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68 Case Studies
Case Study: Meicai expands candidate pool and uncovers top programmers from Tier 2 & Tier 3 colleges with SHL Automata
A SHL Case Study
Startup dramatically expands candidate pool using AI-powered coding assessment in a highly competitive internet space
Meicai, a Beijing-based mobile startup connecting farmers with buyers, faced intense competition for engineering talent and struggled to identify high-performing programmers from Tier 2 and Tier 3 colleges using traditional coding tests. To broaden and standardize its campus hiring funnel, Meicai engaged SHL and deployed an AI-powered coding assessment (Automata) alongside logical and quantitative ability tests to better evaluate candidates’ programming quality, correctness and cognitive skills.
SHL’s solution combined Automata’s AI-enabled code evaluation and proctoring with standardized cognitive assessments, enabling Meicai to scale a cloud-based campus program and reliably screen over 10,000 applicants. The initiative increased uptake from Tier 2/3 colleges, produced standardized benchmark scores for future hiring, and revealed that 8% of candidates from a regional college matched results from top-tier schools—delivering faster, fairer hiring and a stronger talent pipeline for Meicai.
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