[IPAC-List] Test taking advice for personality tests

Mark Hammer Mark.Hammer at psc-cfp.gc.ca
Mon Nov 14 10:01:13 EST 2011


What stands out most for me is the rather adversarial nature of the
site. And of course, the posted comments only further express the
"us-vs-them" mentality many have adopted.

Now, I won't stand up and proclaim that ALL employers know what they're
doing when it comes to using personality instruments for selection
purposes, or approach selection with only benevolence in mind, but at
least one of the objectives is to place people in jobs they will be
happy in because they are well-suited to it. Why on earth people would
wish to mis-portray themselves to be able to weasel into jobs they will
likely not intend to stay in is beyond me. How they expect to receive
glowing performance reviews in positions that conflict with their
"natural tendencies" is also beyond me.

Having said that, you will note that the term used on the site is
personality "test", not personality instrument or battery or assessment,
etc. The comments are from high school students, who confuse what they
typically encounter as "tests" with what the assessment tool is supposed
to do. All too often, they perceive "tests" as largely unethical
barriers to their further advancement. As in "Hey, Mr. Hammer, I
studied really hard and came to class most of the time, with my phone
turned off most of the time, but you made the test too tricky/hard".

Personally, I think we have some homework to do with respect to
recasting assessment tools as a kind of match-making. Rather than "Are
you good enough to work for me?" (because most believe they are),
something more on the order of "Is this job right for you?" (where
"rejection" could be perceived as a benevolent act).

Mark Hammer
Ottawa


>>> Joel Wiesen <jwiesen at appliedpersonnelresearch.com> 2011/11/14 9:46

AM >>>
FWIW, found on the web:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4446746_pass-preemployment-personality-test.html



--
Joel P. Wiesen, Ph.D., Director
Applied Personnel Research
62 Candlewood Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583-6040
(617) 244-8859
http://appliedpersonnelresearch.com




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