Job Hunting, Employment Screening, and Valentine’s Day!

Applying for work is not for the faint at heart.

Let’s consider an applicant experience for 28-year-old James. He is working part time to pay his bills while looking for a position that advances his career. Whenever there’s space in his schedule, he scans online job boards, tags a variety of positions, and begins researching companies.

After identifying promising positions, he channels his energy into completing error-free applications – sighing with relief and satisfaction each time he hits the Submit button. Almost simultaneously though, an email arrives in his inbox thanking him for his interest, alongside instructions for completing an assessment.

There’s always another step.

In our 30-plus years of designing job simulations for talent prediction, candidates like James are front of mind for our Innovation Team. The applicant experience matters. That’s why our employment screening tools are designed to show candidates as much love as possible through easy-to-understand instructions, engaging scenarios, and highly job-relevant content.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here are four ways our clients use job simulations to share the love with their candidates. (Sorry it can’t be chocolates!)

1. Transparency – With each step of the screening process, an applicant becomes more invested, raising their level of vulnerability. We recognize this tension and help clients build trust with candidates by offering clear assessment instructions and expectations. Candidates don’t have to guess how they’re being evaluated. Steps and expectations are crystal clear.

2. Engaging – By their nature, simulations invite participation. Imagine each job scenario as a short story in which the candidate becomes a main character. They are instantly integrated into the storyline where they take actions and make decisions that impact the outcome. There’s nothing boring about a simulation. Plus, they’re amazingly accurate in predicting job success!

3. Authentic – Job candidates are encouraged to be authentic, so how might employers reflect that same quality in their employment screening? Realism and authenticity are key advantages of job simulations. The workplace scenarios reflect actual, real-life situations. All the tasks and interactions link directly to job requirements.

4. Fair – Job simulations provide a level playing field. Because simulations are highly job relevant, each candidate has an equal opportunity to demonstrate their workplace skills and abilities. That’s likely why the U.S. Office of Personnel Management ranks job simulations/work samples as the #1 predictor of job success.

Looking to enhance your applicant experience?

Contact us today and discover how job simulations can help you put a little love in your employment screening process.

Happy Valentine’s Day!