Candidate Comparison Matrix
A side-by-side view of every candidate on a shortlist, scored against the same criteria in the same layout — built so a client can scan it in under a minute and see exactly where each candidate is stronger or weaker.
Why one page beats several separate reports
Research on comparative judgment (Hsee’s evaluability hypothesis, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 1996) found that people evaluate options more accurately when they can see them together than when reading about each one separately. A client handed five separate candidate reports has to hold four of them in memory while reading the fifth to actually compare them; a matrix puts the comparison itself on the page, so the client is judging the real differences between candidates rather than their own memory of an earlier report.
What happens when two candidates score very closely
A matrix doesn’t force a false distinction between candidates who are genuinely close on the dimensions measured — it shows the near-tie as what it is, which is itself useful information for a client deciding where to focus interview time. The value of the format isn’t in manufacturing a clear winner every time; it’s in making it obvious when the real decision has to come from something the matrix doesn’t measure, like interview chemistry or a client’s own priorities that the assessment wasn’t built to weigh.
- Every candidate on one page, same criteria, same scale
- Strengths and risk areas visible at a glance across the whole shortlist
- Generated automatically from evaluation data, not built by hand
See Candidate Comparison Software for how this is built.
Frequently asked questions
Is the matrix built manually or generated automatically?
It’s generated automatically from each candidate’s evaluation data — there’s no manual assembly step, so it stays accurate as candidates are added or updated.
Does the matrix replace individual candidate evaluation reports?
No — the matrix is the comparison view; each candidate still has a full evaluation report behind their row for anyone who needs the underlying detail.
What happens when candidates score nearly identically?
The matrix shows the near-tie directly rather than forcing an artificial ranking — that’s a signal to the client that the deciding factor likely sits outside what the assessment measures.
Can the matrix include more candidates than fit on one shortlist?
The matrix is built to match whatever shortlist it’s generated from, so it scales with the number of candidates actually being compared for that role.