{"id":200,"date":"2014-08-21T21:14:04","date_gmt":"2014-08-22T01:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/?post_type=resources&#038;p=200"},"modified":"2025-07-14T21:39:51","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T21:39:51","slug":"job-simulation-exercises","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/job-simulation-exercises\/","title":{"rendered":"Job Simulation Exercises"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Having candidates complete exercises similar to what they\u2019d be doing on the job can give you a good idea of how they would perform if hired. This list of sample exercises tests for specific qualities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes columns-border\"><table><thead><tr><th>Position<\/th><th>Must-have<\/th><th>Sample Exercise<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>COO<\/td><td>Critical thinking, writing<\/td><td>Observe the organization in action (e.g., delivering a training session, staging a rally, holding a hearing, etc.) and propose recommendations for improvement in a 2-3 page memo.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Manager of programs<\/td><td>Strategic thinking<\/td><td>Read and analyze a set of goals and objectives, and come up with recommendations to pursue.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Director of communications<\/td><td>Public speaking, judgment<\/td><td>Rehearse a press conference or a call with a reporter about a controversial program we support.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Manager of a small- or medium-sized department<\/td><td>General management, staff supervision<\/td><td>Simulate giving positive and corrective feedback to a direct report. In the follow-up, ask them how they might approach this conversation if the candidate and their direct report were working across lines of difference and power.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Communications associate<\/td><td>Writing, racial equity and inclusion competence<\/td><td>Share a newsletter or email blast and ask for their suggested edits, with at least 2 recommendations for ways to be more explicit about the organization\u2019s commitment to racial justice.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Fundraising associate<\/td><td>Persuasive communication<\/td><td>Write a brief funding proposal or cover letter to a donor.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Special events associate<\/td><td>Organization \/ project management<\/td><td>Develop a project plan for an annual conference.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Director of policy and advocacy<\/td><td>Strategic thinking, interpersonal skills<\/td><td>Sit in on a meeting with a potential partner organization. Afterwards, give feedback including a recommendation on whether and how to engage with them.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Senior associate for policy and advocacy<\/td><td>Ability to explain complex ideas in a simple way<\/td><td>Produce a visual outlining key players in the healthcare industry and the relationships among them.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Research associate<\/td><td>Strategic thinking, writing<\/td><td>Write a memo on how a specific change in legislation might affect state support for low-income families.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Trainer<\/td><td>Presentation and teaching skills<\/td><td>Make a short presentation teaching a skill of your choice (e.g., how to write a grant, how to create a work plan, how to plan a conference, etc.).<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Executive assistant<\/td><td>Fast-paced, attention to detail<\/td><td>Complete 15-minute scheduling exercise involving multiple meeting requests.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Having candidates complete exercises similar to what they\u2019d be doing on the job may give you the best sense of how they would perform if hired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":10399,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"resource_types":[51],"topic":[40],"collection":[],"class_list":["post-200","resources","type-resources","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_types-tool-template","topic-hiring"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Job Simulation Exercises - The Management Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/job-simulation-exercises\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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