Test Driving Candidates
Before people buy a new house they will tour it. If they decide they want the house, they have an inspector make sure there is nothing severely wrong with the house. Instead of buying car at first glance, people will test drive it to make sure they like how it rides. Companies will bring candidates to their offices and question them about their background and skills. But can a company truly get the sense of their abilities without testing those abilities. One of the largest costs of an organization is its personnel. It is crucial to find the right employees who fits the company culture and are well qualified for the job. Interviews are a good way to decide if someone is the right fit, but people can lie. It would be better if the company could see how the person would function with on the job tasks. This is a “try it before you buy it” way of thinking. Companies should utilize job simulations, in addition to interviews, to actually test candidates on their skills and abilities.
Job Simulations
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There are some people who are fabulous at job interviews but that is all they are good at.
In reality people who are only good at talking their way through interviews would be a terrible hire, but because of an excellent interview those people are able to fool the hiring manager into thinking they would be the right hire. It can be hard to distinguish who is all talk and who can talk and perform. In situations like this, it would be a good idea to see a demonstration of their abilities. Job simulations are tiny examples of circumstances someone would face on the job and the idea is to see who can handle them effectively (Adams, 2003). A successful candidate would not only have the knowledge but the ability to apply that knowledge in multiple settings (Adams, 2003). Thus testing them through simulations will allow them to demonstrate their
knowledge. Examples of Job Simulations There are numerous examples of job simulations. One of the simplest examples is being handed a pen and told to sell it to the interviewer. Job simulations can much more complicated than that. An easy way to understand what job simulations are is to think about how a coach selects athletes for a professional hockey team. In order to really get a feel for how a player would handle a game, it would be ideal if the prospects could compete against professional players in an actual game during the season (Adams, 2003). This way all of the factors like goals scored, penalties, assists, etc. could be observed and evaluated by the coaching staff. However, the prospects would make errors and this could possibly result in lost revenue for a team if it was an actual game that counted for the season (Adams, 2003). Instead the coach could look at the prospects performance in college or high school since the same factors are present. However, because professional hockey is a higher level and thus greater competition and intensity, it is unlikely that the prospects will play at the same level as they did in college or high school (Adams, 2003). This means that someone who would score four goals per game in high school would unlikely score four goals per game professionally. The coach could look physically how the prospects are built (Adams, 2003). Also the coach would want someone who is tall and has strong legs. There could even be personality testing to see how introverted or extroverted the prospect is because the coach would want someone who is extroverted, which would infer them to be a team player (Adams, 2003). Could even give the prospects an intelligence test because they must be able to memorize plays, analyze the game, and know the other players’ strategies (Adams, 2003). The coach could interview the prospects by asking them behavioral or situational questions, trying to get a feel of how they have played in the past or what they might do in a certain situation. However, the best way to predict the prospects future performance would be to put them in a try-out scrimmage or job simulation which would have similar conditions to a real game but without the loss of revenue (Adams, 2003). Some of the professional players could even be included to give it more of an authentic feel. Job simulations really run the gambit. L’Oreal has a virtual business-strategy game where the winners have a shot at working for the company (Johne, 2006). Over the course of four months, teams log on and pretend to be general managers of fake cosmetic companies. They have to make decisions about research and development, marketing, and production costs (Johne, 2006). Whenever a move is made, the game is preset with information that mimics real-world market conditions and shows how decisions affect the company’s share price. In a four year span, L’Oreal hired 186 of the top players from 28 different countries (Johne, 2006). Simulations are used for hiring call center customer service representatives. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) has candidates sit at a computer screen and learn what the job is like (Johne, 2006). Then they take a phone call from a fake customer and have to navigate the computer interface like an actual employee has to do (Johne, 2006). Progressive Medical used to just give candidates a typing test to see how fast and accurately they could type (Zimmerman, 2005). Now using simulations, they hire 15-20% fewer candidates, but the customer representatives stay longer (Zimmerman, 2005). Around 85-90% of the representatives stay longer than 90 days compared to the percentage before simulations which was in the seventies (Zimmerman, 2005). The ones that were hired by using simulations were easier to train. Job simulations are even used in real estate. Candidates watch videos of perspective buyers and have to select the best response to the situation. Prudential has found that compared to those who scored low on simulations, those who scored high made more than three times as much (Johne, 2006). Prudential also has found that the simulations attract more applicants by just inviting people to try the simulation and not even posting a job. They have seen a 2 ½ times rise in response rates with simulations compared to traditional help wanted ads (Johne, 2006). Other examples are in-basket exercises where an individual is given a bunch of items, physically or electronically, and they have to respond to the issues (Hauenstein, 2005). An ideal candidate would have to exhibit sound decision making for specific problems, be able to organize, evaluate, and classify information, understand data trends, and arrange and organize the actions for themselves and others (Hauenstein, 2005). Another example is an analysis exercise where the person is given a complex business problem and they must state their recommendations (Hauenstein, 2005). Role playing can be another simulation where a person is given background information and what their objective is. Usually role playing centers on fixing customer problems, coaching, or persuading another person (Hauenstein, 2005). Lastly group interviews and discussions can occur where the candidates must work together as a team to solve an issue (Hauenstein, 2005). Advantages and Disadvantages of Job Simulations As like other selection techniques there are positives and negatives to job simulations. Job simulations can provide opportunities to learn but without hazards in real life, like a pilot using a flying simulation (Cairns, 1995). Because job simulations are examples of what the candidate would be doing on the job, simulations give a realistic preview of what the candidate can expect to do on the job. Candidates then tend to like them better (Phillips & Gully, 2012). There is relativity high fidelity in job simulations. Fidelity is how precisely represented the authentic work environment is (Lierman, 1994). A fidelity situation allows a candidate to transform their procedural knowledge and acquired skills into behavior that is relevant to the job (International Task Force on Assessment Center Guidelines, 2009). O’Connell (1999) stated that it is hard to fake job simulations and they have high validity from .30 to .70. Job simulations have little adverse impact (Phillips & Gully, 2012). Schmitt (2003) found that a simulation assessing applicants for service positions resulted in smaller difference between Caucasians and African-Americans. In fact job simulations can be used to help those with disabilities learn the necessary skills needed to interview. Humm, Olsen, Bell, Fleming, and Smith (n.d.) studied participants with autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and PTSD and found that a program used to simulate job interviews had a moderate to large effect on increasing those skills. The participants felt more confident and ready for job interviews. A similar study by Bell and Weinstein (2011) found that their participants responded positively to the training and it lessened their anxiety about interviewing. A major disadvantage of job simulations is the cost. For an entry level position it can cost $50 and executive simulations can cost $7,000. Set up fees can cost anywhere from $10,000-30,000 (Zimmerman, 2005). There are companies like SHL Talent Management Solutions who have created simulations for employers to buy. SHL conducted a study in 2004 and found that $153 billion was lost in the U.S. due to underperformance (Zimmerman, 2005). This is a significant amount and if job simulations could help lessen the amount of underperformance then perhaps the cost is worth it. Another negative is that there are few guidelines when developing simulations and the company must be sure they are measuring the right skills. Ramachandran et al. (2013) have developed seven steps to develop simulations. Those steps are define what needs to be measured, develop a sampling strategy, generate scenarios with embedded events and measurement tools, decide on an appropriate scaling technique and encode in a measurement tool, administer the simulation and measurement tools to a developmental sample, evaluate the scenarios and measurement tools, and optimize the scenarios for performance assessment. (Ramachandran et al., 2013, p. 396) Companies who take the time to evaluate and correctly assess any job simulations they create should have a simulation that accurately measures job performance. The last negative is that the assessors must be well trained in order to be effective (Hauenstein, 2005). Training can take time. Also, assessors can be subject to error in observation and final assessment. Other uses of Job Simulations Besides using job simulations as a selection technique for hiring, it can be used to create team work and as a training tool in order to retain top performers. Sometimes companies have the right employees but they want to put those employees together in a group. Southwest Airlines uses a simulation called Crocodile River to build team work in their employees (Solomon, 1993). Crocodile River is made up of four platforms which represent islands. Two of the islands hold 15 people each and they try to all unite at the last island called Paradise Island by first reaching Fire Island. The only tools they have are two different sized wooden boards. If someone falls off the entire team starts over. The simulation can take one and a half to three hours to complete. The purpose is to have the participants’ realize their responses and to identify others’ responses (Solomon, 1993). Before the simulation, a lecture is given about teams and behaviors. The hope is that people will notice the parallel between the simulation and the work environment but if not the discussion afterwards will highlight the parallel. This can broaden the horizons of the participants and give them an arena to practice in. Liz Hinna, the senior instructor for employee development and training, summarized the experience as, “We talked about it. They experience it. They saw it. They felt it. They caught themselves a number of times making the same mistakes.” (Solomon, 1993, p. 102). In order for team work simulations to work there needs to be a connection between the simulation and the work environment and the actual team needs to work together, not a mixture of employees from different groups (Solomon, 1993). Some of the first simulations were war games where there was strategic and educational function as players tried to win (Wagner, Polkinghorne, & Powley, 1992). Now there are simulations that can make employees feel the customer’s pain. Texas Instruments had its top 300 executives take part in a customer-loyalty boot camp where employees felt what it was like to be disappointed based on actual customer interviews (Celaschi, 2004). Since its start more than 2,000 employees have partaken in the boot camp. The employees would be a part of a make believe company that is not getting chips it needs to make its phones. They eventually have the option of switching suppliers and four out of five teams do (Celaschi, 2004). The employees write down how they feel about not getting the chips and those feelings are parallel to what actual customers say (Celaschi, 2004). Employees leave being more aware about customers’ feelings. Samsung targets 30 to 35 managers twice a year for simulation training (Kranz, 2008). They have around 600 middle management professionals but are looking to seek out top performers who receive a promotion. The simulation is used to make sure the managers are well equipped for the future by learning the nuances of leadership in a harmless setting that is aimed to challenge them (Kranz, 2008). In 2008, one in four U.S. employers used business games to help train employees (Kranz, 2008). Simulations can help develop employees into top management. Allowing the company to hire internally and show employees that the company values them and wants them to grow whether it is through developing skills like teamwork or decision making skills for upper management. Conclusion Employers cannot afford to hire incorrectly because it is expensive to replace employees. Adding job simulations to interviews is a great way to make sure candidates can perform the skills and abilities stated on their resumes and in their interviews. If an employer cannot afford to have candidates for all positions go through job simulations, they should analyze what key positions would benefit from job simulations during the hiring process. Used correctly and in connection with interviews, job simulations can reduce incorrect hiring by giving the employers the ability to test drive the candidates and reduce underperformance. Simulations have also been shown to be helpful for training and forming groups. This is a more interactive way for employees to learn skills, and because of how directly relatable simulations are to the job, they might be more enjoyable than traditional training.
My biggest accomplishment throughout high school so far has been learning how to fail. Not necessarily falling flat on my face in a viral video, but instead just barely coming up short and not being able to reach a goal, despite my best efforts. Although I was unaware of it at the time, failing my driver’s test on my first attempt would become a life altering incident.
The raw data which I have been given is in list form and provides me
My car slows as it approaches a stoplight. I take this opportunity to allow my mind to become engulfed with my surroundings: the bright fierce red of the traffic light, the brilliant blue sky with its specs clouds, and the mass of hurried people. The four corners of the intersection are filled with people who are preoccupied with their fast-paced lives to notice the little things, such as animals and anxious cars awaiting the traffic light. My thoughts vigorously put all of the information that my mind has gathered from the intersection to order.
From the March 2003 invasion of Iraq until September of 2006, about 2,600 American troops were killed in combat and war-related incidents (Wilson 18). Did you know during that same 41-month period, more than 22,000 teenagers, ages 15 to 19, died in traffic accidents on U.S. roads? (Wilson 18). That number has now escalated to approximately 4,500 soldiers and over 40,000 teens lost. Parents in the United States have relied on driver’s education and training to prepare their teens for the responsibility of driving. In fact, we rely too much on driver’s education. Recent studies have indicated that driver’s education, or DE, has failed to produce safe drivers. Even though the common form of driver’s education and training has been cited as ineffective, there are efforts being made around the country that have the ability to profoundly change driver education as we know it and prepare young drivers, create safer drivers, and ultimately save teen lives.
The employment interview has been the key element used for determining a candidates’ worthiness in filling an open position. Organizations rely on employment interviews as a way to predict the future job performance and work-related personality traits of interviewees. Over the years validity of the employment interview has been under scrutiny, so it is no wonder that is has been the topic of many research papers. The definition of the employment interview is “a personally interactive process of one or more people asking questions orally to another person and evaluating the answers for the purpose of determining the qualifications of that person in order to make employment decisions” (Levashina, Hartwell, Morgeson, and Campion 2013, p. 243).
Employers have the right to know many things about their employees. Job skills and training can even be investigated by the employer. The employee is to perform services and these services must be done in a certain manner. Someone who is incoherent because of drug abuse cannot be a pilot, for example. This is why employers can test to see if characteristics or tendencies would affect performance.
As Aberdeen research shows companies which use Big five assessment tool for staff selection have terrific returns on their investments. Companies having pre hire assessment programmes 24% more likely to have employees exceeding performance expectations and 17% higher level of job engagement among employees and 36% more satisfied with new employees compared to businesses which do not use pre employment testing Lechner (2015). This is another evidence showing that the Big five model adequately capture and explain human personality.
Furthermore, the organization must look at the employee personnel files to see their educational credentials. They must be able to see who is more qualified in the field when it comes to selecting the best person to fit the job. The interviewer must also take into consideration the years of experience each brings to the table. Another factor to consider is any disciplinary actions an employee has received during their employment at the firm. Finally, the firm must provide data that indicates how many males to female rations work in the organization.
Managers should understand an employee’s skills and abilities to make an informed decision on whether or not to hire him. Once hired a manager uses skills and abilities as a deciding factor for an employee’s job placement within the corporation. Secondly, an evaluation of an employee’s personality helps the manager in his leadership approach of that employee. Thirdly, perceptions can be the deciding factor of whether or not a candidate is hired and or promoted. An individual perceived as fitting in may be hired to negotiate business deals. Particularly, if the individual shows a favorable attitude through actions and deeds and has strong values and behaves
Getting a driver’s license can be the most exciting part of a teens life. But what do teens have to do beforehand in order to obtain that license? For some, it's months of training and for others, they can complete everything within a few months. But does all that training make teens better drivers? The three main reasons why more drivers education for teens is not beneficial are: restrictions for teen drivers make it harder on parents, teens have to be able to get around without their parents, and not all teens need more drivers education.
Psychometric tests are designed to measure the behaviour and capabilities of possible employees. (Johnstone, 1999). Employers use these tests to measure two categories of qualities – abilities and preferences (Mills et al., 2011). This provides an effective and efficient way to find the best person for the job as the tests give a true reflection of how an employee can accomplish assigned tasks which is completed online as part of the application process. Candidates are chosen for the next stage of the process through the comparison of test scores, resulting in grouping candidates into high and low percentile scoring categories. The higher scoring applicants are put through to the next stage of the process. This would normally be the interviewing stage. The lower scoring applicants would be declined. This is a form of filtering down the number of applicants, although the interviewing stage provides the means of selection, despite its subjectivity the tests provide a uniform set of standards to measure one candidate objectivity against another (Johnstone,1999). Psychometric
which is why I am giving this speech. If you are prepared and know all of your
Therefore, human resource professions plan in a way by understanding the requirement needed to handle task of a particular department. Therefore, giving job description is essential where essential skills and requirement that a candidate need to have must be given. Besides, person specifications are also important to know the experience and qualities within a person (Wright et al. 2014). After recruiting the candidates they are screened and selected to come up in next level where interview will be conducted among the selected candidates. In addition, training is an important element that groom up the candidates according to the roles and responsibilities they will be conducting as an organisation
Apart firm this, there are however good and bad statements to be made on selection interviews. Depending on the attitudes and relationships between the interviewee and the interviewer, there can be good and bad turnouts that could effect M&S. The process of selection interviewing Almost every employer includes a face-to-face interview as part of the selection process. The initial selection interview might be delegated to a recruitment agency or a local job center, but most employers would be more reluctant to take on new employees without having met them in person. The interview, however, continues to be the most popular and frequently used method of selection, even though it is thought that research studies have found interviews to be poor predictors of future performance in a job. This is referred to as low validity.
...n process is very important for an organization to hire new members, as employees need to select the right person to do the right job. Therefore, employees need to read through applicant’s document and qualifications, hence organize an interview to be more close with the applicant, to know more about the applicants, see if they are suitable for the job position. Selection process can help the employees not to make wrong decisions, this is a good opportunities to assess skills, aptitude and abilities. (John, 2007)