Hiring with confidence: how Zindi Recruitment Challenges transformed Predictive Insights’ hiring process

Predictive Insights have streamlined their hiring process by attracting top candidates from diverse backgrounds with a Zindi recruitment challenge. Hoping to tap into a wider pool of talent and save time in the recruiting process, they partnered with Zindi to run a technical assessment challenge that uncovered top-quality candidates for two junior roles.

PROBLEM

Predictive Insights were looking to hire data science interns based on their skills and abilities, but they faced challenges with a restricted talent pool and time-intensive screening process impeding their ability to make fair and objective hires.

SOLUTION

Embracing a forward-thinking approach, Predictive Insights and Zindi together hosted a Recruitment Challenge on the Zindi platform. While Zindi offers a diverse catalogue of ready-to-go datasets and problem statements, in this case a new dataset was sourced, and a challenge to predict youth employment using a machine learning model was set. This model would ultimately help Predictive Insights design and test interventions to help youth make a transition into the labour market and improve their earnings.

The challenge was open for two months on Zindi, and we ensured it was accessible to skilled talents from across South Africa to participate. After the competition ended, with the help of Zindi’s automated evaluation and ranking systems, 257 active participants’ submissions were reviewed automatically, saving time and resources that would normally be spent on more conventional technical tests. The top 10 candidates were carefully selected, therefore allowing Predictive insight’s technical team to focus on reviewing only the top candidate’s CV, model code, and video submissions explaining their solutions.

IMPACT

Equipped with the top candidates CVs and models from the competition, Predictive Insights conducted interviews with confidence knowing that they were engaging with highly-qualified candidates ranked by technical capabilities. This confidence resulted in an efficient and successful interview process, which concluded with Predictive Insights making two hires.

While traditional technical vetting processes can make candidates reluctant to complete long and in-depth technical assignments, the Zindi competition platform is able to turn this obstacle into an advantage, by attracting motivated candidates who are eager to showcase their skills. Through this partnership with Zindi, Predictive Insights secured outstanding hires and also promoted equality: providing potential employees with an equal and unbiased opportunity to showcase their skills as data scientists.

“We wanted to create a mechanism where promising data scientists could show their abilities and maybe end up working with us. Competition platforms like Zindi are a great way to see people’s skills, regardless of their background and education,” said Neil Rankin, CEO Predictive insights. “Thanks to all participants, and thank you Zindi! I would definitely recommend this approach to uncover data science talent.”

Zindi Recruitment Challenges guarantee a quick, equitable and robust recruitment strategy, allowing organisations like Predictive Insights to uncover and hire great data talent.