Wait, what? Internet Explorer, Safari users make poorer hires
We’re all looking for ways to separate the wheat from the chaff in the hiring process. Well, one company found a pretty unique trait a lot of lesser-performing candidates share.
What is it? They use Internet Explorer or Safari — over other non-default Web browsers like Chrome and Firefox.
That may sound pretty absurd, especially for those of you reading this using Internet Explorer or Safari, but let us explain.
Cornerstone OnDemand is a talent management software company, and it recently analyzed data on roughly 50,000 people who took its online personality test and were eventually hired by firms using its software.
During its analysis, it found out something interesting about people’s habits online that many HR pros probably would’ve never considered.
According to a report by The Atlantic:
“Cornerstone’s researchers found that people who took the test on a non-default browser, such as Firefox or Chrome, ended up staying at their jobs about 15 percent longer than those who stuck with Safari or Internet Explorer. They performed better on the job as well.”
Overall, Firefox users were the most likely to stay at least 90 days, followed by Chrome users, Safari users and then Internet Explorer users.
But why?
What’s the reason for all of this? Unfortunately, Michael Housman, chief analytics officer at Cornerstone, said the company’s research wasn’t able to identify any specific reasons why Safari and Internet Explorer users tend to make poorer hires.
Still, that didn’t stop Housman from offering up his own opinion. He surmised the fact that a person took the time to download a non-default browser says something powerful about a person — and that something is the person made a choice to do something that wasn’t default.
In other words, Chrome and Firefox users are people who are looking for a better way of doing things.
Of course, whether or not Chrome or Firefox are superior Web browsers is a topic of much debate. But you can’t deny the fact that if someone went out of their way to install one of them, they’re at least attempting to improve the way they do things — and that’s a trait any employer wants in a job candidate.
The problem with all of this, of course, is figuring out what kind of browser candidates actually use. After all, it’s not exactly something a person would put on his or her resume.
But if candidates are visiting your website, like to fill out or submit an application, or take an assessment (as was the case with Cornerstone), there are tools available to track the browsers being used to do it.
