Career advice: Assessment Tests Help Match Candidates to Good Jobs

Don't be scared by the idea of taking one of these tests. We know that when the word "test" is used, people feel threatened and get nervous. There's no need for that. A good assessment test provides a standardized and objective measure of abilities, skills, knowledge or personality characteristics. The test might be a written or computer-administered multiple-choice test, a performance test (for example, word processing), a standardized job simulation or work sample, or a structured interview. There are many different kinds of tests used by employers. The more specialized the test, the better it measures specific characteristics associated with a particular job. Obviously, these tests aren't used for initial employment screening.

Assessment tests should be looked upon as helpful to employers, employees and candidates. Since they're used primarily to make predictions about a person's performance on the job or in training, they can help everyone achieve the best job match possible. Research shows that the most reliable predictor of an employee's success is a good job match. So, any tool that helps people reach this goal should be a welcome addition to the hiring or employment process.