Online assessment should not be used simply as a way of testing what candidates can do, recruiters have heard.

Ben Hawkes, director for assessment consultancy at Kenexa, told the Kenexa EuroSummit in London: “It’s not just about what the candidate can do. It’s about sending a message to candidates as well. How do we draw them into the recruitment process and sell the organisation. It’s not about the numbers.”

Hawkes said that online testing could play a number of roles. Referring to the AIDA mnemonic, these were:

A – grab candidate’s Attention

I – raise Interest

D – create Desire

A – lead to Action

Hawkes cited the example of the Royal Navy’s Engineer Officer Challenge, which uses an iPhone app and Facebook widget.

“This is a game that sells the organisation, gives players an opportunity to show their skills, and helps the employer to identify a pool of people who they can then bring in further assessment and enables the right people to apply.”