The Assessments

Why do I need to take tests?

Assessments are the best way to predict the right jobs for your talents - they are far more reliable than your resume or college transcripts. The psychometric assessments we use have been researched and validated to make sure they accurately predict performance in all kinds of work contexts.

What are the assessments about?

Our assessments look at the three factors that drive superior work performance: competencies, skills and preferences:

• Competencies are the ways in which you operate: how you express your person- ality, how you behave towards others, how you work.

• Skills are things you have learned: technical knowledge, mathematical and verbal reasoning, and so on.

• Preferences are what you love: the circumstances in which you feel at home and do your best work.

What is a good score on the tests?

The assessments don't really give scores, more a detailed profile of what you are like at work. This profile is matched against each specific job to assess the closeness of the fit. Different candidates will be strong matches for different jobs.

Why should I bother? Other job sites don’t make me do tests

If you want a job that makes the most of your talents, you have first to identify those talents.  Resumes and traditional applications forms don't focus on the real predictors of performance.  Assessments do, and you'll find that completing them takes less time than an average commute, plus it's a one-time task - no matter how many jobs you are matched with.  

Once you've filled out the assessments, you also get instant, detailed feedback on your career strengths and work preferences.  You can use this feedback to increase your self knowledge and focus your jobsearch on roles where you know you've got what it takes to shine.

How do I know I will be assessed fairly?

The assessments used by Matchpoint Careers are supported by in-depth, published research. They have been reviewed numerous times by corporate attorneys and independent experts for fairness and accuracy and have consis- tently met the standards and scrutiny of these reviews. 

We source our assessments from SHL Group Limited, a leading international provider of psychometric assessments that serves 65% of the Global Fortune 500 companies. SHL is  a global leader in establishing and defining best practices in strict accordance with guidelines governing the fair and appropriate use of assessments for selection and development. If you want to know more about the assessments, read our legal defensibility statement, or consult validity data available at the SHL web site www.shl.com.

How can I prepare for the assessments?

Be rested, relaxed and eager to learn about yourself.  Check out the instructions and practice questions, and make sure you will be undisturbed while you take the assessments.

For the verbal and numerical tests, remember to work to the time limits (15-20 minutes per test) - try not to get stuck on a question and keep checking your work until your time is up.  Timing starts once you have completed the instructions and practice questions.  If you worry your verbal or numerical skills are a little rusty, make sure you practice to get comfortable before you take the test.

For the personality questionnaire and work environment survey, remember there are no right or wrong answers.  Prepare by recalling real experiences at work and thinking about what really matters to you in a workplace.  Give your top of mind, honest reactions to get the best results.  These assessments are not timed, but your initial answers are usually the most reliable.

Remember that these assessments are designed to give a rich picture of you at work, not to grade or pass/fail you. Intensive practice sessions or question-guessing will harm, rather than help. So will trying to fit your answers to an idea of a particular job, career or employer. If you want a job in which you will thrive, you have to give an accurate impression of yourself.

Where can I learn more about the assessments?

Go to http://www.shldirect.com/ where you will find advice, example questions and full practice tests. Also, try  http://www.intestcom.org/upload/sitefiles/60.pdf for generic guidance.

When and where should I take the assessments?

Try to find an environment where you can relax, think, and be yourself. Make sure seating, temperature and lighting are good. Let people know you are not to be disturbed. Close the door, switch off phones and anything else that could distract you.

Remember that you don't have to take all the tests at once, but each test needs to be completed in a single session.

What happens once I've finished the assessments?

As soon as you complete all the assessments, you get your Personal Profile - which gives you valuable insights into your career strengths and ideal work setting - and we start matching you with open jobs.  As soon as we find a strong match for your talents, we contact you to tell you about the job and invite you to join the hiring shortlist.  If you aren't interested, we continue matching you with other jobs.  If you think the job might be a good fit, we put you forward as a shortlisted candidate.

Can I retake the tests?

The characteristics our assessments measure are fairly stable over time, and research has shown that our assessments measure accurately.  If your profile contains surprises, take time to think carefully about what it says.  Sometimes we are unaware of talents or traits. Sometimes we don't fully realize the advantages of what we are as opposed to what we idealize. It often helps to think back to specific work experiences and examine them in the light of your Profile.  Think about talking through your Profile with a careers adviser or mentor, and remember that an accurate Profile can only help you by matching you to jobs where your talents will be fully used and appreciated.

To capture any long term developments and changes as your progress in your career, we encourage candidates to get reassessed and update their registration data every two years.  We will prompt you automatically to do this, so you need take no action until you hear from us.

Will you know if I don't answer accurately?

In most cases, yes. Our instruments track integrity of response so if you try to game the system you will generally be found out and eliminated from consideration for shortlists.

But why would you not tell the full truth? If you manipulate your responses, your feedback will be meaningless, and you risk being matched against unsuitable jobs where your talents do not lead to success, and you could miss out on jobs where you would soar.

Be yourself. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Who will see my results?

You decide. If you want, you can share your Profile with an adviser.  When you are shortlisted for a job, we send you information on the role and organization and ask if you want to proceed.  If you don't, your privacy remains absolute.  If you do, we share your Match Profile - which includes feedback from the assessments - with the potential employer.  Otherwise we never share personal information about you with any third party.