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Old 02-13-2011, 02:34 PM
 
Location: Savannah, GA
1,492 posts, read 3,634,707 times
Reputation: 915

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Just wondering, what do you think about those tests about your personality, customers service, math, spelling etc for applying for a job.

My spouse has been out of work since he left his job in June of 08. Yes-he DID have a job lined up to switch into. But a moron who couldn't stay on his side of the road squashed that-broke my husband's ribs and multiple fractures of his sternum-can't swing a hammer doing that. And understandably-the new employer wouldn't hold it til he recovered.

He was a concrete dispatcher/weighmaster/QA/QC guy for 21 years in the same place. It became a totally dead end job and he needed a change. Breathing in cement dust/asphalt fumes all day were taking their toll too.He'd done construction before and after the military for a while. After the accident-he went back to school for HVAC-R.

Well, here he is and still not even able to get a job as a bus boy. We took what little we had left and he started his own a/c duct cleaning/dryer vent cleaning business. It's dead in the winter.

So he's been applying to dispatching jobs again. He applied to a HVAC company to dispatch for them. He had to take a 100 question quiz. Didn't have a darned thing to do with his skills or abilities. Is that the norm these days? Instead of talking to the individual to get first hand what their experiences and accomplishments are-they rely on these tests to do the hiring? He increased sales from 2 million to 6 million in the first 3 years of him working at his last job-he had direct contact with contractors/customers. Yet he can't even get his foot in for a interview at most places. Why? He's got a proven track record-he was the concrete guy that did the largest buildings in this area during the boom time. He has tried any and every job he is qualified to do-and rarely has gotten a interview. He's even tried for pest control.

Suggestions?
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Old 02-13-2011, 09:38 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,105 posts, read 80,205,776 times
Reputation: 56947
Because anyone should be able to produce a perfect resume as far as spelling and grammar, if a job involves any written communications (e-mail, memos, letters) then I think it's very appropriate to have a written test prior to interviews. Interviewing takes a lot of time, in fact Wednesday I'm interviewing 4 people and that's a whole day 9am-4:30. In a previous management job we required written tests for most jobs prior to interview invitations. We'd normally only interview the top 25 performers on the written test for each opening.
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Old 02-14-2011, 05:39 AM
 
Location: Savannah, GA
1,492 posts, read 3,634,707 times
Reputation: 915
Quote:
Originally Posted by bisjoe View Post
Because anyone should be able to produce a perfect resume as far as spelling and grammar, if a job involves any written communications (e-mail, memos, letters) then I think it's very appropriate to have a written test prior to interviews. Interviewing takes a lot of time, in fact Wednesday I'm interviewing 4 people and that's a whole day 9am-4:30. In a previous management job we required written tests for most jobs prior to interview invitations. We'd normally only interview the top 25 performers on the written test for each opening.
That's not a issue for him. The biggest arguments we've had over 25 years is that he SHOULD have gone to college-he's a brainiac. He's got a photographic memory to boot. It's scary at times. His resume is spot on, clear concise and highlights exactly what it should.

It's not written tests that he's been taking. It's generic ones they give online that try to gauge your personality. Or ask what is the difference in the words. The guy is no slouch-when he went from his asphalt testing-he crammed a year and a half course into 3 weeks(because it was his employer that insisted he go get the certification and no pay raise for it), and pulled a 97 on the test.

I just think that people who are qualified are getting overlooked due to those tests because it's not human contact and you can't get to know a person based on a electronic questionnaire.
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Old 02-14-2011, 09:41 AM
 
1,446 posts, read 3,542,228 times
Reputation: 603
I like the skills tests(math, spelling, typing, computer use) because they weed out my competition that shouldn't be in the position in the first place.

The only tests I do not like are the credit score ones for the retail(Target, Office Depot) positions that barely pay as much, and their 180 questions "personality" test that is actually counterproductive to getting good candidates. The test wants thrill seekers to be cashiers at Target apparently.
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Old 02-14-2011, 10:42 AM
 
Location: A great city, by a Great Lake!
15,896 posts, read 11,928,280 times
Reputation: 7502
Quote:
Originally Posted by Java378 View Post
I like the skills tests(math, spelling, typing, computer use) because they weed out my competition that shouldn't be in the position in the first place.

The only tests I do not like are the credit score ones for the retail(Target, Office Depot) positions that barely pay as much, and their 180 questions "personality" test that is actually counterproductive to getting good candidates. The test wants thrill seekers to be cashiers at Target apparently.

I am against credit checks REGARDLESS of the company or industry! As for the personality tests, it's not like someone can't lie on one of them anyway.
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Old 02-14-2011, 12:19 PM
 
43,011 posts, read 107,636,560 times
Reputation: 30710
Quote:
Originally Posted by CampingMom View Post
He was a concrete dispatcher/weighmaster/QA/QC guy for 21 years in the same place. It became a totally dead end job and he needed a change. Breathing in cement dust/asphalt fumes all day were taking their toll too.He'd done construction before and after the military for a while. After the accident-he went back to school for HVAC-R.
Has he considered getting his CDL? That's an industry that actually wants older workers with stable employment histories. It pays well because most people want the typical 9 to 5 lifestyle.
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Old 02-14-2011, 12:30 PM
 
Location: colorado
2,788 posts, read 5,077,142 times
Reputation: 3345
Quote:
Originally Posted by CampingMom View Post
Just wondering, what do you think about those tests about your personality, customers service, math, spelling etc for applying for a job.

My spouse has been out of work since he left his job in June of 08. Yes-he DID have a job lined up to switch into. But a moron who couldn't stay on his side of the road squashed that-broke my husband's ribs and multiple fractures of his sternum-can't swing a hammer doing that. And understandably-the new employer wouldn't hold it til he recovered.

He was a concrete dispatcher/weighmaster/QA/QC guy for 21 years in the same place. It became a totally dead end job and he needed a change. Breathing in cement dust/asphalt fumes all day were taking their toll too.He'd done construction before and after the military for a while. After the accident-he went back to school for HVAC-R.

Well, here he is and still not even able to get a job as a bus boy. We took what little we had left and he started his own a/c duct cleaning/dryer vent cleaning business. It's dead in the winter.

So he's been applying to dispatching jobs again. He applied to a HVAC company to dispatch for them. He had to take a 100 question quiz. Didn't have a darned thing to do with his skills or abilities. Is that the norm these days? Instead of talking to the individual to get first hand what their experiences and accomplishments are-they rely on these tests to do the hiring? He increased sales from 2 million to 6 million in the first 3 years of him working at his last job-he had direct contact with contractors/customers. Yet he can't even get his foot in for a interview at most places. Why? He's got a proven track record-he was the concrete guy that did the largest buildings in this area during the boom time. He has tried any and every job he is qualified to do-and rarely has gotten a interview. He's even tried for pest control.

Suggestions?

My brother tried out for SAMS club..He had to take the test..he failed..he found out if you do the test in less than 45 minutes you fail completely, they told him he has to take the test 45 minutes or longer
Even tho he answered all the questions right, he just done it too fast.
who knew
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Old 02-14-2011, 03:13 PM
 
Location: The City That Never Sleeps
2,043 posts, read 5,511,047 times
Reputation: 3406
These dumb a*s tests are just another way to weed people out. They have nothing to do with qualifications or the ability to do those jobs.
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Old 02-14-2011, 06:53 PM
 
1,446 posts, read 3,542,228 times
Reputation: 603
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mystique13 View Post
These dumb a*s tests are just another way to weed people out. They have nothing to do with qualifications or the ability to do those jobs.
This.
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Old 02-14-2011, 07:44 PM
 
3,852 posts, read 12,832,272 times
Reputation: 2529
They're great. If you know your stuff, then you can pass my tests. If you can't pass then you aren't qualified to do the work. I don't care where you went to school, where you previously worked etc. The test is the real proving point.

These days I only hire freelancers. Forget all that legal non sense with employees.
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