If you are in an active job search, chances are high you have been asked to complete a pre-employment assessment, leaving many job seekers to wonder about the increase in on-line assessments.
In a global research survey about hiring trends, conducted by Development Dimensions International, both employees and employers had questions relating to making good hiring decisions. According to the survey, “one in eight new workers employed during a 12-month period proved to be a bad hire”.
The number one fear most interviewers have is making a bad hiring decision. Hiring the wrong candidate not only costs employers from a financial side, it costs them training time and efforts in rebuilding a team that has been led off course. In order to help decrease the turnover rate in making a bad decision to hire, employers are turning to assessments.
During a job search, your resume can only take you so far in generating interest from an interviewer, and as a result, good candidates can often be overlooked. Case in point, a manager described how he determined what resumes were worth reviewing twice. It turns out his method was based on resumes written in a chronological format.
The rest of the resumes he tossed out could have been excellent job candidates and while that doesn’t seem logical, it happens more than you might realize. That’s one of the reasons why employment assessments are useful in looking beyond resumes and the bias that hiring managers can bring to the process.
78749407Yet the assessment part of a job application or interview tends to cause anxiety with job seekers. Employers have a variety of assessments to use and most will focus on areas such as aptitude, personality and skills. When faced with taking an employment assessment, a candidate once described how their mind went blank, the idea of passing an assessment to move forward in the interview process seemed to paralyze their thinking.
Without the mention of an assessment, that same candidate could easily talk about their skills and how well their background matched the employer’s needs. The stress of having to complete a questionnaire became so overwhelming that it kept them from being able to think clearly.
If taking employment assessments creates a road block for you, here are some suggestions to keep in mind:
Ask the name of the assessment and purpose.
Talk to your networking contacts and ask others what to expect from the assessment.
Research and study the tests. If possible, practice before taking the assessment.
Keep the assessment in perspective; this is not a life or death situation.
Don’t fight anxiety; a little can go a long way in helping you stay alert.
Research the company and the core competencies that make up the job description.
Focus on the questions one at a time and not the pressure of completing them.
Breathe deeply when stress starts to build.
Be yourself and avoid guessing what you think employers are looking for in your answers.
Carefully read the instructions and follow them.
What has been your experience with taking assessments during the interviewing process?
