Opening the Doors of Opportunity

How Virtual Job Simulations Attract the Best Talent while Increasing Equity

In recent years more and more companies have adopted policies around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). While the need for DE&I is not new, its prominence in business is. For example, in 2020 the number of executives with diversity and inclusion job their job titles increased by 113%. 

Organizations are using a variety of strategies to address DE&I, but not all are effective. One of the most effective ways to improve DE&I is to reimagine recruiting. In this blog, we’ll explain how you can use virtual job simulations to break free from inequitable recruiting and hiring practices that have long plagued businesses.

Access: The Key to DE&I  

For decades most organizations have filled open positions in a similar fashion, relying on credentials that are inherently inequitable. By prioritizing candidates that attend prestigious colleges, have higher GPAs, and have internship experiences at well-known firms, often organizations end up hiring people who are wealthy, white, and male. The result is a system where companies end up hiring the same type of people over and over again. Not only is this inequitable, it’s bad for business as it excludes capable and qualified candidates. 

When access is the central focus of your organization’s DE&I efforts, you’ll open the doors of opportunity to many more qualified candidates while also making authentic strides toward advancing equity, increasing diversity, and facilitating inclusion.

Increase Access Through Virtual Job Simulations

Virtual job simulations offer a solution to ineffective or inauthentic DE&I efforts. In order to authentically increase diversity, advance equity, and facilitate inclusion, organizations must take definitive steps to reshape the way they create their collective identity. The best way to do this is through recruiting and hiring.

With virtual job simulations, organizations offer early talent with a free five-to-six hour opportunity to learn about an entry-level position and their company. Not only that, early talent are able to try the job out and build the skills they need to do it, which we call preskilling.

Because virtual job simulations are free, they’re available to anyone with a way to access the internet. Additionally, they give employers a much stronger indication of a candidate’s intent. That’s because, in order to complete the simulation, candidates must dedicate several hours to the effort — that, coupled with a decision to apply for a position, communicates intent to learn and understand more about the organization. Virtual job simulations also communicate about a candidate’s ability. Since candidates complete tasks related to entry-level position, employers can see how they performed and if they have the potential to succeed on the job.

Companies like Lyft, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and Electronic Arts are already advancing equity through their virtual job simulations.

Advance DE&I While Improving Business Outcomes with Forage

When access is the center of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, employers can make significant gains. And by providing preskilling opportunities through Forgage’s virtual job simulations, your organization can not only work authentically toward these aims, you’ll also improve your bottom line by recruiting the best early talent available.

Schedule a consultation with one of our talent strategists to learn more about how you can improve your recruiting and hiring practice through a partnership with Forage.