Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

TL;DR:

• VR is a valid tool to recreate job simulations to scan candidates for their genuine reactions facing role-specific obstacles. 
• Combining VR with automated AI-technology refines the assessment accuracy without taking up time for the recruiter and scalability apt for large quantities of candidates.
• Automated assessment tools enable both parties to flexibly conduct the stage interview at separate times.
• The AI’s assessment is standardised and therefore limits bias. Combining this with other screening methods will nuance the picture. 

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Not so long ago in a galaxy the same as the one we’re living in. The quintessential sci-fi ideal would be to ponder upon spaceships, the metaverse, cyber-leprechauns, anti-gravity and artificial general intelligence. But what about the sci-fi of the commonplace - applying for jobs, headhunting and recruiting? There is no doubt that the process has transformed in the last century due to innovations in technology and it is safe to assume that it will keep on changing. Think about all the platforms that were not available twenty years ago: LinkedIn, personality tests and novel interview practices etc.. 

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Resisting innovations in technology is futile, the only way is to ride the wave. As long as the technology is indispensable and useful it will change everything around it, until superior technology comes along. So the story goes on; written text to be replaced by the radio, the radio by the television, the television by the computer and the computer by virtual reality. 

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“The most reliable way of predicting the future is to create it”. 

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Jobzone, the recruitment & staffing company, sees it as an imperative to innovate and optimize their processes. The last few years we have been developing the Fictive Reality application, which combines VR and AI to create immersive job simulation experiences for recruitment. The ability to re-innovate the recruitment processes resonated with Jobzone. In an article from 2019, Jobzone shared what it was like when they first adopted VR in the recruiting process.

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The procedure proved to be fun for the applicants and at the same time an instructive process of assessing candidates. By simulating the scenarios with VR, it induces the immersive emotions and instincts it would do in a real-life scenario. Hence it turned out to be a successful way of assessing the candidates’ adaptability and learnability based on their reactions in VR, and also gave them realistic expectations of their job tasks. As far as we know, this is one of the few automated ways of effectively testing for stress resilience among candidates.

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Jobzone is adapting to the imminent future. Recruiting is changing.

Jobzone has set up our newest version that enables nonlinear conversation with AI-powered avatars. This enables both parties to conduct a stage interview at separate times. An automated and convenient way of assessing large quantities of candidates for Jobzone. The AI is also set up to assess candidates in a standardised way, which removes any potential bias and provides an overview of large quantities of candidates and the positive outliers among them. Complementing this in your arsenal of assessment tools, with a mix and match of personality tests, face-to-face interviews etc., will be able to scan and acquire the perfect matches. Effectively, Jobzone is creating the future by upgrading their assessment tools, as more automated testing refines the testing accuracy without taking up much time.

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“The recruits are amazed. And our clients love it. They get to screen the candidate in the job simulation before hiring without having to attend the interview meeting.”   

     - Helena Bombas Holmström. CEO of Jobzone.

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Fictive Reality: A scalable recruitment tool

So really, what is there to do about scaling recruitment for larger operations? Confidently rely on candidates' self-assessments with personality tests? How many interviews can be conducted in one day and how many of those are a match? How many of those will not even show up for their designated time slot? Jobzone has already mitigated these problems with Fictive Reality and has embraced the next logical conclusion of recruitment technology. This is not a matter if it will be the way we conduct recruitment screenings, but a matter of when you will be outcompeted by companies who can screen larger numbers. AI-technology is indispensable, just like the computer can do for calculations, AI can do for evaluating large quantities of data and automating simulations. Why spend time calculating with pen and paper when you can type the equation into your computer? AIs are not here to take over the world - they are here to free up time, so you can do what is most important (and if you want...  Take over the world). There are tasks where it does better, although there are more where you would outperform the AI. It is not magic, it is a useful tool available for everyone from everywhere at any time - and Fictive Reality is not only applicable for recruiting but for practising any type of communication. 

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We are proud of the progress with our solution and even more excited to improve our features in the future. If you want to be like Jobzone and take a giant leap into the cutting edge of recruitment do not hesitate to reach out to us.