Organisations are increasingly keen to identify the right candidate for the job. Matching the available talent with the right role is directly linked with increased productivity, higher profits and all-round corporate well-being. But how do you get past a candidate’s public face and well-honed interview technique to get to the truth about their character and competencies?

Try putting them in a Boeing 737 and seeing how they cope with a mid-air emergency.

VJC’s state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 flight simulator is the ultimate assessment centre, placing the candidate at the heart of scenarios designed to test anything from an aptitude for sales to leadership ability and negotiation skills. Based on a scientific analysis of a client’s requirements, VJC’s chartered occupational therapists can create programmes to test all key business performance attributes.

Candidates undertake a series of tests against the backdrop of an aircraft in flight, designed to examine a broad sweep of skills relevant to the client’s business. For example, a team may be tasked with flying a fully functioning aircraft, managing the entire plane between airports.

Our psychologists monitor the entire process, analysing individual and group performance and identifying core personality traits.

We offer candidates the opportunity to cope with both success and failure. Just as the aviation industry is primed to expose and learn from mistakes (Black Box Thinking), failure is purposely built into our programmes to help identify strengths and weaknesses. Failing at something that is new and difficult is not scored negatively. It is how people react to the failure that matters.

In the final assessment, abilities, personalities and behaviour are weighed against job requirements. The process can be applied to a wide range of business competencies, including leadership, sales, management, negotiation, team-building and decision-making, as well as diagnostic, presentation and communication skills.