Computer Aided Interview

Advancement in technology, coupled with improved access to the World Wide Web, is changing the face of selection and recruitment as we know it. Apply for a graduate post having KPMG, for instance, and the first stage is an on-line self assessment test designed to help applicant decide if they match the company requirement. Shell International and Marks & Spencer are amongst other giant names by using this D.I.Y. approach to help weed out inappropriate applicants at an early stage. An increasing number of organisations - Boeing & the BBC for instance - actively encourage on-line application, by providing a form that may be filled in on-screen.

'Electronic' applications of this type are sifted typically with the help of computer software which discover for key words or phrases and singles out applicant worth investigating furthermore. Job-seekers who fruitfully negotiate this hurdle may subsequently discover themselves facing a more detailed, on-line assessment - possibly in the form of a live, interactive, simulated exercise.

The utilization of IT in selection encourages applicant to respond more truthfully and openly to questions. Job-seekers may use material freely available on the Internet to ready for assessment by workers. There are sites that offer a free practice run of the kinds of aptitude tests and personality profiles used in industry commonly.

Psychometric tests seem to be undergoing a transformation too. An enhanced emphasis on softer skills, like leadership and teamwork, has led to a glut of new tests designed to discover not just where candidates are probable to excel - but also what may make them go off the rails. In the similar way creativity may lead to conscientiousness, eccentricity may turn into obsessive perfectionism and attraction can cross the barrier into manipulation. Knowing how someone behaves when they're under pressure is vital because it has a direct influence on the team. Another test dreamed by psychologist's aims to measure a candidate's integrity. As called Giotto, it is designed to disclose those traits - like as tardiness, carelessness and intolerance that an employer may want to avoid.

Recruitment agencies have been conducting basic on skills and aptitude tests as standard process for some time. But Addeco Alfred Marks has been taken the concept furthermore with its specialist testing and matching system. The system permits recruitment consultants to evaluate candidate in three core areas motivation, skills and attitude & preferred working environment. Under the first stage, 'Can do', candidates are tested for fundamental literacy, numeracy and job-related skills. The next step, 'will do', assesses areas like stress tolerance, reliability, motivation and energy. The last part of the evaluation, 'will fit', compares information regarding the employer's working environment along with details of the candidate's preferences. Then the results are compared to make sure an optimum 'fit' for job-seekers and workers alike.

Now there is a wide menu of alternative assessment techniques that organisations may experiment with if they believe so inclined. The interview, references and that significant first impression still have their place. Tests don't complete the whole job. They're just a way of enabling you to take your decision in the excellent possible light with the greatest available information.