Employee Assessments - Why and How

Depending on what field you're in, employers may ask you to complete an assessment of some sort.  This could be anything from a basic aptitude test to a skills assessment or case study and can be before or after an interview.  This is usually a large factor in whether or not you're hired, so make sure you do your best work.

If instructions are given, make sure you follow them.  Talk to your recruiter about expectations, what it takes to pass, and when it must be completed by.  If it's a timed assessment (most online tests are), make sure you can give your undivided attention, and don't run up your time doing other things.

Take home tests: If it's an assessment you can do at home, make sure you give it your undivided attention.  As a recruiter I would much rather a candidate ask to turn in an assessment a day late, than rush through it and fail.

Excuses recruiters don't want to hear: I wanted to turn it in as soon as possible; I don't test well, I was sick; I was on medication; I couldn't concentrate.  All of these things are in your control.  If you need more time, ask for an extension!

Tests onsite: Ask you recruiter if there's anything you can do to prepare for the test, if yes then do it!  If there's nothing you can do to prepare then don't freak out and just make sure you read the instructions and each question carefully.

Thank You's and Follow-Ups

Thank you notes are used for a number of things, but most importantly to show your interest in the role and company.  I have spoken to many managers who refuse to hire someone that doesn't send a thank you.  A thank you not should be brief, don't over think it.  Thank the manager for taking the time to interview you, and if you can, reference something specific you discussed in the interview.  You should send separate notes to each manager that interviewed you, as well as your recruiter.

Once you've had an interview, you immediately want to send a thank you note.  You can send a card or an email, but you should do it right away.  If you need to, ask the recruiter for email addresses, or to forward your thank you email.

Following-up with your recruiter is important, and while you may be anxious to hear whether or not you got the job, be patient and show restraint.  If you ended the interview right, and asked either when you could expect to hear back or what the next steps are, you should know how long to wait before checking-in.

If you were told it would be a week, then wait a full week.  Afterwards, if you still haven't heard back, then call or email your recruiter and see if there's an update, below is an example of asking for an update without being too pushy.

Good Afternoon,
I hope that your day is absolutely fantastic.  I just wanted to follow up with you about the status of my application.  I'm looking forward to speaking with you in the very near future.  Thank you so much for all your help, it is very appreciated.

**Note - Do not be a stalker and call your recruiter daily or multiple times a day in order to get a status update.  Switch between email and voice-mail in case one may be more effective than the other.

If following-up on voice-mail, be sure to leave your full name, the position you interviewed for, and your phone number.

What kinds of follow-up have you found to be effective?  Let me know in the comments!

Applied Online, Why Haven't I Gotten a Call?!

Let's look at the bigger picture, there could be a thousand reasons why a company hasn't called you after receiving your application.  The applicant Black Hole is a real thing, and it's very possible that no one has actually seen your resume - so follow-up by calling or emailing a recruiter to ask if they've received your application and to let them know that you're very interested in the job.

Now, to increase your chances of getting a call-back there are several things you should do:

1. Apply to jobs that you're actually qualified for (Read the job description) - if the job is for a sales rep with 4+ years experience, and you've only worked at a fast food restaurant, I'm not going to call you.
2. See Resume Tips - Make sure your spelling and grammar is correct and your resume is formatted
3. K.I.S.S. - If your cover letter is a page long and your resume has paragraph descriptions, I'm probably not going to take the time to read it.
4. There's a ton of applicants right now - The job market is still down, so each job posting gets a lot of responses.  Unfortunately, that might just mean that there were more qualified candidates than you, but don't be discouraged and keep applying.
5. It's only been a week, calm down!  Sometimes it takes a month to get through all the applicants, so reach out and see if you can get the status of your application, that might just get someone to pull you our of the Black Hole of Applicant Tracking Systems, and in front of a decision maker. (Pro Tip - don't be a stalker.  If you call me everyday, or several times a day without leaving a message, I'm going to ignore you.  Once a week or every other week is good.)