TRADITIONALLY, employers use CVs and covering letters to find the right person for the job, but some companies receive hundreds of applications for each job opportunity.
Aptitude and psychological tests are therefore a simple, cost-effective way of sorting the applicants to identify the most appropriate people.
These tests allow potential employers to find out more about your abilities and personality, which is important as the recruitment process is not just about what you want or need, or how you prepare for an interview.
As the website, Psychometric Success, states that 70% of the world’s recruiters now use psychometric and aptitude tests as part of their recruitment process, it pays to know what to expect.
Preparation is really important.
Peoplemaps provides a guide on how to pass psychometric tests, while Psychometric Success offers a number of similar practice assessments, which includes some aptitude tests, to help in your preparation.
Using these kinds of tools before you are invited to an assessment centre may help you to relax, understand what they are really about and pass successfully.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and practising beforehand will help you to find out where you need to improve.
Understanding yourself better will help you to show how you have been able to turn your weaknesses into strengths, and how invaluable these strengths could be to a prospective employer.
Tests such as these also enable the recruiter to find out how you complete certain tasks and how your personality fits in with a team environment.
It’s important to show that you can work with a wide range of people without conflict.
Psychometric tests often include the following statements:
My friends say I’m a good listener.
I have always been a quick thinker.
I like to take risks.
I am not a very determined person.
You may, for example, be asked to select whether you agree, strongly agree or disagree with each statement.
Among the 50 or so questions you will be asked, you’ll notice similar questions appearing. The aim here is to check your responses to see if you contradict yourself.
Once you have completed the test, your answers will be analysed to provide a clear picture of you.
Aptitude tests are designed to measure how you perform in certain situations – for example, how you might respond to a particular task you would be required to do if you got the job.
They can also be used to find out if you need additional training, and are sometimes used by employers to assess whether existing employees are ready for promotion.
Generally speaking, their purpose is to test you for manual dexterity and speed, mechanical ability, spatial awareness, reasoning, abstract reasoning, clerical work, and numerical and verbal skills.
These assessments can help you to work out whether you are applying for the right position or if you are really ready for a certain job.
Take some time to think about the test results so that you can improve.
Treat the recruiter like a new customer – persuade them to buy your knowledge, personality and skills.
Employers want to be sure that they are recruiting the right person, someone who can work well with the organisation’s customers and develop a rapport.
An unsuitable employee could, potentially, cost the company a lot – in loss of reputation, time or money.
You can read more about how to pass psychometric and aptitude tests, courtesy of Jobsite.co.uk, by logging on to www.Jobsite.co.uk