A pre-employment assessment is a key step in the employment process in many companies. The evaluation seeks to test your competence, skills, and abilities to determine whether you’re the right for the job. The information you provide on your resume and cover letter is fairly limited. A potential employer uses the test to collect more details and gauge your suitability for the role.
Tips for Passing a Pre-Employment Assessment Test
Many job seekers get the jitters at the sheer mention of an assessment test. As you’re about to discover in this article, pre-employment screening tests do not have to be nerve-racking. With adequate preparation, you can breeze through them and enhance your chances of landing a dream job.
Research the Company
A potential employer expects you to have some basic knowledge of the company. Applying for the job should mean that you’ve taken considerable interest in the company. Familiarize yourself with the company’s history, products, strategies, policies, and other significant details. You can find such information on its website, social media pages, press releases, etc.
You’ll likely come across a question gauging how much you know about the company. It may sound something like, “Which of our products appeals to you the most and why?” Your answer here should reflect considerable knowledge of the organization. Demonstrating genuine interest in the company gets you noticed and raises the chances of employment.
Understand the Job Description
Job descriptions under the same title can vary significantly from one company to the other. The role of a marketing manager in one organization could be different from the next one. Understanding the duties involved can help you figure out the kind of questions that you should expect in the assessment test.
For instance, if you’re interviewing for a technical role, most questions will likely revolve around hard skills that test your job-related knowledge and abilities. If the position mainly involves interacting with people, expect to be assessed on your soft skills: communication, teamwork, interpersonal, time management, collaboration, and so on.
Utilize Online Mock Assessment Tests
Just as you prepare for an exam by attempting past papers, you can familiarize yourself with commonly asked questions by checking out online pre-employment screening tests. The content tends to be similar, though the structure may vary from one test to the other. Remember, the end goal is the same: to assess your competence, skills, and personality.
In terms of skills, your job description will determine the required ones. If you’re applying for a copywriting job, for instance, you may be tested on SEO skills, both theoretical and practical. The sample assessment tests may not align with your field of work, but they will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Be Yourself
This sounds like a cliché, but you really need to be authentic in this test. Sometimes the questions can sound ambiguous, like, “Are you the life of the party?” It sounds like such a simple question, yet you’ll find yourself overthinking.
What exactly is an employer trying to establish here? What if you’re naturally reserved and don’t even like parties? Will the employer think that you’re dull and deny you the opportunity? You’ll then try to structure your answer according to what you think the employer wants to hear. Right there, you lose your authenticity. Just answer questions truthfully. You could be exactly what an employer somewhere is looking for.
Final Thoughts
With this information, you can now face your next assessment test with confidence. You may not get that job right away, but you’ll eventually land on one that best matches your skill set.
