Throw candidates into the deep end with the simulation recruitment method
After several interviews, you think you've found the ideal candidate... And yet, during their trial period, they turn out to be a poor match for your needs in terms of skills and knowledge.
Today, we can help you avoid this kind of situation with a method that's not very widespread in the HR world, but which is nonetheless highly effective for any good employer: the simulation recruitment method! 😎
This recruitment method can be summed up by the adage: "It's not what you say that counts, but what you do".
What if you judged your candidates' skills for yourself in a real-life situation when comparing candidates? Here are our top tips for organizing top-notch recruitment by simulation!
What is the simulation recruitment method?
Definition of simulation recruiting
The simulation recruitment method, or SRM, is a recruitment technique used by Pôle Emploi since 1995.
For some professions, qualifications and training are irrelevant; only skills or soft skills are required.
MRS consists in identifying the skills required for a given position, and then using practical exercises to test candidates in real-life situations during the job interview.
Alternative recruitment techniques
SRM is just one of many recruitment techniques, including :
- recruitment via social networks,
- job fairs,
- deferred video interviews,
- in-house recruitment, etc.
Obviously, each recruitment method offers its own benefits and is tailored to your needs. That said, SRM has the advantage of minimizing bias, because you focus on competencies!
But that's not the only advantage, zoom in on the benefits of this type of recruitment. 👇
What are the advantages of SRM?
Simulation-based recruitment enables you to broaden your search for candidates, to identify in concrete terms the person best suited to your job, and to judge their experience.
It's an objective recruitment method based solely on your candidate's abilities. It saves you time in making your final choice, as you don't have to choose between thirty or so CVs, all of them similar. 👍
It's particularly interesting for volume recruitment, especially if you have at least 3 positions to fill. In this situation, the time you'd have to invest in the task is no small thing, and you'd have a hundred CVs to see and study... 😮💨
If you're looking for more than one candidate, then simulation recruiting makes it easy to find excellent talent.
How does an SRM session work?
Step 1: Analyze the position
The first step is to detail the position on the site you've selected to post your ad. List the skills required to successfully carry out the tasks.
Here, soft skills should be highlighted by the candidate.
To attract as many candidates as possible, your recruitment ad needs to be as complete as possible. Remember to include :
- the exact job title,
- sector,
- the city where your company is located,
- required or preferred skills (in order of importance),
- any other additional information.
Step 2: Create the exercises
Once you've drawn up the job description, it's time to get creative! Your aim is to invent an exercise that comes as close as possible to one or more of the tasks your candidate will have to perform in the future.
The exercise should reflect as closely as possible the working conditions that await him/her, so that he/she can use his/her abilities to the full and you won't have any unpleasant surprises when he/she is hired.
Write down in detail the instructions you will give to your candidates. They should be clear and precise.
Forget complex exercises designed to humiliate even the most resourceful among them. The aim is to hire candidates with a good grounding who are capable of working with you. And even if they make a mistake or two during the exercise, there's no need to worry.
They'll have plenty of time to fine-tune these kinds of details once they're in your company, thanks to your guidance. 😌
💡Don't hesitate to run a team simulation if you feel that team spirit is an important value for the position.
Step 3: evaluate candidates
It's time to evaluate! Simulation recruitment requires a lot of organizational time.
To get the most out of your recruitment process, it's a good idea to draw up a grading grid, which you can fill in as the candidates pass through.
Apart from their technical and professional skills, this is an opportunity to judge their adaptability, autonomy, responsiveness - in short, all those qualities that can't be seen on a CV.
💡 We recommend that several of you assess the candidates, given the number of questions the exercise can generate. Not to mention that it takes more attention to judge a practical situation!
Step 4: Conduct the job interview
The hardest part is over for your candidates!
Now that the simulation is over and you've selected those with the skills you're looking for, you can confirm your choice by interviewing them in the traditional way.
Candidates from your selection who have passed the simulation will be received by the company to continue the recruitment process.
What's the point?
To focus on the candidate's motivations and personality when recruiting! ☝️
In fact, even if the simulation has given you an idea of the candidate, it's not enough to hire them directly into your company.
The purpose of the motivation interview is to get to know the candidate in greater depth, bearing in mind that a simulation is a much more stressful situation than a simple interview.
You can also use an evaluation grid to ensure that communication flows smoothly and that the meeting is relevant. ✏️
Example of a simulation recruitment test
Most tests are inspired by existing Pôle Emploi exercises, particularly for technical professions or group recruitment. They may take the form of questionnaires or role-playing exercises.
Depending on the type of job, the exercises can be adapted.
👉 For delivery drivers, for example, candidates are asked to sort cubes in preparation for organizing their trucks for deliveries. In a single day, hundreds of parcels are delivered, and it's imperative to know how to arrange your orders to be as efficient as possible.
It is impossible for candidates to anticipate or prepare for simulation exercises in advance. The exercises change very regularly, and there are many of them!
Skills assessment software: technology for people
To simplify your task, there are ready-to-use skills assessment and recruitment testing software packages available.
Digitizing skills testing goes far beyond a simple strategy, as it offers several significant benefits. 👆
It reduces the time needed to recruit, enhances the company's image and enriches the experience of candidates, who can apply comfortably from home and at any time.
⚒️ For example, Isograd is a technical skills testing platform ideal for assessing candidates. By combining AI and other cutting-edge technologies, it provides a powerful solution capable of adapting to all your needs:
- a catalog of over 200 tests and the ability to create customized assessments ;
- generative AI to produce assessment reports, ideal for making recruitment decisions;
- situation scenarios and practical exercises;
- tests that adapt to the user and a difficulty level that changes according to the answers.
The simulation recruitment method in brief
The simulation-based recruitment method was created by Pôle Emploi to highlight the skills of candidates, rather than the references on their CVs, through the use of exercises.
The method is of great interest to recruiters, enabling them to judge in advance whether candidates are capable of meeting their expectations for a given position.
However, simulation-based recruitment is particularly useful for large-scale recruitment and technical professions requiring specific knowledge and skills.
You can always go through Pôle Emploi if ever you don't have the time to dedicate to this kind of recruitment, or simply get inspired by it! 🤩
Article translated from French