Gone are the days where a simple face-to-face interview round was the only things that job seekers had to worry about. In today’s competitive times, companies and HRs have moved the game to a whole new level with employment tests. So, irrespective of which industry and position you are vying for, the chances are quite high that you may have to appear for an employment test. Despite employment tests being the general norm when it comes to selection process of candidates, not many job seekers are aware of the different aspects related to employment test. In fact, many freshers who are seeking job right out of their college are caught by surprise when they are handed a test paper during the interview / selection process.
To remove any ambiguity regarding the employments, we have given below a comprehensive guide to employment tests and how can you tackle them to give you an advantage over other candidates.
What are Employment Tests?
Coming to the basics first, in order to tackle an employment test, you first need to know and understand what they are exactly. Employment test is generally a tool designed by the HR team of the company or the team leads of respective departments within the organization to test the skills and abilities of the candidate being considered for the job. This means that there is no fixed format, style for type of Employment Test. But the end goal of any type of employment test is to ensure that right candidate is picked for the job by testing their skills and abilities upfront.
Importance of Employment Tests
In the last decade, the importance of Employment Tests across the HR and job recruitment has grown tremendously. Be it a starting level job or a senior level position, employment tests have become a basic norm across all the spheres. In fact, as per a recent survey, almost all major firms, be it domestic or MNCs, are planning to make standardized employment tests which can be used as an impartial tool for selection of candidates.
Advantages of Employment Tests
As stated above, the main motive of any type of Employment test is to ensure that the company finds the right candidate. Although this exercise might to be one sided and favouring the company or office; when you look at it from a different perspective, it will surely seem as quite useful for the candidates as well. As per the current industry norms, the employment tests are designed to test the skills of candidates. This means that the test will encompass all the aspects of the responsibilities that a candidate will have to handle as part of his / her job. This essentially means that employment tests can also function as a clear indicator of the type of job profile you are being screened for. Candidates can understand the kind and type of work that will be expected from them on daily basis and take a call is something they can handle. This creates a win-win situation for the candidates as well as the company, as both get clarity about each other’s abilities.
Tips to crack Employment Test and get a Job
Now, coming to the most important aspect of the article; cracking any employment test. One of the biggest challenges of handling employment tests is that there is no fixed type, style for format for the same that is followed across the industry. In fact, even within the organization, different types of employment tests are floated to fill job positions in different verticals. For instance, a person being screened for the position of Java Developer would face a different type of test compared to the content writer or a candidate appearing for a clerical position. However, despite the difference in the type of pre-employment tests, there still are certain common denominators that can be worked upon in order to ace these tests. Some common tips for the same are mentioned below:
Be Honest
Ask any HR personnel which quality they value the most in an employee and without any doubt it would be honest. This is something that is also tested thoroughly via employment tests. Therefore, always try to be completely honest in the test. If you are unable to crack a question leave it or if you are just attempting it for the sake of it, do mention that you are not 100% confident about the outcome. This will portray you as a trustworthy personal and earn you extra points in the selection process.
Read the Questions
One of the biggest mistakes that candidates make while tacking employment tests is skipping over the questions. Until and unless you read the question completely and understand what is expected out of you; you will not be able to answer the question effectively. So, always make sure that you read the questions multiple times, understand and comprehend the questions before you start to answer.
Decipher the Context
Another important aspect to understand with regards to the employment tests is to decipher the context of the questions being asked. As stated above, the majority of the questions being asked in a pre-employment test are designed to target and assess a particular skill-set. Therefore, it is very important for you as a candidate to decipher and understand the context in which the question is being asked. Doing so will give you a clear path ahead about answering the question in a way that touches upon all the necessary points.
Showcase a desire to learn
This is quite self-explanatory in nature. No one is perfect and even companies and HR folks also know it; therefore an employment test is also designed to test if how eager an employee is to learn new skills. This will depict you as a candidate who is willing to change, learn and unlearn new things in order to meet the organizational goals.
In summation
Employment Tests are one of the best tools that have helped to connect millions of job seekers to the right job profile. Therefore, instead of treating employment tests as yet another challenge, job seekers must look at them as an opportunity to decode and understand the job responsibilities that await them once they join their office. Similarly, employers must also use these tests as a tool to evaluate the abilities and skill-set of the candidates and pick the right one suited for the job at hand.