#What it is
Candidate scoring is the practice of assigning a quantitative score to candidates from objective signals, technical tests, validated behavioral profile, measured language level, verified work history. The score summarizes the candidate's position on a comparable scale and supports direct ranking.
It is not the same as the "match score" produced by a legacy ATS, which ranks by resume keyword frequency. Modern candidate scoring starts from measurements, not declarations.
#What goes into the score
Depends on the platform, but typically:
- Hard skill: output of technical tests by stack or domain
- Soft skill: Big Five profile or equivalent validated instrument
- Language: CEFR level (A1-C2) measured by test
- Experience: cross-validated (reference checks, public portfolio, verified employment record)
- Operational criteria: availability, location, salary band sought
Each dimension is normalized. The final score is a weighted combination, configurable per context.
#Single score vs polygon
Two design choices:
1. Single score (0-100 or 0-1000), easy to communicate, loses nuance
2. Multidimensional polygon: surfaces per-dimension distribution, supports criterion filtering, enables richer comparison
NORT's choice is the competency polygon: Career Score is the name given to this multidimensional view. Companies filter by per-dimension minimums; candidates see their own polygon and identify dimensions to improve.
#Advantages
- Direct comparability across candidates, independent of who read the resume
- Objective signals rather than subjective reading
- Cross-role reuse: one assessment, many opportunities
- Reduces bias when instruments are validated (Big Five, standardized technical test, CEFR-level language)
#Honest limitations
- Standardization loses particularity: a score doesn't capture what makes a candidate unique
- Risk of test gaming: candidates can train for the test without improving job performance
- Residual bias: even with validated instruments, rubric and dataset design influence outcomes
- Doesn't replace the final conversation: alignment, culture fit, mutual expectations stay human
#Candidate scoring at NORT
The Career Score is the NORT implementation. It's a polygon spanning hard skill, soft skill (Big Five), language, and verified experience. Companies filter by objective criteria; candidates see and manage their own polygon.
