 |
 |
 |
CareersHelp! I'm an interviewee — get me out of here! |
|
"Organisations using assessment tools have far greater confidence in recruitment decisions. They find it is a cost effective way of gathering relevant data about a candidate"
"These tests are intended to be used as part of a group of assessment methods rather than to be used in isolation"Useful links: The British Psychological Society The Association of Business Psychologists Capita Resourcing Useful reference: "Personnel Selection and Productivity" by Mark Cook
| |
||||||||||||
|
It is becoming more and more important for organisations to get the right person for the job. The potential waste of time and money involved in hiring the wrong person means organisations want to get it right first time. Costly mistakes in the past have taught organisations that they need to undertake a thorough assessment of a candidate — to really know what they are getting. A reliable picture of a candidate's strengths and weaknesses can be built up by doing a number of different exercises. "Assessment Centres" provide the most reliable form of assessment. Here, a number of different exercises are used to assess the key knowledge, skills and abilities — or "competencies" — that have been identified for the job. What are the different types of tests? • Verbal tests These are tests that assess abilities relating to using words and language. They can range from high level tests of critical reasoning to tests of basic literacy. Tests can include: spelling, grammar, verbal comprehension, vocabulary, ability to evaluate arguments and verbal critical reasoning. • Numerical tests These measure ability to understand and work with numerical information. The tests may measure from basic numerical or arithmetic ability, up to the ability to understand complex data and/or to a high level of reasoning with numerical data. Tests can include: basic numerical computation, understanding data, numerical critical reasoning or numerical evaluation. • Personality questionnaires These explore typical performance. They can be very useful in exploring a candidate's "likely" way of working in a team or in a leadership position. There is usually no time limit for completion, and there can be no right or wrong answers. Candidates often find them very rewarding and can gain personal insight. Feedback helps candidates to explore the results. • Role-plays, group exercises and written exercises These are designed around a specific set of competencies required for the job. For example, a role-play may look at the ability to make a clear decision in a group setting, a group exercise may look at your persuasive skills, and a written exercise may assess either knowledge on a particular area, or ability to show strategic thinking. • Psychometric Tests These tests help an organisation gather data about people that may be difficult to get at in other ways, such as creative problem solving or the ability to make decisions under time pressure. Psychometric means "the measurement of that which is psychological" and psychometric tests refer to "an objective and standardised measure of a sample of behaviour which is quantifiable." Practically speaking this includes both tests of cognitive or mental abilities, as well as tests of personality measures or measures of behaviour. Psychometrics are distinguished from other assessment methods in that they are "objective". Tests and assessment tools have to be used very carefully to be effective. Test standardisation is achieved by candidates completing the same test, with exactly the same content, administered under the same conditions. • Structured Interviews Interviews are the most widely used assessment tool for selection. A structured interview or competency based interview should ask specific questions about key areas of competence required for the job. The candidate provides examples from past experience as to how they have matched up to these requirements. In contrast, an unstructured interview has the poorest reliability and validity in assessing a person's skills and abilities. Which employers use assessment centres and tests? Clients use assessment testing for a number of different reasons. These can include the setting up of a new organisation, restructuring leading to new role requirements or organisational growth. The public sector uses assessment testing widely. "Fair and open competition" is encouraged to ensure that a person is placed in a role due to merit. In the private sector many larger organisations use assessment techniques, particularly the financial and telecoms sectors. Call centres often have tailor-made assessment centres, and tests are also used for large scale graduate recruitment and promotion into senior positions. Testing tends to be less prevalent in small to medium sized companies Capita Resourcing says the client feedback they receive shows that organisations using assessment tools have far greater confidence in recruitment decisions. They find it is a cost effective way of gathering relevant data about a candidate in a short time period (a day or a half-day). Have tests ever gone wrong? Both testing and assessment can run the risk of not working well if an unqualified or lay person doesn't get advice from a business psychologist. They can end up using the wrong test to assess the wrong behaviours or skills. Another area of concern is where tests are used in isolation and the results are taken as "definite" rather than "indicative" of the candidates' abilities. The tests are best used in conjunction with other tests, and are intended to complement sources of "rich data" about the candidate - particularly data gathered at the interview. Christine Jones at Capita Resourcing says, "These tests are intended to be used as part of a group of assessment methods rather than to be used in isolation". Top Tips when taking assessment tests 1. Request "practice test" beforehand, such as example questions so you know what to expect. 2. Let the organisation know if anything could affect your performance. For example, a current illness or an emotional life event may need to be taken into account. 3. Let the organisation know if you have a disability so they can cater for your needs. 4. Bring your glasses if you wear them! 5. Have a good nights sleep the night before. 6. Approach it calmly and naturally. 7. Arrive early, at least 5 to 10 minutes before the start time so that you are ready to begin promptly. 8. Expect to do some tests under time pressure. 9. Enjoy it! It can be great fun and you can learn quite a bit about yourself. 10. Don't forget to ask for feedback. DigitalEve would like to sincerely thank Emma Haddleton, Managing Consultant at Capita Resourcing for providing the research data for this article.
|
||||||||||||||||