Testing, Testing
Today, I started the process that I hope will lead me to a new job. No, not an interview -- I haven't made it to that level just yet. Today, it was testing.
Sorry, you don't get to know where I was applying. To paraphrase a line from the late Jack Webb, the names have been eliminated to protect the innocent.
In any case, I arrived bright and early at the location. Make that dark and early; I arrived somewhere around 07:45, and sunrise was still in the process of taking place. Just beginning, as I recall. I signed in at the front security desk, found a seat in the lobby, and waited for another 45 minutes or so (the testing session began at 08:30).
This wasn't the first time I had tested at this place. I had gone through the testing at least one time before (maybe twice), and about a week later, I received an oh-so-polite piece of boilerplate which essentially said, "Sorry, you didn't make it this time. Please feel free to try again."
At 08:30, a lady from the HR department came to the lobby and collected the two dozen or so of us who would be testing today, and led us to the testing room. The first item on the agenda was the showing of two videos giving a brief outline of the jobs for which we would be testing.
I had seen these videos when I previously tested. They did not improve with a subsequent viewing. Even the HR lady called them "cheesy." (She was being far too complimentary.) Somewhere, I think I heard someone making a reference to Mystery Science Theatre 3000, and I realized that these videos would have made wonderful material for skewering on that program.
Once the videos were over, we started filling out the applications. Now, I have filled out numerous job applications over the years, just as I am sure many of you have. Trust me, I know how to fill out an application. Still, the HR lady thought it necessary to tell us how to complete said application.
I completed the application without any difficulty, thank you very much. I then turned it in to the HR lady, along with a copy of my resume.
Once everyone had completed their applications, we had a quick break, then the testing part of the testing began. They gave us several standardized tests -- math, reasoning, and a couple of similar tests. None of them took very long.
The last test was a personality assessment. I really think this was what disqualified me on my previous attempts. The people administering the tests always tell you to not think too much about the answers, to go with your first instinct. Let me tell you that this is NOT how you should approach this type of test.
I have taken this type of test while applying for other jobs. One time, I was told that my score on the personality assessment had just missed the score the employer required, and that I needed to take it again. The second time, I decided that instead of giving my first instinct, I would give it just enough thought, and give the answer that THEY wanted to hear.
I decided that was what I needed to do here. I'm more than confident in my ability on standardized tests, and I'm more than certain that I have done well on these tests every time I've taken them. I really think what kept me from going to the next step previously was the personality assessment.
Unlike the other tests, the personality assessment wasn't timed. I took the time to read each question carefully, and I did my best to figure out what response they wanted. I suppose that might be a somewhat cynical approach to take, but then again, I'm a fairly cynical person. If a company is going to be using a test like this to determine who they want to interview for job openings, it's probably in my best interest (and the best interest of anyone applying for a job there) to subvert that part of the process as much as possible.
When I tested here previously, once I turned in the last test, I was free to go. This time, they asked everyone to stick around. It would only take 15 minutes or so to get the results of everyone's tests, and they wanted to let everyone know right away if they were going on to the next step. (Probably also wanted to save money on mailing out the letters.) It wasn't a particularly pleasant 15 minutes; none of the people sitting around me wanted to talk. I think it's fair to say that everyone was just a little on edge.
Finally, the testers came back, and began calling everyone's name in alphabetical order. When my name was called, I was handed a letter. It had another piece of paper stapled to it, covering the body of the letter. I went out in hall, flipped over the covering sheet, and looked at the letter. It was mainly oh-so-polite corporate boilerplate. The one thing that drew my attention was the single word in boldface in the middle of the letter:
Qualified
Once all the letters were handed out, those of us who had qualified were led back in the room, and they started calling names again. This time, it was to set up dates for interviews. My interview is next Wednesday. wish me luck.
?????
Sorry, you don't get to know where I was applying. To paraphrase a line from the late Jack Webb, the names have been eliminated to protect the innocent.
In any case, I arrived bright and early at the location. Make that dark and early; I arrived somewhere around 07:45, and sunrise was still in the process of taking place. Just beginning, as I recall. I signed in at the front security desk, found a seat in the lobby, and waited for another 45 minutes or so (the testing session began at 08:30).
This wasn't the first time I had tested at this place. I had gone through the testing at least one time before (maybe twice), and about a week later, I received an oh-so-polite piece of boilerplate which essentially said, "Sorry, you didn't make it this time. Please feel free to try again."
At 08:30, a lady from the HR department came to the lobby and collected the two dozen or so of us who would be testing today, and led us to the testing room. The first item on the agenda was the showing of two videos giving a brief outline of the jobs for which we would be testing.
I had seen these videos when I previously tested. They did not improve with a subsequent viewing. Even the HR lady called them "cheesy." (She was being far too complimentary.) Somewhere, I think I heard someone making a reference to Mystery Science Theatre 3000, and I realized that these videos would have made wonderful material for skewering on that program.
Once the videos were over, we started filling out the applications. Now, I have filled out numerous job applications over the years, just as I am sure many of you have. Trust me, I know how to fill out an application. Still, the HR lady thought it necessary to tell us how to complete said application.
I completed the application without any difficulty, thank you very much. I then turned it in to the HR lady, along with a copy of my resume.
Once everyone had completed their applications, we had a quick break, then the testing part of the testing began. They gave us several standardized tests -- math, reasoning, and a couple of similar tests. None of them took very long.
The last test was a personality assessment. I really think this was what disqualified me on my previous attempts. The people administering the tests always tell you to not think too much about the answers, to go with your first instinct. Let me tell you that this is NOT how you should approach this type of test.
I have taken this type of test while applying for other jobs. One time, I was told that my score on the personality assessment had just missed the score the employer required, and that I needed to take it again. The second time, I decided that instead of giving my first instinct, I would give it just enough thought, and give the answer that THEY wanted to hear.
I decided that was what I needed to do here. I'm more than confident in my ability on standardized tests, and I'm more than certain that I have done well on these tests every time I've taken them. I really think what kept me from going to the next step previously was the personality assessment.
Unlike the other tests, the personality assessment wasn't timed. I took the time to read each question carefully, and I did my best to figure out what response they wanted. I suppose that might be a somewhat cynical approach to take, but then again, I'm a fairly cynical person. If a company is going to be using a test like this to determine who they want to interview for job openings, it's probably in my best interest (and the best interest of anyone applying for a job there) to subvert that part of the process as much as possible.
When I tested here previously, once I turned in the last test, I was free to go. This time, they asked everyone to stick around. It would only take 15 minutes or so to get the results of everyone's tests, and they wanted to let everyone know right away if they were going on to the next step. (Probably also wanted to save money on mailing out the letters.) It wasn't a particularly pleasant 15 minutes; none of the people sitting around me wanted to talk. I think it's fair to say that everyone was just a little on edge.
Finally, the testers came back, and began calling everyone's name in alphabetical order. When my name was called, I was handed a letter. It had another piece of paper stapled to it, covering the body of the letter. I went out in hall, flipped over the covering sheet, and looked at the letter. It was mainly oh-so-polite corporate boilerplate. The one thing that drew my attention was the single word in boldface in the middle of the letter:
Qualified
Once all the letters were handed out, those of us who had qualified were led back in the room, and they started calling names again. This time, it was to set up dates for interviews. My interview is next Wednesday. wish me luck.
?????