By PTSDJournal Staff
Doctors at Northwestern University say a virtual reality interview product may help veterans improve their interview techniques and land a job.
Baltimore based startup tech company, SIMmersion, may have found a way for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to find employment.
Finding employment may not be a cure for PTSD, but being able to provide and take care of one’s family or individual self is good for an individual’s self-esteem.
The SIMmersion product is very simple. Veterans prepare for interviews by going through a virtual reality question and answering session. An actress named Molly Porter serves as the questioner. The use of the virtual trainer helps veterans hone their skills through practice sessions that improve interviewing techniques.
Doctors at Northwestern University say veterans with PTSD who trained for job interviews using “Job Interview Training with Molly Porter” were far more likely to find a job than veterans who did not use the product.
Developed by Dr. Dale Olsen, SIMmersion allows veterans to prepare for interviews going through a virtual reality question and answering session with an actress named Molly Porter serving as the questioner. During a session users can pick from a variety of topics to determine what they discuss. The answers are collected and put into a database. All the information is available for review. Interviewees can even tailor the sessions to fit a specific profile. The sessions also provide tools to successfully discuss an applicant’s work history gaps. The practice interviews are reviewed and critiqued by a “live” analyst at SIMmersion.
This provides veterans instant feedback, which leads to immediate improvement.