Employer 'personality tests' RANT

tarmac_chaser

tarmac_chaser

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I'm pretty ****ed off. Applied for a job in B&Q up country as I'm considering relocating and it's a straight forward job that would bring money in until I could get settled up there.

When I applied last week there must've been about 50 odd questions you had to answer about yourself, devised by some top psychologist. The test comprised of words describing different emotions and characteristics and you had to rate on a scale of 1-5 how closely that word matched you. I'm not being funny but I'm pretty good at english and I struggled to recognise some of these words (out of a huge list) and so I ended up putting the 'neutral' answer for a few.

I thought the so called personality test was more about how people might interpret the words, rather than give an accurate psychological profile of them.

Anyway, the letter from B&Q arrived today. I have not been sucessful in my application due to failing their personality test. FFS, don't they want to actually meet people these days? According to my test I was too caring and too easily stressed and might find the role too demanding! It was only stock replenishment FFS! What have things come to :bang:
 
tarmac_chaser said:
I'm pretty ****ed off. Applied for a job in B&Q up country as I'm considering relocating and it's a straight forward job that would bring money in until I could get settled up there.

When I applied last week there must've been about 50 odd questions you had to answer about yourself, devised by some top psychologist. The test comprised of words describing different emotions and characteristics and you had to rate on a scale of 1-5 how closely that word matched you. I'm not being funny but I'm pretty good at english and I struggled to recognise some of these words (out of a huge list) and so I ended up putting the 'neutral' answer for a few.

I thought the so called personality test was more about how people might interpret the words, rather than give an accurate psychological profile of them.

Anyway, the letter from B&Q arrived today. I have not been sucessful in my application due to failing their personality test. FFS, don't they want to actually meet people these days? According to my test I was too caring and too easily stressed and might find the role too demanding! It was only stock replenishment FFS! What have things come to :bang:
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No use crying over spilt paint milk :coat: :lol:
 
Not easy employing people. Maybe there was a hidden indicator in amongst their questions that highlighted your devilish plan to use them to earn a bit of money until you found something better :D:D:D
 
I think based on my recent interactions with B & Q staff (I try to avoid them) you failed the test for having a personality.

But yea, while it is common practice these days those tests stink.
 
I feel your pain!
I recently went for an interview,
A specialist position and not the run of the mill type job.
( no disrespect to anyone with that comment BTW)
1 manager and 1 HR person were doing the interview
After a series or "general questions"
They said right that's it thank you, do you have any questions?"

I couldn't believe the interview was over
not one work related question was asked

I haven't been for an interview in many years
but guess that the questions asked were for
"profiling purposes"

I guess someone that has been around the
"interview system" recently could have
got the job with little or no knowledge / experience
just by passing these tests!

WTF indeed!
 
Actually when I think back to the interview for my current job 18 months ago it mirrored Cobra's experience. Very little in the way of on job questions - couple of scenarios and mostly profiling questions.

This is also a fairly specialist job, I guess you CV gives them what the need to know about experience.
 
You may find that in many of those personality questionaires the same question is repeated in a different format and using different words and if your answers are not consistently the same then it raises a suspicion that you were trying to give the answer you thought would show yourself up in the best light as opposed to how you actually felt.

For these profiles to work correctly answers to questions must be given instictively otherwise they don't paint an accurate picture.

I think the use of these personality profiles says a lot about the inadequacy of many employers to select staff. A good manager should be able to have a friendly interview with candidates and form an opinion whether they are suitable and not need a list of questions drawn up by a trick cyclist.
 
arclight said:
You may find that in many of those personality questionaires the same question is repeated in a different format and using different words and if your answers are not consistently the same then it raises a suspicion that you were trying to give the answer you thought would show yourself up in the best light as opposed to how you actually felt.
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Interesting assumptions and thinking some more about it I tend to agree


arclight said:
For these profiles to work correctly answers to questions must be given instictively otherwise they don't paint an accurate picture.

I think the use of these personality profiles says a lot about the inadequacy of many employers to select staff. A good manager should be able to have a friendly interview with candidates and form an opinion whether they are suitable and not need a list of questions drawn up by a trick cyclist.
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Your'll get no argument from me on that score either :thumbs:
 
I believe they're on with "assesments" at our place just now. I'm tempted to answer *really* honestly...

Questions like "how good are you at your job?" answer... You tell me, you're doing the assesment.

Question "what do you think of working here"? answer... I don't think working for a living will ever catch on, otherwise you wouldn't have to pay me to do it.

and so on...

Mind you, I'm at the age where you get more and more cynical (realistic) and don't give a ****** about them anyway.

So I do sympathise about the profiling crap.

cheers
 
Ah well,

At least B&Q can rest easy in the knowledge when somebody comes in and asks for decking they wont be getting a smack round the chops ;)
 
What concerns me is that some staff, despite passing these tests can be so devoid of enthusiasm, customer service or even manners that they still get employed AND retain their jobs.

Yesterday I was served by a girl in NEXT that made me so angry - wouldn't even make eye contact...something so basic yet so stupifyingly rude that it makes my blood boil.

I used to work in retail and as a manager would have ripped her a new one for being so disinterested.

Cheers,
James
 
Moos3h said:
What concerns me is that some staff, despite passing these tests can be so devoid of enthusiasm, customer service or even manners that they still get employed AND retain their jobs.

Yesterday I was served by a girl in NEXT that made me so angry - wouldn't even make eye contact...something so basic yet so stupifyingly rude that it makes my blood boil.
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She clearly had the hots for you.
 
Moos3h said:
What concerns me is that some staff, despite passing these tests can be so devoid of enthusiasm, customer service or even manners that they still get employed AND retain their jobs.

Yesterday I was served by a girl in NEXT that made me so angry - wouldn't even make eye contact...something so basic yet so stupifyingly rude that it makes my blood boil.

I used to work in retail and as a manager would have ripped her a new one for being so disinterested.

Cheers,
James
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I find this in many retail outlets, where has the pride in your job gone, no matter what that may be, does it only seem to apply in this country?

Hope the OP is successful in finding a position.
 
interviews are the dumbest way of finding out if someone is going to be good at a job

they normally ask all the standard questions and want the standard answers and end up getting some drone who knows how to remember the answers from looking them up the net.

I used to interview people in the pub by just chatting to them without a script.
 
i dont feel i do very well in interviews, i tend to get a bit nervous (because im being assessed and make a complete hash of it (argh ive got 2 coming up in the nexty 3 weeks!)

and being able to sit and talk comfortably with someone whos assessing your suitability for a job doesnt necesserily mean that you;ll be able to do the job they want you to
 
[interview technique]
Picture the interview panel nekkid. As each member asks a question picture them on the bog or reaching the vinegar stroke.
[/interview technique]
Psychometric evaluation is used more and more nowadays, as it exposes character traits candidates would normally work hard to hide. The trick is for the people interpreting the answers to actually know what they are doing.
 
tarmac_chaser said:
According to my test I was too caring.....
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Doesn't that just pretty well say it all about what's wrong with this society today? No wonder we have to put up with shoddy indifferent service in so many outlets.
 
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