Creating a virtual environment for multiple mini-interviews

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The selection process for ideal students or employees involves two essential components: assessing relevant knowledge and assessing soft-skills (such as communication, emotional intelligence, confidence, problem solving, etc). Assessing knowledge is well established and is available from academic performance or track records. However, techniques for assessing soft skills are not as apparent and straight-forward. To address this challenge, Advanced Psychometrics for Transitions (operating as ProFitHR) was established in 2008. ProFitHR is a spin-off company from McMaster University that markets the multiple mini interview (MMI) technique for selecting candidates for high stakes positions in academic, government and corporate sectors. An applicant progressing through a MMI faces a series of stations, each dealing with a different scenario, which may include communication, collaboration, ethics, critical thinking, awareness of society health issues, personal qualities, etc. While highly praised for its effectiveness at assessing candidates' soft skills, the MMI is resource intensive for both the interviewing organization (time/cost of interviewers, actors and facilities) and the applicant (travel time/cost). Developing a remote MMI technique can help overcome many of the resource limitations of the face-to-face method. Alleviating this barrier may open new markets and customers for ProFitHR that were apprehensive of the logistics required to run an MMI but would embrace a remote technique. Additionally, a remote virtual environment can allow for a broader set of scenarios that may be difficult to enact in face-to-face settings. As such, this research project aims to explore the efficacy of virtual environment MMI (VE-MMI) stations using avatars. The objectives of the proposed research project are: (1) to develop two VE-MMI stations using avatars; (2) to assess the two VE-MMI stations in a controlled usability study; and (3) to determine if VE-MMI stations are a viable alternative to face-to-face MMI stations.