A growing number of preemployment tests simulate a job’sfunctions and are being conducted via computer or on the Web. Youcan liken them to video games but within a work setting. Toyota,Starbucks, the paint maker Sherwin Williams, and numerous financialfirms such as SunTrust Banks, KeyBank, and National City Bank havesuccessfully used virtual job simulations to assess applicants.

At Toyota, applicants participating in simulations read dialsand gauges, spot safety problems, and use their ability to solveproblems as well as their general ability to learn as assessed. Thecandidates can see and hear about the job they’re applying for fromcurrent Toyota employees. National City Bank has used virtualassessments to test call-center candidates and branch managercandidates. Call-center candidates are given customer-serviceproblems to solve, and branch manager candidates go through asimulation that assesses their ability to foster relationships withclients and make personnel decisions.

The virtual assessments tools, which are produced by companiessuch as Shaker Consulting Group, Profiles International, andothers, do not come cheap. But although they can cost tens ofthousands of dollars, larger companies that can afford them aresaying they are worth it. The benefits? Better qualifiedcandidates, faster recruiting, and lower turnover among employeeshired. KeyBank says that by using virtual testing tools, itrealized savings of more than $1.75 million per year due to lowerturnover.

Candidates also seem to like the assessments because theyprovide a more realistic job preview and make them feel like theyare being chosen for jobs on more than just their personalities orhow they performed during an interview. “It was a very insightfulexperience that made you think about what exactly you like anddislike in the workplace and if you really enjoy helping customersand have patience to do so,” says one candidate tested for acustomer service job.

It is not just younger candidates who play a lot of video gameswho like the tests. Older candidates do as well. “We haven’t seenany adverse impact,” says Ken Troyan, chief staffing officer forSunTrust Banks. “There’s some mythology—if you will—about olderpeople not being computer-savvy, and that’s just not so.” One studyfound that the simulations also tend to result in less of a gapbetween minority and white candidates than when paper-and-penciltests are used.

A handful of software companies have developed games that don’tmirror work tasks but actual video games you would play for fun.“Bomba Blitz” and “Meta Maze” are two mobile games developed by thepreemployment-testing company Knack. According to Knack, the gamesutilize behavioral neuroscience and big data—in this case, the gamescores and decision-making traits of thousands of different typesof workers—to match people with jobs.

HR experts warn that companies need to be sure they aren’tsimply buying glitzy simulations that don’t translate well to thejobs for which they are hiring. Games like those produced by Knackare just now starting to be used, and firms generally aren’t solelyrelying on them to make hiring decisions. Also, the tools couldpotentially eliminate candidates who have trouble with simulations,games, or computers but might make good employees. You should stilluse the U.S. Department of Labor’s “whole person approach” tohiring, says one HR professional. The whole person approach factorsin the results of a variety of accepted tests along with prioractual performance and interview results to get the most completepicture of an employee or candidate.

QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

1. What do you think are the prime advantages and disadvantages of“virtual tryouts”?

2. Do you think there would be any EEOC concerns regarding thissystem?

3. Do you think virtual job tryouts might be better suited for somejobs than others? If so, which ones?