Re: /400 skills test

[Buck Calabro <buck.calabro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

John Earl wrote:

>>  You look at the resumes and pick 10 that stand out
>> And interview them. If none impress you then you
>> select another 10. Etc. You do not need a skills test
>> for that.
>
>With all due respect, this is NUTS!!!  Talk about turning your 
>brain into goo! My personal definition of hell would be 
>conducting 20 1-2 hour interviews with candidates that 
>didn't fit my requirements.  It would take weeks to 
>schedule them all and a month (at least) to hold the 
>interviews.   I don't know about you but I'd rather 
>have 20 tetanus shots.     : )

The question of testing revolves upon this very point: does a test
(especially a generic test) ferret out candidates who don't meet MY
requirements?  And remember, SOMEbody has to administer those tests, analyse
the answers and rank them.  That alone will take at least an hour a
candidate, even with multiple guess!

The initial screening of resumes vs my requirements should yield a few,
promising candidates.  If it doesn't, then I think my  requirements are too
vague/broad -or- I got really, really lucky and got a bunch of exquisitely
qualified candidates.  On paper.  Now we're back to "will a generic test
prove that a candidate can do what she says she can?"  It's an ambiguous
question because knowing what SFLRCDNBR means isn't the same as knowing when
to use it, and why.  I greatly prefer a back-and-forth conversation about
how the candidate would approach solving a problem we have here at our site.
That lets the candidate show off her adaptability, knowledge, reasoning
ability, ability to ask the right questions and so forth.  After all, if
she's hired, that's exactly what she'll be doing!  Isn't that a more
appropriate test of talent than a generic multiple guess questionnaire?

Buck Calabro
Aptis; Albany, NY
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