Getting it Right – Selecting the Best Candidate for the Job

During recruitment, discerning who will be the most suitable person from a short-list of candidates is an important consideration. When we consider that making poor hire decisions will cost 50% to 250%* of an annual salary to replace unsuitable staff, personal preference in the selection should only be part of the story.

Likewise, hiring a person who is not a good organisational fit, usually leads to them becoming disengaged, costing approximately 35% ** of their ongoing annual salary.

The Future of Jobs Report, published by the World Economic Forum in 2018 reveals that the four most important skills needed by the workforce now and into the future are:

  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Creativity
  • People Management

These ‘soft-skills’ are best observed in the management of day-to-day workplace situations and are difficult to evaluate during interviews.

Through experiential interviewing, however, employers have the opportunity to observe candidates managing real work situations and compare results with other candidates. At the same time, candidates have an opportunity to showcase their individual qualities, skills and aptitudes to leverage their employment chances.

The use of professional roleplayers to portray job-tailored scenarios heightens the reality of the workplace situations that the candidates will face. This provides employers with insights into candidates thinking, problem solving skills and creativity to manage people and adapt to the job’s varying demands. Importantly, the soft-skills shown reveal how someone will leverage their unique potential into the future.

The use of roleplayers builds confidence that good hiring decisions are made. Candidates gain insights into the job requirements, overall engagement and genuine belief in the match is achieved. And of course, costly re-hiring is largely avoided.

Roleplay Australia’s actors have many years’ experience with recruitment assessments. Contact us hereto find out how we can help.

 

*Society of Human Resource Management

** Gallup