Case Study: Baidu achieves 13% more qualified candidates and faster hiring with SHL’s AI-powered (Aspiring Minds) coding assessments

AI-powered Coding Assessments empowered Baidu to win the talent war

Baidu, a leading Chinese AI and internet company, struggled to hire top software engineers in a fiercely competitive market where many candidates who passed initial screens failed later rounds. To strengthen its selection process, Baidu partnered with SHL and deployed the Aspiring Minds assessment suite, including the AI-powered Automata coding simulation, to improve initial screening and ensure candidates’ coding and cognitive skills matched Baidu’s standards.

SHL implemented a three-pronged, cloud-based solution—adaptive cognitive tests, Automata’s real-world coding assessments (50+ languages) and role-specific engineering tests—along with AI proctoring for remote scale. The program evaluated about 20,000 candidates across China, shortened time-to-hire, increased the final qualified pool by 13%, improved offer acceptance rates, and automated large-scale evaluation to deliver faster, higher-quality hires.

Baidu