Lots of firms use employment tests as part of the hiring process. These tests are written or oral tests, uses a means of determining the suitability or desirability of a job applicant. The idea is that if scores on a test correlate with job performance, then tests can be a useful tool to aid in selecting job candidates. Let's take a minute to discuss the legal aspect of tests. You should know that tests had been contested as discriminatory, but on the whole, tests are considered legal. The issue has gone all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. The key thing to remember is that any test must be professionally developed. There are lots of kinds of assessments that can be used for employment testing. Some correlate better with job performance than with others, and it is best to use more than one to maximize your predictive power. Here's a list of the main types of tests. One, mental intelligence tests. These measure a person's intelligence quotient or IQ, or the generability to learn. An example of this, is the oldest self administering tests of mental ability. Two, sales aptitude test. These tests measure a person's aptitude for sales. Some examples of these include the sales aptitude checklist and the general sales aptitude test. Three, Interests Tests. These are designed to measure a person's interests. Two examples of these are the Couter Occupational Interests survey and the Strong Campbell Interests survey. Four, personality Tests. Like interests tests, personality tests measure various personality traits. These are particularly hard to validate because nobody has figured out what personality traits are needs for a particular sales job. One example of personality tests would be Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. Five, physical tests and background checks. Unlike the other tests, these pertain to physical properties, things like physical exams and drug tests. In many cases, these are administered in the final stage of a job hiring, typically after an offer has been made. Also, some firms do background checks to validate things like education and previous jobs. An emerging source of outside information is credit checks from outside credit rating firms like Equifax. This information can provide insights into a candidate's financial condition, employment history and criminal records. When using tests, there are some things to watch out for. Perhaps the most common problem with tests, is using the test as a sole deciding factor to eliminate a person. A person may have a great resume and did very well on interviews and reference checks, but this person is eliminated because their test scores are low. Another problem is fixation on one particular score. A smart manager looks at a range of scores as acceptable, and avoids ranking all candidates and selecting the one with individual with the highest test score. Finally, some tests can be manipulated by candidates, particularly with personality or interests tests to give the correct answer. For example, if a person is applying for a sales job and takes a test where one of the questions asked if they like meeting people, how many candidates would answer yes, whether they believe this or not?
