Types of simulation tasks used in recruitment:

Practical knowledge tasks

Used to test the candidate’s knowledge in a particular area. They are closely related to the knowledge required for the position. An example of a practical task could be, for example, asking the candidate to find errors in a piece of code for a software tester position. As a rule, the accuracy and correctness of the performance and the time spent on the task by the candidate are taken into account in the assessment of the practical task at the recruitment. If, in addition, the ability to work under time pressure is important for the job, the candidate will be given a certain amount of time to solve the task.

Case study

The candidate is presented with a real problem that has or could arise in the company for the job, and asked to suggest a method for solving it. In this case, the candidate’s ability to conclude, analyze data, and use their knowledge is assessed.

Simulation with actors

In this task the recruiter (or invited person from the company) plays a specific role, e.g. that of a client or subordinate, and the candidate’s task is to conduct the conversation in such a way as to achieve the result specified at the beginning of the task (e.g. sell a service, have an effective disciplinary conversation with an employee). Here, recruiters assess the candidate’s behavior, the effectiveness of his or her message, communication style, and soft skills.

Presentations

This form of task usually requires the candidate to first prepare a presentation on a given topic. This can be a job-related topic or a loose topic (e.g. the candidate’s interests). These tasks are designed to test both the candidate’s preparation for the task and their ability to persuade, establish contact, and manage stress.