  • SAS
  • …and more

Leading brands use Filtered to screen candidates and give in-depth technical interviews. We have developed a unique scoring rubric for data challenges assessing error numbers and comparing applicant outputs to benchmark test cases. Furthermore, Filtered’s technical hiring platform enables live and video interviews to help determine whether candidates are a good culture fit. 

Filtered is a leader in skills-based, data-driven recruiting technology. Our end-to-end technical hiring platform enables you to spend time reviewing only the most qualified candidates, putting skills and aptitude at the forefront of your decisions. We’ll help you automate hiring while also applying objective, data-driven techniques to consistently and confidently select the right candidates. To get started, contact our team today or register for a FREE demo