Regardless of how you feel about work-related tests - whether it's for personality, skills, communication styles, behavior, or something else entirely - they're being used much more frequently in the corporate world. Here's one way you can use these tests to help you land the job you want.
Not everyone likes to take tests. Some people find them boring, others are intimidated, and even a few just don't see the point.
When it comes to work-related tests, people can get even more uncomfortable. Who wants their employer to see more deeply inside their head?
But work-related tests are becoming a fact of business life. First of all, more and more employers now require them for current employees - even for executives. Second, most job candidates must take skill, personality, and/or behavioral tests as part of the hiring process. And most of these tests use language your potential employer may be using (and thus, looking for in your resume).
But last and most importantly, if you want to position yourself properly for a company, a recruiter, a headhunter, or any other hiring professional, taking a work-related personality test helps you define your skills in the most authentic and powerful way possible.
If you're going to take one, you might as well start with JASPER, Monster's Job Assets & Strengths Profiler. Here's how they describe it:
"The JASPER test is the new standard in career testing and assessment. Based on over 60 years of research, this fun and enlightening test will uncover your job strengths and preferences and help you use them to your advantage."
You get the standard "agree/disagree" kinds of questions, but you also get:
* Ranking options from most preferred to least preferred
* Sliding scales between two opposing concepts
* Picture preference identification options
* Hypothetical scenarios
* Clicking on a series of words flying across your screen (you'll understand it when you try it)
In other words, it's designed not to be boring.
The test results in a very huge report, which they give you for free - they don't even ask for contact information in exchange.
And in case you need a second opinion about how taking a test affects your resume, here's what the Monster people say:
"Now that you know what sets you apart, take a fresh look at your resume. Promoting your strengths will help you land the right job."
That's the whole point: Getting an objective view of your strengths - the kind of objective view that a potential employer will have - can help you position yourself better and increase your odds of landing the job you're after.
And in an ultra-competitive job market, any advantage you can get is worth its weight in gold.
So what are you waiting for? Go to Monster.com, search for "JASPER" in the Career Advice take the test (about 15-20 minutes), and take something from the results to put into action today!
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