Job Hunting – What to Expect
Job hunting and interviewing has always been a scary thought even for the most confident of jobseekers. In the past, employers have used strange techniques such as analysing handwriting and even palm reading in a bid to hire the right person. Nowadays companies are becoming a bit more scientific and replacing the traditional interview with new robust assessment techniques. So what can you expect if you have been short-listed to enter the recruitment process?
Competency Based Interviews – The traditional interview is nothing more than a glorified chat which tended to focus on anything from the CV to the weather depending on the interviewer. Many companies are replacing traditional interviews with competency based interviews. Competency Based Interviews are based on the idea that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour. The interviewer will want specific work based examples of when and how you demonstrated particular behaviours.
Psychometric Testing – This term captures a number of different tools but for most jobseekers it will mean an assessment center, ability testing or a personality questionnaire.
Assessment Centers – Assessment Centers can vary in length from a few hours to a full day. They involve the use of multiple exercises working in groups or individual activities. There will be a number of observers recording and scoring throughout.
Ability Tests – These measure a candidate’s current ability and future potential. There are a wide range of work related ability tests but most common are verbal and numerical reasoning.
Personality Questionnaires - Personality questionnaires provide an indication of an individual’s preferred behavioural style at work, information on how a candidate will fit in certain work environments, how they will work with other people and how they will cope with different job requirements. It is important to not that these are questionnaires and NOT tests so there is no right or wrong answer.
Preparation is the key for success in job hunting and successfully navigating any recruitment process. It is important to focus your preparation though and to help focus it is essential to clarify what exactly is involved in the recruitment process. Many jobseekers ignore this simple point and don’t ask the important question. They spend hours preparing and worrying about stuff that won’t come up. When you get the letter or the phone call to inform you that you have been chosen for interview/assessment ask and clarify what is involved. This can save time and a lot of worry.
Paul Mullan is Director of Measurability. Measurability offers career coaching (Career Direction, CV Design & Interview Coaching) and also offers assessment solutions to organisations to enhance and improve recruitment process and decisions.
Contact details:
087 1223308
