Yesterday we looked at self assessments with a focus on personality or strength profiles, today we will have a look at those that have a focus on skills.
But before we do, I would like to take a moment to discuss online assessments as part of a recruitment process.
Depending on the type of position you are applying for they may have online assessments, conducted at home or in the recruitment office as part of their process. Understandably if you are not familiar with the assessment methods they can be a little nerve racking.
I would suggest that before starting any online assessments you ask questions to understand what the recruitment panel is looking for.
Practical skills assessments are pretty self explanatory, ie Microsoft, however I would suggest that you try to find out which one they are administering so that you can practice first beforehand.
Strengths or physiological assessments are different, again I would find out which one they are using and practice but I would always advise being as honest as you can with this type of assessment and not try to answer as you think they want you to answer to try and improve your chances of getting the job.
I am not aware of anyone ever ‘failing’ this type of assessment, the information provided can help your future employer provide an environment in which you will thrive.
The types of skills assessments we are looking at today would be considered soft skills, unlike your inherent strengths or how you process information which are relatively consistent; these can be learned in any environment, home, social, paid or unpaid work and then transferable across into new environments or jobs.
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/get-started.htm
https://www.aptitude-test.com/
This Canadian site has a great range of all of the different types of tests we have looked at
https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/career-planning
Good luck!
Nejula Blake
DFA Project Officer – Employment
The information contained in this post is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice.
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Professional career advice can be obtained by a career coach and may be funded by the PEAP program