The world of recruitment and candidate selection continues to be refined in terms of process and technique in order to maximise every organisation's investment in their search for their ideal employee. We continue to see the use of various psychometric tools, to determine the core #personality type of the candidates and to gain an understanding of what truly drives each person. In addition to the various psychometric assessments, two other assessment types have become increasing popular - #gamification and #roleplay interviews.
Gamification is the use of games based tools to assess the candidate for different traits and competencies. Over recent times, more and more employers in sectors such as banking, retail, and law have used gamification as one of their recruitment processes.
If you are not a gamer - do not fret. The game based assessment is not meant to test whether you are a pro gamer or not. So if you have not spent your nights honing your skills playing Fortnite, you are not at a disadvantage. The assessment is designed not to test your skill or dexterity, but for recruiters to gather data about your personality, natural response, and your traits.
The type of games you may encounter are very wide, and will differ from company to company. By and large, you are likely to be playing a scenario based game, where decisions have to be made, and how you respond is being tested. One tip though - do not assume that every game prioritises the number of points or prizes you get. Some games are designed to see things like your risk taking tendencies, or decision making timing, so the objective is not always about maximising your points.
Gamification is still being used mostly as a supplement or additional process to other recruitment processes and is rarely used on its own. In some ways, it provides additional data points for the recruiters to analyse and possibly to probe more on during your #job interviews.
Role playing interviews are also on the rise. At Discovering Potential we have coached students especially those in the medical and dentistry path for their Mini Multiple Interviews (MMI) and at least one of the MMI stations involves Role Playing. Recently, we find that corporates are also increasing the use of the role play interviews, and we have coached executives and management staff from various industries for these role play interviews.
Role play is not a new concept, but like gamification, it is being used to provide recruiters with an additional data point to consider. The role play interview for executives requires candidates to act out a particular scenario. In most cases, the candidate will need to assume a specific role and the scenario is based on a possible situation which may occur as part of their role that they are applying for.
The role play can take on a few forms. One would be that the role play is done between the candidate and the interviewer/assessor. The second form would be that it is done in a small group and everyone is provided a specific role to assume.
The scenarios will usually take on the form of a difficult situation that is relevant to the industry you are applying for. For e.g. if you are interviewing for a supervisor position in a retail company, the role play may involve dealing with difficult customers. For an interview for a high position management role, the scenario may involve conflict with the CEO or the Board of Directors.
During our coaching, we provide tailored scenarios based on the specific role play conditions you are expected to take on and to provide you with the practice and also guidance on how to excel during these role play interviews.
A key component of the role play is to ensure that you practice active listening skills. Many a times, the stress of the moment causes candidates to lose sight of what is happening during the role play itself, and candidates focus on trying to think of their next steps. Over thinking the scenario instead of being fully present and mindful is a key challenge that candidates face.
Something that candidates should note - the assessor is not only listening and watching out for your responses and what you choose to say or do, but the role play actually provides an opportunity for the assessor to see how you actually behave during a moment of high stress. So, stay confident and remain genuine throughout your role play. A high confidence level will help you perform better during stress and will show in your tone and the clarity of your thoughts.
The job #interview process can take on a variety of forms and it remains as the one thing standing between you and that opportunity of a lifetime. Practice and #coaching can go a long way and help you increase your confidence in tackling the various assessments, in whatever form they take.
#interviewcoach #interviewskills #interviewtips #interviewadvice #discoveringpotential #gamification #roleplayinginterviews
Written by: Siew Ling Hwang, Founder and Principal Interview Coach, Discovering Potential
Ms Siew Ling Hwang has extensive experience providing interview skills training. She specialises in conducting 1-on-1 training and workshops for those seeking to improve their interview skills for school interviews as well as for job interviews. She is a Certified Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and NLP Coaching, as well as a Certified Advanced Behavioural Analyst and Career Coach. Her unique skillset in combining real world practices, NLP Coaching techniques and personality and behavioural expertise provides clients with an effective session to achieve real improvements that carry them beyond the interview they are preparing for.