You nailed the interview -- but will the pre-employment test sink your chances?

Q: Your first job interview went OK, and the company will decide whether you will advance to the next interview after you take a test. This is the kind of test with 100 statements, some of which are repeated again and again with slightly different wording. You have to indicate whether you agree or disagree with each statement. This leaves your head spinning because you can't figure out how to get a good score. You finish the test and you feel helpless. What should you do next?

Nick's reply: In an effort to make recruiting and hiring more rational, objective, logical, impartial, fair and non-discriminatory (a word that's been corrupted -- discriminate used to mean keen, discerning, judicious), companies have learned to administer tests. What's not fair is that they rarely share the results with you.

What's the deal with these "personality profile" tests some companies are using? How are they used to determine whether a candidate matches a job? Are they just a way of weeding out candidates who answer certain items the wrong way?

The answer to all these questions is, Who knows? Every company operates differently. You cannot divine companies' intentions or "psych them out" to win a job offer. So focus on what you can control rather than on what you can't. Let's talk first about why you can't control these tests, and then about why you shouldn't worry about it.

Employment tests are structured so that people who try to beat them cannot. Certain questions actually test whether you are faking your answers. So don't even try to beat a test. Just take it honestly.

But don't worry about tests, either. The typical tests companies administer are merely correlational. They don't predict anything (like whether you will be a good hire). They are based on responses of a known population, to which a job candidate's responses are compared. The population is broken into sub-groups, and each sub-group is defined based on its responses and other known characteristics. For example, if a candidate's responses on a test correlate highly with responses from base subjects who appear to be lazy (I'm simplifying), then the candidate is presumed to be lazy. Or the candidate's responses might correlate with a sub-group that is defined as architects. If you respond like an architect, then you are considered to be like architects.

Is that enough to judge a candidate? Of course not. While correlational data can be useful, it is certainly not sufficient to make or break a hiring decision. And that's the "hole" in the process that you can exploit. Managers realize that test results do not paint a complete picture of anyone. Managers look for further signs of a person's suitability. Your challenge is to provide other credible information that trumps test results, so that a test doesn't tip the scales against you.

So pick up the phone. Talk to the hiring manager. Ask smart questions about the job and about what a new employee will be expected to accomplish. Then outline how you will do the job based on what you've learned. Express your motivation and let the manager see the whole candidate. This helps a manager put test results in their proper place -- beside overwhelming personal communication that demonstrates you'd be a great hire.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.