The job assessment

[MeineFolks'wagen]

So in my opinion, these things are a joke anyway. But what I went through yesterday kind of took the cake for me. Long winded - read at own risk.

Here's my two cents with regards to assessments - I've taken them before for jobs that I got and just recently took one yesterday for a job that I did not get (just got the email saying "thanks, but no thanks"). I've taken ones with questions that ranged from "How many times did you get an A in high school" to ones that asked if you thought "People who smile all the time are hiding evil thoughts" - that was a real question. I've taken ones that have also asked things like "I can do a hobby well enough that someone has paid me to do it", "I was on the honor role in high school (how many times)", "The grade you most often received in grade school was (A, B, C, D, F)", as wel as some of the others that have already been listed on here.

My most recent assessment experience was a lovely one put together by Select Advantage for a 911 emergency dispatcher position. Now, I have 16 years of law enforcement experience with federal, state, and local agencies - so I know what a dispatcher is and I know how to do it. I like to think that those years of experience have taught me a thing or two about how police, fire, EMS, etc. units work, what they do, types of calls they handle, how to handle certain calls, etc. I took the computerized Criticall test and passed it with flying colors. Great! You get to go to phase 2 which was the assessment. Ah yes, the lovely assessment. Here is how it starts off and this is straight from their (Select Advantage) website:

- For the purposes of this test, the mission of a Emergency Dispatcher is: “Be the first link in assisting members of the community by receiving calls, gathering info and assessing customer needs. To obtain sufficient information from caller to initiate a response from the appropriate public safety agency while dealing with sensitive information in a discreet and professional manner”

Interest & Willingness Samples:

This questionnaire lists working conditions, which you must accept to become a dispatcher. Some people find dispatching is not for them because of one or more of these conditions. Successful dispatchers find these work conditions acceptable; some even enjoy these conditions. Use the following scale to show which statement best describes you:

A. I would enjoy this work condition and/or it clearly describes me.
B. I am willing to accept this work condition
C. I am not willing to accept this work condition

So the questions then range from things like "Must be able to work nights, weekends, holidays", "Must be able to work shift work", "Would enjoy saving someone's life" - you get the idea. I answered A to all of them since I do enjoy the work and they clearly described me. Next set of questions were these (again, straight from their site):

- Self-Rating Checklist Samples: The following checklist has pairs of statements, which describe people. In some cases you may feel that both statements describe you, but we want you to choose from the two items in each pair, the one, which best describes you.

1.
A. able to interact with the police department
B. willing to take responsibility for your decisions

2.
A. A. willing to do things without being told
B. able to sit for long periods of time

3.
A. is computer literate
B. willing to learn new things

4.
A. willing to be part of the solution not the problem
B. able to interact with the fire department

Here is where I begin to take issue with this particular assessment. Take #4 for example - I am willing to be part of the solution not the problem, but I am also able to interact with the fire department. Which one "scores" higher when the results are faxed to the company? This goes right along with what everyone else is complaining about with regards to "there is no WRONG answer". Obviously there is and that's why I want to know which ones are scored higher and why. Take #3 - willing to learn new things or is computer literate. Well, I'm both, but you can only pick one. Which one rates higher? I would argue since a dispatcher works with a computer and various agencies, that computer literate and able to interact with the fire department would score higher - but maybe they don't.

And lastly, the next section:

- Critical Incident Sample Questions: This test is a select sample of situations which dispatchers must be capable of handling. Each item represents an actual situation that a dispatcher either excelled or failed in the performance of the job. These situations are intended to be gender neutral. This test exposes you to those situations, which make a significant difference in a dispatcher’s job performance effectiveness. Your choice of action reveals your readiness and potential to perform as a 911 dispatcher.

1. You have just received a 9-1-1 hang-up call. When you call back, you talk with a female that sounds odd but says everything is fine. While listening to her talk you hear a male voice in the background. How would you handle this situation?

A. Ask the female caller again if everything is okay
B. Ask the female caller if anyone else is present
C. Dispatch police to the scene just to make sure everything is alright
D. Ask a series of yes or no questions to obtain more information to know how to respond
E. End the call since she said everything was fine

2. You have observed a new dispatcher continue to make mistakes and the situation is becoming increasingly frustrating for both you and the new dispatcher. How would you deal with the new dispatcher?

A. Encourage the new dispatcher and let her know things will get better
B. Tell the new dispatcher to ask for additional training
C. Discuss the situation with your supervisor
D. Discuss the situation with the person who trained the new dispatcher
E. Ask the new dispatcher if you can help and spend some extra time with her

Again, clearly there is a "wrong" answer, but some of them are OK answers as well - so again, which one is "right" and thereby scored higher? They are clear that you do not need to know anything about dispatching or their policies and that you get credit for any answer. But again, obviously there is one that someone somewhere deemed to be the "right" one. Look at #2 for example, none of those are really "wrong" per se, but which one is right? Some of the questions absolutely could have been policy issue questions (depending on how this department does things), but you aren't privy to that info - so do you answer them? From talking to the guy administering the test, he says they probably test thousands of people a year and hardly anyone makes it past the assessment section to continue the process - gee, I wonder why.......

So my question is - anyone on here "in the know" with regards to these things that could weigh in with how they are scored? Again, I've taken them on and off again for years and have never "failed" one until yesterday. I read all of the public info on the Select Advantage site and it really doesn't answer my questions. And no, you are not provided with how you scored or which area you did poorly on - just that you pass/fail.

[Mabe]

I dont know at all. I took one for my current job and failed. But they hired me because they liked me. However the test has been fairly consistent in that our best performing new hires had the best test results.

In my opinion, these tests are made so employers can hire people based on numbers and not objective points. Nobody can accuse you of not considering woman applicants if all you do is background searches, drug screen and hire the top scoring applicant. God forbid you hire someone based on how they act or their character.

BTW, if you left your past LEO positions in good standing and you applied with a small town agency, Im guessing you got passed over for a Councilman's kid or something.

[MeineFolks'wagen]

I dont know at all. I took one for my current job and failed. But they hired me because they liked me. However the test has been fairly consistent in that our best performing new hires had the best test results.

In my opinion, these tests are made so employers can hire people based on numbers and not objective points. Nobody can accuse you of not considering woman applicants if all you do is background searches, drug screen and hire the top scoring applicant. God forbid you hire someone based on how they act or their character.

BTW, if you left your past LEO positions in good standing and you applied with a small town agency, Im guessing you got passed over for a Councilman's kid or something.

Nah, after 16 years of law enforcement, I just got burned out. I also had a few close calls that made me really question what I was doing for the little bit of money that we made (the last straw was when I got hit by a drunk driver and ended up being laid up for seven months). I'm essentially in life reboot mode right now and need to find stable employement with half way decent benefits. That is why I am trying to get back into government service on some level. I saw the dispatcher opening and figured "hell, I can do that". I could obtain my license for the state that I live in right now to be the police again, I just don't want to do it I just hate those stupid tests