Technology has entered the walls of the recruitment industry. Hiring has become a cinch with numerous assessment tools that are easily available. Despite having such access, reports suggest that three in four employers experienced bad hires.
This costs the companies in terms of not only money and time but also employer branding. Job simulations can be an implementation in reducing such hires. An organization with accessibility to such assessment methods can certainly profit.
What is a Job Simulation?
Job simulation is one way of assessing a potential employee, where the candidates are engaged in actual workplace scenarios and tasks, and then evaluated based on their performance.
These simulations give the candidate an overview of the role they have applied for. Thus, job simulations play a dual role where both the organization and the hire are benefitted.
Traditionally, recruiters hire people via job postings and other mediums of advertisements. However, statistics speak differently. It is shown to be the least effective way of recruiting while employee experience tops with 94% way more employable.
These employee experiences are based on job simulations. For instance, for a secretary post, the candidate is given tasks such as typing a dictation or organizing the schedule, and based on their performance, analysis is conducted.
A job simulation need not necessarily be at the job front, but online simulations can also be administered. The job post looking for a coding expert can provide online coding tests and further assess the potential developer’s programming skills.
Another outcome of applying job simulations is for cases in the disability sector.
- “A report indicated that among autistic individuals who received developmental disability services in a community, only 14% had paying jobs (Roux et al., 2017), and those employed are often overqualified for the work (Baldwin et al., 2014).
- Autistic individuals cite anxiety, stress, and discrimination in the workplace as challenges to obtaining employment (Booth, 2016; Nicholas et al., 2017; Taylor et al., 2019).” - Multimodal job interview simulator for training of autistic individuals
This statement has become a rising truth in the world, and therefore a need for job simulation can simplify the process both ways. The author of the above research paper has devised a training platform for job interviews called CIRVR (Career Interview Readiness in VR), which creates questions via spoken interaction and analyzes eye contact, facial expression, and physiological responses for autistic persons.
The outcome was fruitful, where it proved CIRVR is functional for guiding potential employees, in this instance, autistic people, by analyzing and evaluating the questions that bring them high-stress and/ or lower-quality responses, and therefore, help further in creating customized job interviews.
Different Types of Job Simulations
Role-Playing Simulation
A role-playing simulation is the most widely used simulation. In this type of simulation, the candidate is assessed on how well they socially interact at the workplace.
These social interactions generally include soft skills related to the role, leadership skills, resolving conflicts efficiently, taking initiative, and furthermore. A role-playing simulation can be conducted at -
1. Group Interviews
Job simulations can be either carried out either individually or in a team. The scenario presented here can be conducted by asking relevant questions to a group of people. They are then evaluated on their ability to collaborate, communicate, and efficiently work in a team environment.
2. Presentations
Here, simulations are conducted where the candidate is asked to present on a specific topic, or instances such as when for a salesperson is asked to create a sales pitch on the spot. They are then evaluated on their presentation skills, knowledge-based skills, or their marketing skills.
3. A Mimic of Crisis Management
A simulation can be carried out where the candidate is given the role of a senior manager, who has to lay off employees. Candidates are evaluated by how efficiently they handle the pressure, communicate, and resolve any disputes if any arise.
Work Sample Simulation
In work sample simulation, scenarios are designed where the candidates are provided tasks that mimic the role along with the type of tasks they might experience. These tasks can be programming-related, retail-related, or designing a concept for a product launch.
In-Basket Simulation
In-basket simulation is similar to the work sample type of simulation. The only difference is that how they are assessed. A candidate is given tasks to complete within a stipulated time.
The simulation is assessed and evaluated on how well the candidates perform at various levels, such as managing and organizing the tasks, using the information to move ahead, and staying focused throughout the simulation. These simulations are suitable for management or administrative roles.
Situational Judgement Simulation
These simulations, also known as simulation judgment tests (SJT), are carried out to assess a candidate’s judgment and decision-making skills. In the scenarios provided, the candidates are asked multiple-choice questions and then evaluated based on the most likely and least likely answers.
Candidates applying for customer service roles can be assessed using SJT.
Take-home Assignment Simulation
Jobs that are remotely based and home-based can utilize the take-home assignment simulation. Here, the candidates are given tasks to complete at home but, at a given deadline.
These simulations can aid an evaluator in how well the candidate performs without any supervision, motivation, attention to detail, and submitting the assignment at the given deadline.
When and Where to Use Job Simulation?
After getting to know what a job simulation is and its types, an employer must be aware of when and where to apply it. The introduction of job simulation plays an important role in evaluating and assessing candidates.
There are a few stages at which a job simulation can be conducted. Following are the stages where it can implemented and integrated.
Citing in Job Posts
When seeking candidates, recruiters advertise for a job and include all the requirements needed for the role. This process can aid in filtering out fewer potential candidates although it is not a foolproof method, as certain groups such as those without college degrees, can be an obstacle for the much more potential ones.
Therefore, citing job simulation in the advertisement can prove beneficial in obtaining a potential candidate. With the right software and platform, a job seeker can have every chance to show his mettle.
Initial Screening
At this stage, job simulations are conducted during the initial screening process, which can assist in gauzing out potential candidates with baseline skills and competencies.
Here, short and focused simulations can be conducted to examine core skills, where essential requirements are evaluated.
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Mid-stage Assessments
At this stage of the hiring process, job simulations are carried out after the initial screening, such as resume screening. Here, the candidates are given a simulation wherein they are assessed with more complex tasks.
These simulations can be utilized to assess problem-solving and decision-making skills. This gives the recruiter an overview of the candidate's capabilities and matches with the same given in the resumes.
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Final Screening
This is the final stage of including job simulations during the hiring process. Candidates who are shortlisted and who are serious about the role, after they are assessed and evaluated at different stages, can be given simulations.
Here, the other team members can also be included, where the potential candidates are evaluated on how proficient and suitable they are for the role. The only advantage of conducting job simulations at this stage is that there is overall less work in providing simulations as well as fewer candidates to evaluate.
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How to Set up and Create a Job Simulation?
Specific instructions about role and skills
One must begin with an in-depth understanding of the role and its requirements, such as the need for hard and soft skills. Hard skills may include technical skills like coding, graphic design, etc. while soft skills include behavior and personality traits like time management and organizational skills, ability to work in teams, and many others.
Choose skills that match the role and evaluate them extensively.
Choose valid questions and template format
Once the skills are placed, the next step is to form questions and create a suitable template. The questions asked should appropriately match the skill as well as should relatively be complex to assess the candidate accordingly. The template format must also be chosen to meet the required criterion.
Create job-specific scenarios
The entire role of conducting a job simulation is to give the candidate an experience of the actual job scenario. Hence, when setting up the simulation, a job-specific framework should be created as it plays a crucial role in providing the candidate with experience.
Therefore, one can invest more in creating such a setup to prove the whole point of providing job simulation.
Select the right software or platform
The next step is to decide on a simulation platform that can cater to the needs of numerous assessment tools. Investing in the most suitable platform can be an aid in creating a job simulation.
One must select a platform, after thorough research, that is user-friendly and easily accessible over devices and browsers. Even a slight technical glitch can hamper the simulation, creating a hindrance in the candidates’ performance further affecting their experience.
Incorporate diversity and inclusion
A company cannot afford bias-based hiring, and should always incorporate diversity and inclusion, to maintain employer branding and overall growth. Therefore, job simulations must be created in such a way that they are bias-free, and are available to candidates from diverse backgrounds.
On the other hand, evaluators should be trained to assess the simulations impartially and avoid any bias during evaluation.
Keep improvements
Lastly, catering job simulations and setting them should not be left without keeping a place for improvements. Evaluators can gather feedback or conduct surveys on the candidates’ experience on job simulations.
The results, whether positive or negative, can give a gist to the organization on how well the application of job simulation is faired.
Benefits of Employing Job Simulations
Hiring a person through interview, resume screening, or assessment methods may cater to the basic needs of employment. These mediums do not fill the brief, as most candidates upload resumes with the required keywords to obtain an interview and quickly pass the applicant filter system.
Thus, when the newly hired employee is given tasks and does not perform as expected, it becomes problematic for the employer. Therefore, applying job simulations while screening candidates can come in handy to avoid such scenarios. The following are the benefits of job simulations -
Evaluate the candidate’s skills
When applying for a job, naturally resumes and interviews are used initially to look at a candidate’s skill and experience. However, a recruiter should not wholly depend on their hiring process on a resume itself or an interview either.
A study showed that 93% of people know a person who lied on a resume, among which 27% lied about experience, 18% about skills, and 17% about job duties.
This is a known fact, and with candidates hiring writers to write resumes or hone up their resumes, there is no guarantee how well that candidate can perform at the job. There might be multiple reasons why the candidate lied on the resume, but this cannot be an excuse to hire them. It can lead to a hefty mistake whether cost-wise or employee branding.
According to a new CareerBuilder survey, “Companies lost an average of $14,900 on every bad hire in the last year, and it's a common mistake — nearly three in four employers (74 percent) say they've hired the wrong person for a position.”
A major advantage of job simulation over a resume or interview is the recruiter can actually look at how the candidate performs when a task is given, and then further evaluate his performance.
For example, a candidate applying for a content writer role can be given an assignment, and the evaluator can assess their writing skills. Thus, job simulations come in handy to test the potential candidate’s skills, thus, avoiding loss altogether.
Going beyond the skills
A job simulation can also offer a thorough understanding of the candidate’s behavior and personality. Interviews are essential while hiring, but they do not give in-depth information about the person’s nature.
Most candidates look to interviews as a crucial part of their recruitment, hence, they tend to perform with confidence and show a personality that will match the role. However, when job simulations are applied, the same candidate might behave differently when given a job scenario task during the simulation setup. A company cannot afford to hire people whose behavior or personality might affect the work.
Achieve diversity and inclusion
One of the major flaws while recruiting an employee is following unfair hiring practices, which is unconsciously made. These practices lead to hampering the organization’s overall productivity. However,
“For diverse companies, the likelihood of outperforming industry peers on profitability has increased over time, while the penalties are getting steeper for those lacking diversity.” - Diversity Wins, How Inclusion Matters
The above statement is based on a study where they proved that diversity and inclusion hold a crucial role in the outperformance of businesses and finances.
Job simulations bring diversity and inclusion by simply assessing the performance of the candidate, their approach, skills, and results. These simulations are applied equally to all the candidates, including the time, skill, and performance parameters. Therefore, bias-based hiring has no scope when job simulation assessments are applied.
Provides groundwork for the new hires
New hires initially have to be trained and given some time to explore the workplace before effectively starting work, however, this might be slightly time-consuming. A survey suggested that 32% of bad hires have led to the loss of time in recruiting and training a worker.
Applying the job simulation method while hiring gives the recruiter an idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate. According to their results, a recruiter can aid in creating personalized training plans for the candidates.
For instance, a programmer may know how to solve a coding problem but not be aware of the software used by the company. Following a job simulation, a recruiter can give you a briefing on any specific tools and databases the company is using. This makes the onboarding process simpler and faster.
Reduced Risk of Bad Hire
There is always a risk in hiring a less potential employee thus, eventually affecting the company’s overall growth. A bad hire can cause 37% percent less productivity and 31% compromised quality of work. Utilizing job simulation assessments aids in hiring the best candidates which then cater to the increase in the company’s productivity.
Benefit for the candidates
Job simulations have a two-way advantage, where the candidates also gain an advantage. It was reported in a study that out of three, two candidates regretted accepting the job, as they later realized that it was a bad fit.
They gave reasons as to management style (40%), issues with the role as it was differently advertised and how it was interviewed (37%), and insufficient knowledge about job expectations (33%).
However, job simulations can provide the candidate not only with work expectations but also the workplace environment. This enables them to make better decisions before accepting any offer.
Reduced Time-to-Hire
As mentioned earlier, job simulations speed up the hiring process thus, reducing time-to-hire. The entire process is focused on ensuring the best candidate for the job, leading to a decrease in hiring time without affecting the quality of hire.
Boosted Employer Branding
A company’s employer branding is key to its success, which is eventually based on attracting ideal candidates who will help in building the company. To achieve effective employer branding, job simulation assessments are beneficial.
They provide the potential hires with a deeper insight into the company’s fair evaluation process and also an understanding of the role. This improves the company’s overall growth and employer branding.
Reduction in Turnover
Job simulations provide the candidate an overall picture of the role they will be filling as well as the work environment.
A positive evaluation will further make them contribute to the company with 100% dedication and motivation. Thus, increasing overall productivity and employee satisfaction, and reducing the turnover rate.
Examples of Job Simulation
Job simulations can be conducted in a variety of roles, and can be effectively used to assess technical or soft skills, or for technical hiring or mass hiring. A few examples of where a job simulation is helpful are given -
Tech Hiring
When hiring for a programmer’s position, the main skills are coding skills, problem-solving skills, and knowledge of tools and languages. A job simulation can be created where the ability to write codes, solve algorithmic problems, or debug software issues can be assessed.
A technical scenario can be conducted that gives the candidate a real-life technical challenge and then evaluates how well they solve it using efficient solutions.
Mass Hiring
Job simulations do not only cater to technical fields, but also to other sectors such as retail services, customer service, or entry-level roles. However, these areas have a huge number of candidates applying, leading to a slightly chaotic hiring process.
Job simulations can help in assessing such large numbers of candidates by providing scenarios that are common to the roles. They can be assessed on their communication skills and problem-solving skills. Evaluation can be done on how efficiently the candidate resolves a problem.
Soft Skills Assessment
Jobs that require specific skills such as writing or communicating, can also be assessed using job simulations. Simulations can be given where the candidate is assessed on the clarity of how they convey the message, whether through writing or verbally.
Problem-solving and critical thinking are other soft skills that need to be assessed by providing scenarios where the candidate effectively solves tasks using sound reasoning.
Teamwork is crucial when working in an organization, and that ability needs to be observed. Job simulations can give the candidate an experience of working in a team environment, whereas the evaluator can assess how well they collaborate, contribute, and support the team goals.
Conclusion
To conclude, job simulations can be a boon for the recruitment industry. They guide the recruiters in bringing the best candidates into an organization along with several benefits.
These benefits include a reduction of time-to-hire, turnover rate, and a risk of bad hire. The main advantage of job simulations is acquiring candidates with job-specific skills that can benefit the organization, further boosting employer branding. Job simulations also benefit the candidates, by guiding them to decide about the role according to the simulations provided.
Though job simulations have slight cons regarding finance and time management, the overall pros if measured, conducting them proves to be the winner.
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