An employment test
An employment test is an objective and standardized measure a sample of behavior that is used to determine a person’s knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs) in relation to other individuals. So it is very important since this test will help organization to know if this employee has the skills or not as well as if he good fit for the culture of the organization.
It is important that the test must be reliable and valid
Reliable test means that the test has comparable date over time and alternative measures. If a person took the test yesterday and repeat it today, his scores must be consistent, meaning there is no a wide different in theses scores.
Valid test means that the test measures a person’s attribute. Therefore, The HR staff is responsible to conduct validation studies before a test is given for the new applicants. To insure validation, current employees is given this test in about the same time when new applicants will take .When the recruitment compare applicants’ scores test with the current workers then the can decide if these are qualified for the new job.
Classification of Employment Tests
Generally, employment tests viewed as measuring either aptitude or achievement test.
Aptitude tests: measure a person’s capacity to learn or acquire skills.
Achievement tests: measure what a person knows or can do right now.
1-Cognitive Ability Tests is designed to measure a person’s mental capacity such as general intelligence, verbal fluency, reasoning, mathematical ability.
2-Personality and interest Inventories measure the degree to which a person has certain traits , temperament and dispositions .personal test help to know if the new applicant has leadership characteristic and the extend of propensity to stick on the rules.
Things that HR are looking for
• Extraversion: the degree to which someone is talkative, sociable, active, aggressive, and excitable.
• Agreeableness: the degree to which someone is trusting, friendly, generous, tolerate, honest, cooperative, and flexible.
• Conscientiousness: the degree to which someone is trustworthy and organized and persistence in tasks.
• Neuroticism: the degree to which someone secure, clam, independent, and self-directed.
• Openness to experience: the degree to which someone is intellectual, philosophical, perceptive, creative, artistic, curious.
3-Physical Ability Tests
Physical ability tests typically use tasks or exercises that require physical ability to perform. These tests typically measure physical attributes and capabilities, such as strength, endurance tend, balance, and speed. These tests are used dangerous jobs such as firefighter and police officers.
Although these tests are considered a good resource in order to know candidates abilities, they have disadvantage for women and disable job applicants. As every know that men are much stronger than women so women would be selected less for these jobs since men would obtain higher scores.
4-Job knowledge Tests
Government agencies and licensing boards usually develop job knowledge tests. It is a type of achievement tests designed measuring a person’s level of understanding about a particular job. Job knowledge tests typically use multiple choice questions or essay type items to evaluate technical or professional expertise and knowledge required for specific jobs or professions. Examples of job knowledge tests include tests of basic accounting principles, A+/Net+ programming, and blueprint reading.
5-Work Samples Tests
Work sample tests, or job sample tests, require the applicants to perform tasks that are actually a part of the work required on the job. Knowledge tests and sample test are considered content-valid because these testes measure knowledge and skills to perform a particular job. Organizations in these tests look for if the applicant know and understand to do the work without turning. According to studies, organizations using these kinds of tests can hire the best employees as this method shows them to see the potential of the employees in action. These tests are advised to different jobs such as a map-reading test for traffic control officers, a lathe test for machine operators, a complex coordination test for polite , an –basket test for managers, a group discussion test for supervisors, and judgment and decision –making test for administration. To illustrate,, work samples might involve installing a telephone line, creating a document in Word, or tuning an engine.
The employment interview
Interview is a part of the selection process thus in order to applicants be hired, they usually are being Interviewed by one person, members of a work team, or other individuals in the organization.
Interviewing Methods
There are diverse types of interviews
The Nondirective Interview
The interview will usually ask the applicants general questions, not specified which means the interviewer doesn’t prepare a list of questions in advance. Questions are open- ended question which give applicant more freedom to talk .For example, instead of asking, "Do you enjoy dealing with the public/customers?", they might ask, "What did you like best about your last position?" .The job of the interviewer to listen carefully to this candidate and does not argue or ask abrupt questions. In this kind of interview, interviewee is allowed to take control of the discussion where he is stressing his strengths and his accomplishments, and avoiding his weaknesses. Moreover, the interviewer will ask follow up where the candidate briefly responds. Nondirective interview is given for high-level position and in counseling
The structured Interview
The interviewer has a standard set of questions that are asked of all candidates. This makes it easier for the interviewer to evaluate and compare candidates. The main purpose of a structured interview is to identify job skills that are essential to the position.
The situational Interview
The interview asks the applicant a hypothetical situation and asks him how he would respond.
The Behavioral Description Interview (BDI)
The interviewer asks the applicant about pas experience in his previous job and how did he behave to it .To illustrate, tell me about the last time you disciplined an employee.
The panel Interview
3- 5 interviewers who take turns asking questions the applicant
Various significant advantages of this Interview are
• Higher reliability because of multiple inputs
• Greater acceptance of the decision
• Shorter decision time
• Discrimination is minimized
The computer Interview
The applicants can take this kind of interview online or inside the company where they would apply. They often answer a series (75 to 125) of multiple – choice questions and these answers are compared with an ideal profile or with profiled developed on the basis of other candidates’ responses. For instance CarrerBulid.com their computer interview has software that chooses the ten applicants for example.
The Video Interview
Applicants are interviewed by satalites.Some companies such as Dell computer, Shell oil, AT&T use their own in –house systems (videoconferencing technologies), while other use outside partners by renting it .
Several advantages of this Interview
• Flexibility
• Speed
• Cost
رد مع اقتباس
مواقع النشر (المفضلة)