Psychometric/personality testing - what a bunch of cock

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[Updated 20-July-2005]
I've had my results and a chance to provide feedback - I will not get to see the report:
  • I have a cracking personality, perfect for all types of work excluding manual and low pay
  • I will be a good people manager but need to be mindful of reputation (pah!)
  • I am well above the NZ manager average in mis-named tests
I had the joy and pleasure of experiencing 3 hours of these tests this morning.

Firstly, I had to run through a timed 'verbal screening' questionnaire ... which wasn't verbal. It was written and displayed via a tacky PC application. The design was awful. After 10 minutes my eyes hurt from staring at randomly changing font size (VERY large to VERY small) against badly chosen background colours.

But mostly I am still gobsmacked that it's called 'verbal' ... when it's not.
It's written!?!

During it I was presented with stuff written using the best 1990's business speak about numerous subjects such as the insurance world, telecommuting and discrimination (if you've seen the film Cypher - it's not good but not bad - then you have perfect examples from the conferences our hero gets sent to).

Statements were then given about the paragraph and I generally had to choose the statement that was correct; which two were true ... that sort of thing.

I then had a 'personality test' and I'm sure you've all probably done something similar, you know the sort of pseudo-science questionnaire that is popular out there on the Web.

I had to click the least and most like me (in a work situation) 108 times. Something like:
  • I get stressed before meetings
  • I like working with numbers
  • I try to work out what others are feeling
  • I am sociable
  • I work best with deadlines
(go on, choose the least like you and the most - dumb isn't it!)

And finally I had a management scenario test which asked me to rate on a siding scale the options given in response to a 'typical management scenario'. This was paper and pencil using a nicely printed booklet - by far the easiest to actually read and comprehend.

It went through things like, "You're the new boss, someone else was promised the job and there's now 'tension'; rate following options (-3 bad bad idea ... +3 let's do it now):
  1. Fire the loser
  2. Hire the loyal staff member as your EA
  3. Second them to another part of the organisation in another country
  4. Re-train them as the companies photocopier technician.

Well, maybe not those exact options but you get the idea.

I get the 'results' tomorrow when someone from the organisation sub-contracted by the agency hired by the company calls me.

I look forward to ... rugby next weekend.

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