Posted by EmployTest - on Wed, Mar 25, 2009 @ 02:43 PM
We all know that job applicants for certain positions will take a personality test or cognitive skills test before being hired. The testing that started with middle to high level executives is now found at virtually every level, from top management to retail sales clerks. The job "kiosks" that you see at your favorite local "big box" retailer are invariably probing the inner depths of the cognitive skills and personality traits of these applicants.
About this time every year, we hear of a testing of a different sort. College football players, most notably quarterbacks, who will be entering the NFL draft take a 12 minute, 50 question test that measures their problem solving skills. Yes, pro football teams use tests that analyze problem solving skills, just as you do (or should consider doing). And those players will definitely need problem solving skills as they hurl a football 50 yards downfield while being chased by a 300lb lineman. A classic example of a pre-employment test? Perhaps not. But it's important to the hiring managers (aka "NFL coaches") to know how their future employees will perform under pressure. Although your top performers aren't likely being chased around a football field, you might like to have similar information at your disposal during the hiring process.