Types of pre-employment testing – Part 2 of 4

In my last article I mentioned the types of pre-employment testing some companies can and will use prior to offering a job. Those type of testing could include abilities (skills) testing, behavior ( personality) and character (traits, makeup) or better known as the A, B, C’s of pre-employment testing.

 

So let’s go through them starting with the A’s – abilities, skills. Some companies do formal testing in the form of written tests just like you took in high school and college. They could do multiple choice, fill-ins or essay. At least with multiple choice, you have a 25% chance of getting the right answer! If it is fill-ins, you still might be able to work your way through it but if it is an essay – you had better know your stuff.

Some companies sit you in front of a computer and require you to do timed tests such as MS Word or MS Excel. I have taken these tests and from experience I can tell you that the test goes fast and many of them will not allow you to use the shortcuts you have learned! So be prepared. If you are going for a more technical position, you could be asked to build a simple database or be given a scenario where you have to create SQL statements and so on. After all, you told them that you have X number of years doing these tasks.

 

You could be asked to write a short story or to write a short white paper on a particular topic. What are they checking for? They probably want to check your writing skills along with your spelling abilities and the depth of your vocabulary (when you do not have a thesaurus to use). They are probably also looking to see how creative you are. Creativity is an important trait to have in today’s world. Maybe they will give you something to read and ask you to summarize it. They want to know about your reading/comprehensive skill set. Oh, and I can’t forget the one we all dread – the basic math and accounting skills test! Remember Algebra? Remember Geometry?

I just have a word of caution to all of you job seekers. If you have “embellished” your resume, you had better make sure that you have the abilities and skill sets to back it up!

Next time I will discuss the B’s of the pre-employment testing: Behavior.

By: Nancy Anderson, Staff Writer