How Using Job Simulation Testing in the Hiring Process Can Provide Additional Perspectives on the Candidate

With the significance of personality tests in the hiring process on the rise, the importance and impact of these tests are becoming commonly discussed. The Chicago Tribune recently publish an article on the positive impact that personality tests can have in the hiring process, as well as some of the key drivers that make up that impact.

However, personality tests are just the beginning of the benefits that online testing can offer. In addition to personality tests, companies can also perform online simulations of the actual job to see how the candidate in question can handle the responsibilities of the job. Using job simulation testing in the hiring process can provide additional perspectives on the candidate in question, as well as help recruiters use a data-driven approach to discover better candidates.

Learn how to measure contact center skills using multimedia simulations.

‘Web-based employee screening and selection assessments’are an increasingly popular option for more companies.”

In the article, the Tribune brings up several great points on the benefits of personality testing. By using personality tests at the beginning of the hiring process, human resource teams can use statistical feedback to determine who should move forward in the process, as well as what questions they should focus in on during the face-to-face interview. And, because data is being used to determine who to interview, the entire process is sped up since under-qualified candidates can be identified through personality testing data and exited prior to meeting with a recruiter.

The benefit speaks for itself: better candidates, better interviewing questions and a quicker hiring process, all with hard data to back it up.

In addition to providing tangible feedback on prospective candidates, personality testing also benefits follow up interviews by giving the interviewer an idea of what areas they should focus in on with questioning. So, if a candidate scores low in a certain area, the follow up interview could be focused on why that candidate may have scored low, giving the candidate a chance to discuss where they went wrong and possibly reconcile the score. Additionally, the hard data provides a groundwork for newer hiring managers, giving them a sense of what to look for in candidates much earlier in their position.

‘When companies avoid using online assessments, it’s often because they aren’t closely enough aligned with the job being filled.”

As beneficial as personality testing is, however, it’s merely one dimension of a multi-dimensional candidate. Gaining a more holistic view of the candidate requires evaluating against more than one aspect of the job, while still achieving quantifiable data to determine what type of employee the candidate will be, and how well they’ll be able to perform the responsibilities of the job. This is where the importance of job simulations comes into play.

With job simulations, a company is able to provide job like scenarios that the employee might face, with the candidate able to complete each scenario and see if they meet the job requirements. Job simulations can be applied to multiple roles – from call center agents, to field services, sales, and retail as well – and shows whether or not a candidate can use their demonstrated personality traits into the job’s demands. Now, you’re not only achieving qualitative data for their personality, but also their ability to perform the job at hand.

personality tests and job simulations in harmony with one another can result in bringing in the best talent possible and ensuring that new employees will quickly adapt to their roles, while weeding out any candidates who may have the motivational fit, but not the ability to handle the job. To learn more about job simulations, download the white paper on job simulation in the hiring process below. For more blog posts about hiring, click here to learn two ways to improve your hiring process.

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