Month: May 2020

I believe the most important topics we learned about this term would be the testing and interview sections of this course. I believe this is the most important thing for me personally because it is beneficial for both my current work situation and my career in the future. Currently I am able to take the information I learned from these topics and implement or suggest the use of them when I aid in the recruitment and selection process at my job. along with this I am able to better understand the purpose, advantages and disadvantages of different testing and interview process as an applicant.

For the interview process I have learned about the different types of interviews conducted and how to use these methods for my benefit. In my current job we often used group-panel interviews and after going through these lectures I realized that this is not the best process for us at this time. The first reason for this is that the group interview allows the applicants to fed off each other when answering questions or they alter answers towards what they feel is working for the other applicants. The second problem with our current process is that we use a panel to interview the applicants. This is not typically an issue however, we had only gone off the job description instead of the job analysis and/ or scorecard. By using the job analysis and scorecard all interviewers are on the same page about what the company is truly looking for in an employee for this role. I also learned about the benefits of a structured interview which we hadn’t typically done before. By having structured interviews the applicants are able to see the job relatedness more, it helps eliminate bias, and they are more legally defensible if a discrimination issue arises.

As for the testing during the hiring process I hadn’t had much experience being involved in these methods at this point. By learning about how personality tests, situation analysis tests, integrity tests, job knowledge tests, and cognitive ability testing I know how they could be used throughout the hiring process. I now feel more confident in determining if these tests are related to the position I am applying for, how the results might be used for both the hiring decisions and how they may use this information for selling the job, in the terms of the hiring company the cost and benefits of these tests. For a hiring manager using these tests they have to decide if they will be using custom or standard tests and the cost tradeoffs of these tests. Obviously the custom tests will fit better for the position making it more acceptable by applicants and reduce the risk of legal issues as a result. Many of the tests also help decrease subgroup differences decreasing the risk of discrimination lawsuits.

1. What am I good at?

I am good at planning out my schedule, time management and holding myself accountable. I am good at working individually and using feedback to cultivate new ideas into my projects. I am good at collecting a larger picture, I want to know how each department works so that I know how my job affects the entire company and how I can increase a positive impact.

2. What do I value?

I value respect and responsibility within the workplace. I value family and leisure time outside of the workplace. I value work that makes a difference in someone’s life.

3. How did I get here?

I currently am where I am is mainly because of my parents. Growing up responsibility was a huge expectation in our household and that has carried through in my school work, personal life, and work life. My dad wasn’t able to attend college until later in life so it was always expected that we attend college directly after high school. I got a job at 15 that impacted the way I look at simple things in life and the community. This ultimately led to my want to make a difference. I attended OSU after years of saying I was going to go out of state because of a family members health which lead to me deciding to go into business.

4. Where am I going?

To be perfectly honest, I don’t know where I am going. There are things that I know I want to do with my personal life such as travel the world and step outside of my comfort zone, but as far a what career I want to take I’m not entirely sure. I know I want to work somewhere that has the same values as me and I have always imagined moving somewhere else. I am open about my future at this point right now I am focused on finding things I enjoy doing.

After taking the long version of the test I got the following results:

• I scored low in extroversion, meaning that I am introverted, reserved and quiet.
• I scored high in agreeableness, meaning I have a strong interest in other peoples’ needs. I show characteristics such as pleasant, sympathetic, and cooperative.
• I scored high in conscientiousness. This means that I am described as hard working and set clear goals.
• I scored low in neuroticism. I tend to be calm and composed in most situations.
• I scored low in openness. I tend to think in more simple terms.

What a potential employer might see:

When looking at my results a potential employer might see an applicant that is quite and observes the things going on around them. I might not be the best candidate for sales but I may notice thing other people wouldn’t. They would see someone who isn’t going to cause conflict or drama and who cares about the people around them. This might make an employer believe that I won’t handle conflict well, even if in reality I can when needed. They would see someone who is hard working and strives to learn and grow with new opportunities. I like to make sure things are done to the best of my ability so I might take more time than some other people to complete a task. I think out decisions before acting on them and some companies want fast action over that. I handle stressful situations well and can help the company navigate through those times. This might also mean I don’t see things to be as daunting or serious as other people. I think practically and provide consistency in that since. However this may mean I am slower to adjust to change than other people.