Why Personality and Aptitude Tests In Job Interviews Are Not Good Indicators of Performance

Tips for Work and Life with Andrew LaCivita

What’s up with “TESTS” in job interviews? As if job interviews aren’t rough enough, why, for the love of all that is holy, would employers push us job seekers over the edge with tests?

These “tests” come in all shapes and sizes.

Most of them are ridiculous, but, since I don’t universally run hiring for the world, we’ll need to deal with them.

(Feel free to start a petition if you want to see if you and I can completely reform hiring for all mankind.)

I know you want to know what you should do before you take one of these little buggers.

Spoiler alert: Nothing.

Don’t do anything.

As in anything.

As in no thinking. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Zero brain power dedicated to this.

That’s if the employer wants you to take a personality or aptitude or “fit” test or something of that nature.

If it’s a case study, by all means, knock your socks off.

That’s because those are cool and good predictors for future success.

I pulled today’s clip from one of the 1,478 times I was asked about “tests” during various Live Office Hours sessions.

You get my cheery thoughts on them and a little story about one of my recruitment clients who used them and the expensive dinner she bought me after she lost our bet…

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--Andy