Job Skills Testing

What are the kinds of written examinations commonly used to assess applicants? They     can be   divided into four kinds: personality tests, IQ tests, aptitude tests, and essay questions.

Preparation before Test-taking

The same way that you are advised to dispose yourself before an interview, you should also dispose yourself before taking a written test. After all, your main tool is your mind; if your mind is neither relaxed nor rested, you might not perform on the exam as well as you otherwise would do.

Get a good night’s rest the night before. Make certain that you arrive at the examination site with at least 15 minutes to spare.

Eat well. Brain food is recommended, like food that is high in protein. You’d want to eat enough to last you the entire testing duration. It helps then to inquire ahead of schedule how long the test would take. Some companies screen using a battery of exams, meaning they use more than one test and thus the examination can take hours. The last thing you need is hunger pangs in the middle of analyzing a problem!

Bring your own timer, preferably a stopwatch. This can help you monitor your pacing and adjust accordingly. In some cases, a calculator or extra sheets of scratch paper for computations are permitted by the test proctor, so ask ahead if they are necessary and allowed.

Some human resource practitioners advise wearing layered clothing when taking examinations. Room temperature can be distracting to a test-taker and you want to be able to adjust to the temperature. If the room is too cold, at least you have a jacket and if it is too hot, at least you can still peel off some layers.

Feel like practicing?

If you feel that you need some exposure and practice with psychological exams before you take one, there are places to go to get a better grasp of them. If you’re still in school, or have access to school resources, a guidance counselor can help you become more familiar with them.

There are also sites online that offer practice tests for job applicants. Just make sure that you pick a website that offers a close approximation of standardized job application screening tests. There are many supposed psychological tests online but most of them are made just for fun and in by no means valid nor similar to what companies would give you.

In general though, there is very little to worry about when it comes to employee testing. Personality tests, IQ tests and aptitude exams require, more than anything, presence of mind. Personality tests have no right or wrong answers, and can be answered best by merely being authentic to yourself. IQ tests and aptitude tests on the other hand need very little review of vast research and subject matter. All that you would need to answer the questions correctly can be found in the question itself.

General Test-taking Tips

The following are some tips and techniques that can help you navigate most examinations.

Read the instructions and questions carefully. This is imperative! At first glance the lay-out of a question gives a hint already how it is meant to be answered. For example, a question stem followed by four choices marked a, b, c and d usually connotes a multiple choice kind of question, or chooses the best answer among the four choices. But unless you read the instructions thoroughly you can never be sure.

What if you are not supposed to pick the choice that is right, but to cross out what is wrong? What if there can be more than one answer to a question? You need to be able to follow instructions to the letter for it may cost you even your correct responses. If there are examples of how to answer the questions, then review the examples.

Look out for scoring techniques that may affect the way you answer. For example, if instructions say that this is a ‘right minus wrong’ test, then it means that when scoring, the number of your wrong responses would be subtracted from the number of your correct responses. In which case it is not advisable to guess when you don’t know the answer; perhaps it’s better if you just keep it blank. If no such rule exists, then guessing in objective questions may be a better option in case you’re stumped.

Also, instructions tell how to answer, not just what to answer. You might have to encircle the letter of your choice, cross it out or shade the appropriate section in an answer sheet. Some companies would nullify all your answers if you don’t follow the correct way to mark your paper.

Other answer sheets are not scored by hand but via a computer and if you don’t follow the instructions, the scanner may not be able to read your responses. It would be a shame not to have your correct answers credited just because of a technical error.

If you have questions or clarifications about the instructions, don’t hesitate to ask your proctor before you even begin.

Note the time limit. Some tests are time pressured so budget your time wisely. Before you take a test, look at how many items there are and how much time you are being given. For example, if you have 30 minutes to answer a test with 30 items then you have approximately 1 minute to answer per item. This can guide you when discerning whether to give a question more thought or to move on.

In general, do not linger unnecessarily on an item. If you must, make a guess and then go back to the item when you still have time.

If you have to guess, make an intelligent one. If you get really stumped, don’t just choose an option randomly. Pick a choice that has the higher likelihood of being the correct answer compared to the other choices.

Look for context clues. Context clues are hints in the question that suggest the correct responses. Basically you have to pick the option that (a) makes the most sense, (b) seems to fit best and (c) feels right as far as your understanding can tell. This is most helpful for verbal reasoning questions.

Eliminate obviously wrong responses first and then focus your attention on the remaining options. Note that sophisticated tests use clever distracters so make sure that you’re critical. For example, you might feel that an option is obviously correct, but it might just be a word that sounds like the correct response or looks like the correct response.

And if you really can’t figure it out, use your intuition. Choose the response that feels most right. Chances are, if something ‘feels’ correct, you may have come across the connection before but cannot recall it at that moment.

Consider the following example:

Choose the word closest in meaning to the italicized word.

The four-colored Brazilian spider lost a leg, so it regenerated a new one.

Reinforced

Grew

Stole

When you think of animals, what would they most likely do if they lost a limb? Option c seems grammatically correct, and some animals have been known to steal from other animals before, but it doesn’t make sense to do so for a leg.

Reinforced is a tricky distracter; it has the same form as the item you are analyzing. The prefix‘re’ might make you feel that it is the most appropriate choice because regenerate also has it. But the word ‘reinforce’ means ‘to support.’ It is difficult to picture a spider supporting a new leg, and it makes for awkward sentence structure.

By process of elimination, the correct response is b.

Don’t overanalyze. This is especially true for IQ test. Sometimes we can over think a question when the answer is the most obvious one. Remember, these tests are for the average reasonable person to comprehend. If the analysis you came up with is too complicated and conspiracy-oriented, chances are you just may be looking at it too hard.

If you are out looking for a job, do not expect your employer to know what your employment value is just by looking at your resume or by interviewing you. It is your responsibility to prove this to him or her. Also, if you allow the employers to determine your value, then the chances of them coming to the wrong conclusion will be strong. In order to prevent this, you need to know exactly who you are, what you are capable of, and what it is that you have to sell.

For instance, if you are having a discussion with your prospective employer, then you should probably address issues like how you can help him or her become more successful. This is the only topic that will grab any attention as any other topic would be a waste of time.

You should always know your value as an employee before you actually begin searching for a job so that you can take control of the entire job-search process. Make sure to define certain goals for yourself. Once you have decided what you are looking for before you actually start looking for something, you will have the right clues as to where and when to start looking.

Any job search in order to find a job can be a daunting task. Be prepared to devote all your time and energy in this process. If you are presently unemployed, prepare yourself to spend at least 30 hours every week in searching for a job. If you happen to be employed, then prepare yourself for an “extra” job over the next few months until you find yourself a new job.

Tips for Effective Job-Hunting

Job hunting can be quite intimidating and stressful and can sometimes produce both depression and anxiety in an individual. It probably will take a lot of time for you to find employment, so it is advisable to start as soon as you can and patience is a must!

In addition, make sure that you have a specific goal, but still be prepared and flexible in your approach and your use of alternate options is sometimes necessary. While knowing what kind of a job you want is essential to your job search, you must also keep in mind that there is no guarantee that you will find what you are looking for.

There are loads of opportunities out there and plenty of help is available, so don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. Ask friends, associates, relatives and even career advisors for help. There’s no point in maintaining that “I can do this myself” attitude; the task is generally bigger than you can imagine!

Churning out hundreds of resumes is just a waste of time and energy. Employers receive millions of resume each day and this can get pretty annoying! Getting professional help when making your resume sounds like a good idea as this will help you stand out from the crowd.

Networking is absolutely necessary when you’re out searching for jobs. From job search support groups to former co-workers, bosses, and old classmates, there are many sources out there. Check internet job search engines as there are thousands of sites available.

Follow these few tips and you can rest assured that your job hunt will end up in success!

In today’s society, major business decisions are often based on the communication conducted over emails. The job hunt process is no exception. Sending a well constructed email will not likely be the reason a company chooses to hire you. However, an inability to communicate well in writing can lead to disqualification from many jobs. To increase your odds of landing your next job, it may be wise to review your email etiquette.

Grammar and spelling – Writing an email should not feel like a homework assignment, you will not be graded. However, grammar and spelling are important. Before sending any emails to a potential employer, be sure to use the build in spelling and grammar checker. Then re-read it to be sure no mistakes slip past the automated check.

Get to the point – Long rambling emails will not likely be read. Keep your email correspondence short, sweet, and on topic. This will ensure the point you are trying to make is established with the reader.

Don’t mix your message – If you want to make several points to the reader, think it through. The reader will likely never make it past the first paragraph. It may make sense to create separate emails for each message.

Subject lines – A good subject line is like a good newspaper headline. Try to keep your subject line under 140 characters. Keep it short, but also keep it very specific. There is nothing worse for a hiring manager than trying to find one email title “My resume” or “Interview”. A short subject line that includes your name, a meeting time/place, or maybe even the topic of the meeting is much easier to find in your inbox.

Don’t be afraid to ask – If you expect an answer or response from the reader, don’t be afraid to ask. If you are sending the email because you want to know what to expect from the hiring process, you have to ask. Including something simple at the end of the email will express your interest and ask the question. For instance, “I am excited about this opportunity. What do you see as the next step of your hiring process?”. This expresses continued interest and asks the question. If you don’t ask the question, the reader will not likely be compelled to provide the answer.

The ability to structure an email well is essential to the success of any job hunt. With luck these tips and a little practice will help you become an expert. Just remember, keep it professional and keep it simple and you will be on your way to mastering proper email usage.