MGM Resorts to Use VR to Let Job Applicants Try Out Their Roles First

Isabella James, Tech Times 12 December 2021, 09:12 pm

MGM Resorts is planning to use virtual reality (VR) in its job application process amidst its need for more workers. The VR will let job applicants try out their roles first before making a decision on whether to accept the job offer or not.

The VR module, which MGM developed with a VR training firm called Strivr, will let job seekers experience virtually how to operate casino games or how to help guests check in at hotels.

It will also include difficult guest interactions so that job seekers can fully understand what they may get into. Rude customers are a key factor behind why many workers with customer-facing jobs have been quitting at high rates.

MGM Resorts to Use VR for Job Applications

MGM Resorts is planning on using VR so that job applicants can try out their roles first.

According to a report by Gizmodo, Laura Lee, MGM Resorts' chief human resource officer, said that "MGM Resorts would be rolling out virtual reality headsets for customer-service roles at its employment centers and begin using VR as part of employee training."

Thanks to the technology, applicants can get a taste of what is to be expected in the roles that they are applying for via simulation. The VR will simulate how to operate casino games and hotel check-ins for guests.

Gizmodo's report also says that MGM is also exploring the possibility of using VR in career fairs as early as next month.

MGM Resorts' Struggle with Understaffing

According to Gizmodo, MGM Resorts has around 83,000 employees across its casinos. These casinos include the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, and MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"Like many places, MGM Resorts has struggled with understaffing, but the company's chief financial officer said in a recent earnings call that labor availability has been improving each month during the third quarter," the Gizmodo report says.

Per the data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in customer-facing roles are leaving their jobs at higher rates. One of the key reasons behind the high rates is increasingly rude customers.

In line with this, MGM Resorts' VR module will include guest interactions that can be considered unpleasant and difficult. Lee said that the company already expects that some job seekers will eventually decide that the work is not for them after the VR experience.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality or VR has been defined by Science Direct as "characterized by the illusion of participation in a synthetic environment than external observation of such an environment."

VR is described as an immersive as well as a multisensory experience that can even sustain a number of users in just one virtual space.

How does this differ with augmented reality or AR? VR requires the user to be isolated from the real world in order to be able to immerse in a virtual world. AR, on the other hand, lets users stay in touch with the real world.

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Written by Isabella James