TruAct simplifies and automates an intensive, manual EdTech candidate qualification and hiring process using Zoho Creator

Many EdTech service providers and educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and coaching centers, still rely heavily on paper-based and manual data collection—but this approach becomes challenging with large influxes of data. Using digital solutions, institutions can automate data collection and processes, helping them operate more efficiently. Technologies like low-code platforms enable institutions to create apps effortlessly, streamlining their operations.

In this blog, Abroll Consulting and Technology (TruAct), a Zoho Partner based in New Delhi, India, highlights how their educational services client leveraged low-code to transform their hiring process. This is a guest post by Kuuljiit Abroll, Business Head, and Harnoor Abroll, CTO at TruAct.

The problem statement

Our client, a leading organization in the education sector, faced a significant challenge in managing their hiring process for qualified subject experts. Each season, they receive between 20,000 and 30,000 applications from applicants who want to monetize their expert knowledge. However, the sheer volume of applications, combined with the need to manually qualify applicants based on real-time expertise levels, proved to be impractical and ineffecient in maintaining the desired number of subject matter experts.

The primary challenge was to efficiently select and qualify applicants from a massive pool of applications in real time. Specifically, the client needed to:

• Handle a large influx of applications during peak seasons

• Administer a difficulty-level-based online assessment to evaluate candidates' expertise

• Categorize candidates based on their expertise in specific subjects

The solution - A candidate hiring platform with difficulty-level-based (DLB) assessment

To address the client's challenges, we developed an integrated, automated solution focused on streamlining the qualification process through the following processes:

Automated application processing

The system uses DLB criteria to screen applications and qualify candidates based on their subject knowledge. It analyzes, qualifies, and ranks applicants according to the highest difficulty level they achieve in their assessment. The solution verifies candidates' documents, such as driver's licenses and Aadhar cards, against government databases to alert the organization about any fraudulent applications. It also cross-checks the name on the score sheet with the name linked to the applicant's PAN card, to spot inconsistencies and identify fraudulent applications immediately.

Online assessment

The platform can handle over 20,000 concurrent users taking assessments simultaneously. It features adaptive quizzes that adjust the difficulty level in real time, based on the candidate's performance, helping to identify the best applicants from the batch. It also records the time taken by each candidate to complete the test and automatically fails those who finish before a set threshold, to prevent cheating. Candidates are allowed up to three attempts to pass the assessment test. The platform records each attempt's score, the time taken, skill and knowledge levels, overall score, and pass/fail status.

Categorization based on expertise

An algorithm categorizes candidates based on their quiz performance and expertise in specific subjects. Each candidate is assigned a proficiency level in various domains, allowing for targeted shortlisting for different roles.

Real-time monitoring and analytics

Real-time monitoring tools track quiz performance, system load, and schedulers to ensure smooth operation during peak times, providing proper visibility to the organizational team. An analytics dashboard allows recruiters to visualize candidate performance data and make informed decisions quickly. Qualified candidates are seamlessly moved to the next process.

Scalability and reliability

The platform is scalable to handle sudden spikes in traffic. It maintains high availability and reliability, reducing downtime during critical periods.

Managing users and access

To ensure secure and effective management, the platform differentiates user roles, granting tailored access and functions to internal users, external users, and administrators.

• Internal users: Organization members who manage the entire process. They have access to manage and view application data.

• External users: Applicants who use the Creator portal for signing up and participating in the onboarding and hiring process. They can only see their own data, managed using profiles and custom logic.

• Administrators: Have full access to all data and actions at each stage of the onboarding and hiring process.

Components used in the application 

HTML pages:

The pages were designed for the user to understand the steps required to complete their onboarding and hiring process, with a well-defined UI to avoid confusion and ensure ease of use. These pages are designed with the client’s branding in mind, ensuring the data collection interface is both visually appealing and consistent with the company's identity. The 100% customized interface layout provides a modern and intuitive user experience, making the assessment easy for applicants.

Forms:

At the heart of any data-driven application are its forms. Multiple forms have been created to capture various inputs from the applicant. Combined with the easy-to-understand UI of Zoho Creator pages, they help the team easily collect the required applicant data. Zoho Creator's forms are designed for easy data entry, allowing users to input relevant details without hassle while being both intuitive and comprehensive.

Reports:

Reports are used to give visibility of the data captured in the system at various steps, to both internal and external users, with defined columns for both. Depending on user roles and permissions, reports are tailored to display specific data. This ensures every user gets a detailed view of the data relevant to their role, enhancing both security and efficiency.

Results - The transformative impact of leveraging low-code to solve complex hiring challenges

The solution significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the client's applicant qualifying process:

• Increased throughput: The automated system processes and qualifies candidates much faster than the previous manual process, enabling the client to handle large volumes of applications seamlessly.

• Enhanced accuracy: The strong algorithm and adaptive quizzes ensure more accurate identification of top candidates based on their expertise and performance.

• Reduced time to hire: The streamlined process reduced the time required to shortlist and qualify candidates, accelerating the overall hiring timeline.

• Improved applicant experience: The efficient, user-friendly platform provides a positive experience for applicants, enhancing the client's brand.

By implementing an automated, scalable solution for real-time candidate selection, we enabled our client to overcome their hiring challenges. The system's ability to handle high volumes of applications and concurrent quiz takers ensures that the best candidates are identified quickly and accurately, significantly improving the overall efficiency of their hiring process.