I'm looking for a test..............(SE)

S Ebels

I'm looking for a test(s) that I can use to determine where the natural abilities of my employees are. Something along the lines of a written test that would make a statement and the person would score their feelings about it on a scale of 1-5 or some other scale.

I would like it to cover attitude, aptitude and natural inclinations of a person. it would help a lot to be able to tell if a person is predisposed toward hands on or administrative areas. Also whether they enjoy being helpful and/or going the extra mile for someone.

Anyone know of a place I can lay my hands on something like this?

Bill Nye_2

Test?

Steve, you seem very perceptive and show very good judgement and a great deal of discernment, why would you need a test?

We had a new hire start last week, I knew with in the first five minutes this guy new his stuff. You can take some one with you for the week and you can tell how they handle them selves. If they can anticipate what comes next etc.

Ken S. from Palmer Heating LLC had a hydronic technician test. I think the shrinks have apptitude tests. My guidance counselor at College wanted me take one, Briggs? or something. I showed her! I never took the test and never went back to finish school.

ed wallace

test

I have applied for jobs at 2 companies that give pre hire test dont know the name of the test just know that i failed both altho was told there was no right or wrong answers it was more a personality test both companies are flat rate pricing companies

Constantin

Briggs-Meyer...

... yeah I took that test.... kinda fun but I wonder how useful? Our biggest learning from BM was to incorporate folks from other coordinates on the BM matrix to ensure there wouldn't be groupthink... not sure that is a big issue in your day to day life.

Anyway, Scott, look into psychometric testing if you're serious about this stuff. The Isreali army developed it to place people within the ranks and a VC from Italy I know swears by it. The tests are multiple-choise, about 3-4 hours long and allegedly capture all aspects of leadership ability, etc. Not my cup of tea but I guess useful in countries like the EU where firing people is nearly impossible and screening becomes that much more valuable.

hr

Sounds like

you are actually looking for two tests. One for technical skill tendency, and another for personality?

I know some of the "best practices" groups have these available to members. Try a websearch there should be a number of companies that offer these types of tests.

hot rod

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S Ebels

Alas Bill.............

I have come to believe my wife after 30 years of her telling me that I don't know everything.

Boiler Guy

Tests

RSES has a CD available to test technicians. Unfortunately I don't know how comprehensive it is.

S Ebels

I'm not so concerned with..............

Technical ablilities. They can be taught. I'm looking more for something that would serve as a gauge of where a persons natural tendency and talent lie. The longer I hang around, the more I'm convinced that people are happier and more productive when they are using the gifts and talents that they are "wired" for. It's the old square peg in a round hole thing. You might be able to hammer it in the hole but it won't fill the hole, it'll squeak like crazy as it's going in and it'll be uncomfortable the whole time it's there.

clammy

Test or not

The company i work for in searching for new service guys had joined forces with some bs merchants aasiocates who provided some multi choice test and schooling in mass which the co paided for .We had plenty of people come in and we did hire some one sent them to mass for schooling they said he was one of there best students, test results showed it to who could argue with the proff? Long behold the summer and fall cleanings are all a thing of the past and every bodies heat is starting up well what do you know our grade a student who when asked confesses that it's not brain surgery or rocket engenering has alot of call backs some handled by him other by me .We where not hard on him at all until all ther boiler that he was suppose to clean where not and all calls that he went on where coming back in and guess what when the stuff hit the fan you know cold weather he gave his notice and split .This person didn't do 24 -7 service just days passed all those test and got paid for 40 hours with room and food then just works days for the summer annd winter then stiffs us for the real working season ps he gave his notice 2 days after the date where he would have to repay for school .So with that said you can guess where i stand on testing if some one has no work ethic you will never instill that in them i personally have and always be a gut feel guy it never set me wrong and you know what alot of people say it's one of my biggest down falls besides being a direct shot from the hip no holding back guy .I give evrybody a fair chance to be truthfull honest and compent in there job but to be lazy with no work ethics i have no time for i know many who know the way but never step that path teats prove nothing except you got book smarts and in the real world of knawing on some bodies skull and survial experence will always prevail.I always have believed that if you want to see how some one true mechincall abialities are you must THROW THEM IN THE PIT and see what there made of .Just my 2 cents peace clammy

rb_6

Myers Briggs Humor

One of my business prof's was an Civil Engineer with a Doctorate in Psychology...we used to call him 'shaky grounds'... he had a great sense of haha though...

Jack Ennis Martin

Test for Psychology of new hires

I would suggest you contact the local university in your area and talk to someone in the clincal area. They use and teach the correct way to conduct an interview and show that a certain way of asking the questions can lead to skewed answers that are of little or no real relavency to the desired information you are searching for. No test, unfortunately, is without inherant flaws in its struturing and they often lead to erronious results. The people in the psychology faculty can direct you to what you need and what will in fact be really useful. However, when all else fails, go with your inner mind { gut feeling} it is seldom wrong. I have recieved two degrees in the area you are looking into and I shudder at the results some of our ungraduate attempts at personality profiling attained. In some cases our results should have had the poor person interviewed ;in jail -- it is a highly trained science to do it correctly and sometimes a professional is well worth the cost. Good Luck and all the best. Hug your kids they are the future we are the past.
Jack Ennis Martin

Weezbo

National guard has a test...

E.Q. is a test. and there is a mechanical apptitude test at the local job centers....those three seem to give some indication of what someone might be about.

jbplumber

character

When called under to judge or trust someone I have come to find out that character is the one thing money cannot buy or even the mostly prominent university teach. It comes from the heart you have it or you do not. Best Wishes J.Lockard

Weezbo

That is a welcome read RB...*~/:)

so , i turn to the new guy and ask "Ok. could i convince you to strap 16 lbs of dyno mite on your back and go down to the local Mc D's and push the button....Just this one time?" Hey ..! if the guy answers yes.....i gotta feel he isnt actually fully prepared to take on the responsibilities of this job. and would probably not be acceptable as a leader of a crew...i dont want to have any of the guys thinking they can go home early..

Boiler Guy

Jack

I have sent you numerous messages with no reply. Here is my direct email: tsp77@shaw.ca

tls_9

years back

A company I worked for hired a consultant to, among other things, test us employees. They also gave us individual interviews. I believe it was FMI

http://www.fminet.com/global/

The test placed everybody in one of the personality categories, "A"; "B"; "C" etc with sub categories and this was supposed to point the direction for us all.

I cannot remember how I was rated or how much, if any good it did the company but the one thing I do remember is one of the observations from the interview's. Seem all the employees had the same fear that every time the boss went to a seminar he came back and changed the way we operated. Of course, he built that business from a one man one truck operation to selling it to a large international outfit for a pretty penny.

Seriously, FMI has a lot of good stuff. Sounds like what you might be looking for.

tom

S Ebels

I just checked e-mail

Haven't received anything. I'll try you direct.

JohnNY8

The best test...

When I have doubts, the best test I give is to line up a bunch of plumbing and heating parts and ask the applicant one or two questions about that item. What is this? What is it for?
I start with half-inch copper elbows and shoot for the Honeywell S8600.
I had an applicant call an ignition module a gas valve.
I had another applicant call a McDonell-Miller PS 802 a relief valve.
I hired the first guy as an apprentice, I showed the second guy the door.
I felt that was fair.

My wife works in human resources as a recruiter for one of the biggest banks in the US. She sometimes interviews people by phone and I get to hear some of what goes on.
Her main objective on an interview is to get the applicant to speak. Ask them questions that seem almost irrelevant to the position for which they are applying. Try to get them out of "interview mode". People reveal a lot about themselves when they're talking, they don't reveal much at all when they're listening.


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jerry scharf_2

two things

Title: Please Understand Me
Authors: David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates

This is a good book on Briggs Meyers testing. I found it entertaining and the test takes about 10 minutes. I don't know how much it will tell about talents, but I do think it can help shed light on team interactions.

I would hate to use anything like this for hiring, way to imprecise and open to fudging. It's more useful for finding ways help people on your team work together better.


I went through a class 20 years ago on "behavioral interviewing." It was the best thing I have ever encountered for fitting people into jobs. My wife used it for 10+ years as a high tech hiring manager. The first step is to spend a couple hours working through exactly what you think the job needs. Then you develop some questions that you will ask you candidates (all of them.) The questions are formed as "Tell me about a case in the past where you had to handle a difficult customer. What did you do and how did you resolve it." Then "Tell me about a case where you felt like you could have done it better."

You really have to be patient when you do these kinds of interviews, it often takes people a minute or two and a couple "I can't think of anything"s before they can answer the questions. Questions about how they worked with the team, how they introduced a new idea to the company, how they handles a new situation or type of equipment, handling hard customers, etc. They stressed that once you form an opinion, always ask a question to try and disprove your opinion. Your questions could be forming people into an of answer that isn't a good reflection of them.

These interviews are more work for you, longer and exhausing for the candidates. The cost of a bad hire is way more. I always figured in the high tech world that we lost 6-12 months of salary for each bad hire! With the amount of customer contact, your numbers could well be higher.

To this day, I still do all serious hires (with me for more than 6 months) this way.

jerry

BillW@honeywell

Try Gallup....

They have just such at test. I don't know how you get the test or if they deal with small businesses, but they have a website www.gallup.org (I think). Their system reveals your strengths and talents, a bit different than the traditional stuff that identifies weakness, and then tries to fix it. Also, the "parts test" someone else above mentioned and an interview is very effective, although, interviewing is uncomfortable at first. Also, sadly, you must have them do a drug test...you never know these days.