CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwired - Feb 16, 2016) - Shaker, the market leader in engaging realistic job previews and custom simulations for pre-employment testing, today announced the results of its strong performance in the second half of 2015 as it continues to transform how companies hire. Building on the momentum gained in the first half of 2015, the company introduced new capabilities to improve the talent acquisition process while welcoming new large-scale clients, growing existing accounts and expanding its internal team.
"For nearly 15 years, Shaker has helped companies make more informed hiring decisions through our unique blend of advanced selection science, commitment to creating engaging candidate experiences and focus on measurable results," said Joseph P. Murphy, Shaker's executive vice president. "More organizations are recognizing the value of our advanced assessment technology to predict on-the-job performance and improve quality of hire. Shaker has experienced tremendous growth, as exemplified by our strong 2015 results. As we continue to enhance our functionality and deliver new innovations in the assessment space, we expect to sustain this momentum throughout 2016 and beyond."
Client Growth and Success
In the latter half of 2015, Shaker welcomed many new clients seeking to leverage its Virtual Job Tryout® (VJT) technology. New clients include a top-five quick service restaurant (QSR) chain that will be taking advantage of the technology to improve outcomes for its store manager and district manager positions, and one of the world's largest franchisors, which will be using a VJT system to hire store managers. Many existing clients expanded their use of Shaker's VJT technology, requesting new systems to evaluate additional roles within their organizations, as for financial advisors, first-line managers and software development supervisors. A large number of clients, including multiple global retailers, have also adopted the company's mobile-optimized VJT to reach new audiences and allow their candidates to complete the assessment from their handheld devices.
The quality of Shaker's VJT technology and its ability to improve its clients' hiring practices continues to garner industry recognition. One of its clients, a top-five financial institution in the U.S., won the prestigious Human Resource Management Impact Award, presented by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to organizations demonstrating the most effective, evidence-based HR practices. The client received this award for its success in implementing Shaker's multimethod, pre-employment assessment solution to facilitate hiring across multiple call center and operations roles, leading to savings of $6.8 million as a result of increased new-hire retention.
Product Expansion
Shaker broke new ground in its product functionality in 2015, introducing standardized VJT solutions for call centers and retail banking roles. As a result, small and mid-sized businesses can now make better hiring decisions faster through evaluation of the performance drivers Shaker has determined to be indicative of success in these high-volume jobs. Shaker also launched and upgraded data integrations with workforce solutions providers Workday, ADP, and iCIMS, delivering further efficiencies to users of those systems and enabling them to make informed hiring decisions as part of their larger talent management processes.
Shaker also revealed a distribution partnership with Performance Assessment Network (PAN), which has included Shaker's family of Standard VJTs in its catalog of the most trusted assessment solutions on the market.
Growing Industry Presence
As Shaker continued to introduce new innovations, the company achieved widespread recognition and advanced its position in the assessment space. Shaker's executives shared thought leadership at multiple industry conferences, including the Fall ERE Recruiting Conference, DisruptHR Cleveland and the IPAC 2015 Conference. Shaker also participated in the 2015 IHRIM Annual Conference's first-ever Technology Incubator, highlighting how VJT technology optimizes recruiting practices by enabling faster time to hire, lower turnover and improved levels of new-hire performance. In addition, Shaker presented several webinars showcasing how VJTs elevate the candidate experience, improve recruiting processes and lead to precision hiring decisions.
Strategic Additions
Another factor key to Shaker's success is its ability to attract and hire the talented individuals who advance its mission and develop innovative functionality to further improve its technology. In the second half of the year, the company welcomed three I-O experts: analyst Carter Gibson; Dan Koletsky, who joined Shaker's Insights team as a relationship manager; and Noelle Frantz, who was appointed as an analyst to Shaker's Design-Build team. The company also welcomed business development expert Tim Kennedy as director of Sales for North America
Looking Forward
"Shaker is committed to delivering the solutions that help companies make well-informed, data-based decisions today, while constantly developing new innovations to meet the needs of employers in the future," said Murphy. "Based on our ongoing growth and momentum, we are well-positioned to maintain our standing at the forefront of innovation in the assessment industry. We look forward to continuing our strong performance and helping more organizations enable their talent acquisition teams with insights from big data to hire the best talent possible."
ABOUT SHAKER
Shaker's Virtual Job Tryout® (VJT) technology enables recruiters to combine the best of predictive analytics and human judgment. Recruiters identify best-fit candidates with more precision, increase new-hire retention and improve quality of hire. VJT technology delivers pre-employment assessments as day-in-the-life experiences that educate and engage while obtaining a work sample that predicts job fit and competencies critical for success. VJT technology is available in Standard and Enterprise (custom) configurations. It has been deployed in most industries for entry-level to mid-management positions. More information can be found at shakercg.com.