How ASOS Built Immersive, Skills-Based Hiring with 93%+ Positive Candidate Feedback

Company

A Global Online Fashion Brand Hiring at Pace

ASOS is a leading global online fashion retailer, hiring across creative, commercial, and operational roles in a fast-moving, brand-driven environment. With a strong focus on innovation and inclusion, ASOS continuously evolves how it attracts and assesses talent.

“ASOS and Maki is a really trusted partnership built on a shared vision of creating innovative, skills-based hiring.”
— Head of Talent Acquisition, ASOS

The Challenge

Modernise Hiring While Reducing Bias

ASOS wanted to modernise its recruitment approach with a more science-backed and objective methodology. Reducing bias in hiring decisions was a priority, alongside improving consistency and fairness across roles.

At the same time, the solution needed to integrate seamlessly with SmartRecruiters, ASOS’ ATS, and support high-volume screening workflows without adding friction.

“We were looking for a partner that would help us modernise our hiring in a science-backed and more objective way, so we could really reduce bias.”
— Head of Talent Acquisition, ASOS

The Solution

Immersive, Brand-Led Skills Assessments Integrated into SmartRecruiters

ASOS partnered with Maki to design immersive, role-specific assessments tailored to buyers and merchandisers. Through a series of co-design workshops involving talent teams and business stakeholders, the assessments were built to reflect the pace, creativity, and expectations of real ASOS roles.

Maki implemented:

• Science-backed, skills-based assessments aligned to role requirements
• Video-led, immersive storytelling to reflect ASOS’ brand and tone of voice
• Inclusive, carefully crafted language to ensure accessibility for candidates from all backgrounds
• Seamless SmartRecruiters integration, enabling scalable use in high-volume workflows

The result was an assessment journey that evaluates skills while authentically bringing the ASOS brand to life.

“We worked hard to make sure the assessments reflected our tone of voice, our visuals, and really brought the ASOS brand to life.”
— Head of Talent Acquisition, ASOS

Results

93%+ Positive Perception and Strong Candidate Engagement

The deployment delivered measurable impact on candidate experience and engagement.

Key outcomes:

• Over 93% of candidates who completed a Maki assessment reported a positive perception of ASOS
• Over 93% said they value being assessed on their skills
• Very low resistance to assessment completion, indicating strong engagement
• Rich skills data generated to inform future talent management decisions

Candidates responded positively not only to the format, but to the fairness and transparency of skills-based evaluation.

“Over 93% of candidates who completed a Maki assessment reported a positive perception of ASOS.”
— Head of Talent Acquisition, ASOS

Looking Ahead

Expanding AI and Automation in Hiring

ASOS continues to explore further innovation within the partnership, including:

• The application of AI-powered phone screening (Mochi) for high-volume roles
• Greater use of AI scoring in video assessments to enhance objectivity and efficiency

The collaboration positions ASOS to continue building a more data-rich, fair, and scalable hiring model.

“It’s refreshing to work with a partner that is truly building innovative solutions that will change the way people hire.”
— Head of Talent Acquisition, ASOS

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