Lee and I recently attended certification training for one of the assessments we use and found the training to be quite good. The part that made it memorable is the fact that we were asked to use the assessments in real-life scenarios. That type of training sticks, according to the Wall Street Journal’s Simulation Shows What It’s Like to Be Boss:
That realistic feeling is a big reason companies such as NetApp use simulations to help train managers in complex subjects such as strategic thinking. Experts say adults absorb information better when they use it, not just hear it.
There is a quote from earlier in the article that is excellent:
“You never have perfect information; you never have enough time,” Mr. Tabloski said. “That was particularly real.”
Isn’t that true? We see this play out with candidates right now, too. They have other opportunities. Strong salespeople are always in demand no matter what the economy is doing. Some hiring managers want to ruminate about their decision to the point where they lose strong candidates (we’ve had that happen a couple times this year already).
When you are hiring, you never have perfect information on a candidate. There is always a level of unknown factors that makes hiring so difficult. But you can have more information than a resume and your gut feeling.