In applying for a job, I have come across many employers who make applying for a job a very timely process. Some companies merely have you email your resume to them to review while others have a short application. This seems to be the best because let’s face it, a company is going to judge you and decide to hire you based off of your resume first. So why make an applicant go through a lengthy assessment questionnaire?
I do understand the point of assessment questionnaires as well as reflection and self-assessment papers, but perhaps this should be offered after a company has selected the applicant as a possible candidate. But let’s be real about the assessment questionnaire for those that are truly just checking integrity, honesty, and character. Are applicants truly telling the truth when they answer these questions? Perhaps if they don’t want a job. But who would honestly say they don’t complete projects on time or don’t get along with coworkers when they are applying for a job that entails working with others and completing projects on time?
Other lines of questions don’t make sense for the job an employee is applying for. Some of the logical math sequence questions can be challenging, so I do find it hard to believe sometimes that the people we come across behind the counter at a store was the person who took the test.
Just my opinion but if you are establishing a person’s character and intelligence by giving them a test, then surely the employer would want the said employee to complete the questionnaire in their presence after a job offer has been made. After all, how can’t somebody count change when they somehow passed a test with a complicated number order requiring multiple math problems.
So my word of advice to employers is not to make a candidate jump through hoops when 9 times out of 10, it doesn’t matter if they answer 100% “right” on the questionnaire if you are not going to offer them a position based on their resume. Ask for a resume or have a candidate fill out a short application and then forward them onto the long questionnaires after you have determined they have the qualifications you are looking for. But instead of giving them a phone number or website to go to, administer it in person to ensure the person applying for the job is the one that is actually taking the test. Know that 120 questions for a sales associate job might be a little excessive especially when no person in their right mind would answer the question any other way than they know the employer wants it answered. Just my two cents for the day.