Tips and Tricks: Beyond the Resume with SymTrain Assessment

In our last Tips and Tricks session, we delved into a different use for SymTrain: Assessment. With SymTrain’s innovative assessment tools, you can go beyond the resume by using simulations that test real-world skills, offering a more accurate and efficient way to identify top talent for your team.

Key Takeaways

1. SymTrain as a Game-Changer for Hiring

• SymTrain allows you to assess new hires effectively, offering deeper insights than traditional interviews or resumes.

2. Why Go Beyond the Resume?

• Resumes are often not enough to gauge a candidate’s full potential or readiness.
• SymTrain helps test real-time knowledge, decision-making, and practical skills before hiring.
• Avoid costly hiring mistakes, which can cost up to 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings.

3. Streamlining the Hiring Process

• Longer hiring processes do not necessarily mean better results.
• SymTrain can help shorten the process by providing simulations that gauge candidates’ qualifications faster and more accurately.
• Use pre-interview simulations to screen candidates based on deal-breaker skills (e.g., coaching for managerial roles).
• Develop tailored training plans for different departments and roles within your company.

4. Pre-Interview Insights Using SymTrain

• Identify the minimum required skills for the role and ensure the candidate meets these through simulations.
• Review past successes and failures in hiring to refine your SymTrain assessment approach.
• Create simulations that test practical skills like proficiency with tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.).
• Self-assessments in resumes (e.g., “I’m a 3 in Salesforce”) can be misleading. SymTrain allows you to assess whether their skills match what they claim.

5. Stock Questions for Pre-Screening

• Questions like “What do you know about our company?” or “Why do you think you’re a fit for this role?” can be added to SymTrain to assess preparation and fit.
• This saves time by filtering out candidates who haven’t prepared.

6. Round One: Post-Simulation Evaluation

• After candidates complete initial simulations, review their responses:
  • Did they follow instructions?
  • Did they ask questions when unclear?
  • Did they complete tasks on time?
  • Were they confident and aligned with company values and the role?

• SymTrain helps you assess the candidate’s overall approach, including their ability to follow directions, communicate, and complete tasks effectively.

7. Advanced Role-Specific Simulations

• Use role-specific simulations in round one to assess proficiency with tools and tasks required for the position which helps ensure candidates not only talk the talk but walk the walk.

If you missed anything or want to revisit the session, be sure to check out the full session video: