AI has turned the recruiting world upside down. Talent acquisition teams and job candidates are locked in a technology stalemate as both sides use AI to get ahead. Recruiters use AI-assisted tools and other technology to help them sift through hundreds or even thousands of applications for a single role, and candidates are using AI to tailor and distribute hundreds of resumes and applications in the hopes of landing a job offer.
What is the solution to this technology stalemate? The answer, ironically, might be more technology.
AI’s appeal and drawbacks are a double-edged sword
The AI arms race is transforming the way that companies identify, vet, and engage with job candidates, and more change is on the way. Fortune shared three top trends on the horizon for AI-assisted recruiting:
- AI will become entrenched in the recruiting process, and could be used to make final selections for candidates in open roles.
- Incoming candidates skills will be scrutinized more and more, as recruiters receive floods of resumes designed to get past AI filters.
- Talent acquisition teams could rely on AI to help them do more with less: maintain the same or higher level of recruiting activities with reduced resources in headcounts and budget.
Job seekers have discovered that AI can save time and help them craft resumes and cover letters that are highly customized to fit posted job descriptions. These tools also carry significant risks for users who don’t read the AI-generated documents carefully to look for errors. Nevertheless, as reliance on AI grows, there’s less confidence that a company can assess candidates’ true capabilities and the unique value they bring to a role.
Job simulations provide another option for candidates and recruiters
For employers, solving the quantity over quality problem comes down to finding better ways to quickly and accurately assess which candidates possess the job-specific skills they will need to be successful in the role.
Companies that actively recruit recent college graduates typically have robust internship programs that offer students an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and interact with current employees. Internships give students a chance to test the waters with an employer, refine existing skills while acquiring new ones, and see how they might fit within the organization. Unfortunately, access to internships is not universal nor can every student—especially those who already work full-time or have to care for a family member—fit an internship into their already busy schedule.
Forage (now part of the Seramount family) works with leading global companies to create virtual job simulations that enable college students to gain a day-in-the-life experience as an entry-level employee in jobs related to their major. By participating in a job simulation, students can showcase their skills to top companies like PepsiCo, British Airways, and Ford by completing interactive hypothetical tasks while gaining insight into role expectations, required skills, and potential projects.
Forage job simulations help students and employers get ahead. Candidates who complete Forage job simulations are 3X more likely to be hired over their peers. Foragers learn about their target company’s culture and working norms and test their skills while exploring open roles. The job simulations allow employers can expand their talent pool while reducing bias in discovering that talent.
Completing a job simulation only takes candidates a few hours and they can complete them at any time of the day or night. Since the simulations are open access, they create a more level playing field by creating opportunities for many more potential hires to engage meaningfully with prospective employers outside of traditional working hours. Working with Forage to create custom job simulations also gives companies access to right-fit candidates who might not otherwise show up on their recruiting radar.
Forage, EAB, and Seramount: Helping students and recruiters find success
Education company EAB, Seramount’s parent company, acquired Forage in April 2024 to complement Seramount’s other talent solutions that help companies build high-performing, inclusive workplaces. By working together, EAB, Seramount, and Forage can better connect employers with a vast network of future candidates during their college journeys while providing students with better access to career opportunities and preparing them for success by developing essential skills for the jobs they want.
We founded Forage because we wanted to make students’ career aspirations feel possible, not just for a lucky few, but for every student with talent and drive. We were tired of seeing young people struggle to get noticed by top companies simply because they lacked connections or experience. Forage is about opening doors and giving students a chance to try real work with real companies—to explore, to grow, and to figure out who they want to be. Our hope is that, through Forage, students can feel a bit more seen and a lot more prepared for the careers they’re working so hard to build.
Job simulation tools aren’t a replacement for generative AI nor do they resolve all the challenges that separate early-career job seekers and employers. However, they do give both sides another means of connecting efficiently and effectively by using technology as a bridge, rather than a “cheat code.”
To learn more about Forage, visit Seramount’s Forage product page.
