Alan Stutts | BLOG | Education Author

There are two primary kinds of career tests.

Performance tests measure how much you know, how well you read and write, how well you learn, and how skilled you are. Assessment tests measure personal characteristics like interests, work values, and personality traits. They don’t have right or wrong answers; there is no need to study for them.

Assessment tests fall into three categories:

Interest Inventories helps you identify your interests related to the world of work. An inventory can assist you in identifying training, education, or careers with activities that you might like doing.

Work Values Instruments allow you to pinpoint what you value in jobs (such as achievement, autonomy, recognition, support, and conditions of work) and then identify occupations that share your work values and the characteristics of jobs.

Personality Measures help identify your personal style in dealing with tasks, data, and other people. An understanding of your personality helps you to make decisions about training programs, which jobs to apply for, or which career direction to take.

If you already know you want to work in the hospitality industry, work value and personality measures may be the most helpful tests for you. Some such tests, such s the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator, are too sophisticated for you to interpret on your own and you need to have your results analyzed by someone trained in career counseling or psychology.

Some companies ask job candidates to complete surveys, questionnaires, or assessment tests as part of the interview process. This form of assessment may happen prior to the interview, on the day of the interview, or as a follow-up to the interview. You may be asked to come in to the company offices for the testing, but they may also mail the materials to you or ask you to go to a particular Web address. In some cases, the testing is carried out by an independent testing company and you are asked to go to the testing company’s offices.
Surprise tests are no fun! When you are called for the first interview, ask the caller about the steps in the interview process. If they mention assessment or psychological testing, ask for the names of the tests to be administered, when they will be administered, and by whom. If testing is not mentioned as part of the process, ask politely if any testing will be done.

The types of tests employers administer are usually well-researched tests designed to give information about an applicant’s aptitude, personality, or knowledge. They may be the same tests you used through your career center at college or through a career counseling service to help you decide your career goals.

If a company asks you to take tests or submit to any procedure that you feel uncomfortable with or doubt if they can legally require of you, seek some professional advice. If you are unexpectedly ask to take a test you are uncomfortable with, request to have the test scheduled for another day (”I’m sorry, I did not expect to have to be here another hour. Can I come back to take this test?”). You can call for advice before you take the test. If rescheduling is not possible, you may need to decide if you are willing to risk the chance your refusal will cost you a job offer…

Cambodia is becoming a popular destination with Western travellers because it has a stunning and diverse natural landscape, it has friendly people, it has enjoyed a rich and varied history and offers up a whole host of exciting and fantastic experiences to enjoy.

Many of those who visit Cambodia for an extended period of time fall in love with the country and its people and are determined to work to help the nation and either settle down or later return to work in Cambodia.

Immediately upon arriving home after an interview, send a thank you note to every person with whom you met. In addition, send a note to the person who coordinated the interview. This is likely the person who called you to first schedule the interview.

If you were asked to send additional materials, or if you would like to send additional materials to support you candidacy, do so. Such materials might be an article you mentioned that the interviewer had not read, or a copy of a paper you wrote in college in which the interviewer had expressed an interest.

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to send a thank you note or make a thank you call to any person who helped you get this interview. This helps you keep your contacts posted on your progress, and can serve s a reminder that you are still looking. Perhaps they have heard of something else that has opened up!

Depending on what information you were given at the end of the interview, call within one week to inquire about your status. Try to place this call to the most senior manager to whom you spoke, preferably the manager of the person who would supervise you. If you cannot contact this person, call the person who coordinated the interview.

Once the interviewer has finished asking you questions, and if there is remaining time, ask your own questions. Good interviewers want to hear the types of questions you have.

Some of the questions you might ask are:

What characteristics does a successful person have at your company?

Describe the typical first year assignment.

What have been some of the major contributions made by individuals who have held this job previously?

What are the problems I will be expected to solve?

What is the career path for this position?

Could you tell me about the people with whom I will be working directly?

How is an employee evaluated?

When may I expect to hear from you regarding my candidacy?

How does your organization differ from its competitors?

What kind of training do you give?

What are the company’s plans for future growth?

How would you describe the corporate culture?

Where does this position fit into the structure of the department and the organization as a whole?

How much contact is there between departments or areas (if a large organization)?

To whom would I report?

Why is this position available?

The interviewer will signal the end of the interview most typically by rising and extending their hand for a closing handshake. You should rise at the same time with your briefcase or portfolio in hand. Before you exit, however, be sure to ask what the next steps in the hiring process are and when you might call to check on your status as a candidate.
As soon as you are out of the office and the lobby, stop, take a deep breath, and give yourself a figurative high-five! One more interview is over and, regardless of the outcome of this interview, you are one interview closer to a job offer.

The day has arrived. You dress, groom, and get into the car with your interview dossier. On the seat beside you or in your pocket are driving directions; you did a trial run to the address last night and you know how long it takes to drive it. You have the telephone number of the office where the interview is scheduled, the telephone number of a roadside car service company, and a taxi cab telephone number. In your wallet is parking money, cab fare, and a credit card for any other emergency requiring money.

You leave the house (or hotel for long-distance interviews) at least 30 minutes prior to the interview to allow for any delays you cannot control. Turn on the radio all-news station to hear the current traffic report. Arrive at the location 15 minutes for the interview is schedule to start.

If the interview is in a building with multiple floors and companies, find a quiet corner in the lobby of the building and review your cheat sheet and browse your answer sheets. If there is no public lobby, do this in your car or at a nearby coffee shop.

Approach the reception desk or walk through the front door of the building where the interview is scheduled no more than five minutes prior to the scheduled time, after first having stepped into the rest room to wash your hands and check your appearance.
It’s show time!

When you walk into an interview, you need to look the best you will ever look. That is what the employer expects to see.

“Poor personal appearance tells the employer you do not care very much about this interview,” says Colleen Kay Watson in “The Seven Deadly Sins of Interviewing”. “Rings and things on places other than your hands and ears are also not universally accepted.”

Experts advise you to buy the most expensive suit you can afford for interviewing. It should be conservative and classic in styling. A suit like this can last you a lifetime and you get more than your money’s worth if it gets you a great job.

The color of your suit, the accessories you wear, your shoes, and even the style of your briefcase combine to give an indelible first impression. Dressing for success, as John Malloy termed it in his classic book on the topic, is something you can learn to do by reading articles and books on the topic. There are also image consultants who specialize in helping job seekers develop an effective interview wardrobe. Check your public library or the Web for Malloy’s books or other books about business attire.

For every interview, you need to take materials you may be required to use to succeed at the interview. Buy a number of file folders or document envelopes and create an “interview dossier” you take to every job interview.” Some of the items will be the same for each interview and some will be customized for the particular employer and position.
The folder should include:

Five to ten copies of your resume to take to the interview and leave behind.

A printed list of your references to leave behind.

Any letters of reference from employers or professors, with copies to leave behind.

Your current company literature, job description, and organization chart.

Your personal compensation history, for referral only.

Any written performance appraisals you have permission to share.

Any memos or letters that confirm awards or achievements.

An official college transcript if you are a recent graduate.

Your company fact file with your research notes on this company and the cover letter you sent this company.

The questions you want to ask this prospective employer at the end of the interview.

An interview answer cheat sheet you can review while waiting for the interview to begin, or can discreetly refer doing during the interview.

An interview evaluation and comment form that you fill out right after the interview.

If appropriate and relevant, a portfolio of your writing or other work that demonstrates your knowledge and competence.

A note reminding yourself how you fit the position description for which you are interviewing.

Put this material into your portfolio or briefcase so that it is easily accessed in the waiting room and in the interview room.

Practice cannot make perfect, but it is guaranteed to make better. The more interviews you do, the more adept you are at doing them. You can go to your first interview with the poise that comes with having done five or six interviews if you conduct full-scale dress-rehearsal interviews with the cooperation of a colleague or career counselor.

A rehearsal interview comes after the hours you spend talking to yourself in the mirror as you practice answering anticipated questions. For a rehearsal, you want to actually simulate an interview from the time you get off the elevator until you get back on the elevator to go home.

If you are using the services of a career counselor, the counselor will be experienced at doing interview rehearsals. If you are on your own, you can still produce an appropriate “stage” and “cast.”

A dining room or home office can be the company office. The interviewer can be a trusted friend, a former co-worker, or an acquaintance who has conducted job interviews. You and your “interviewer” need to decide together what the script of the interview “play” is going to be and what each of your lines are.

Arrange for housemates, children, and others not involved in the rehearsal to be out of the house. Your “interviewer” may have a house or office you can use, too.

Get into full interview costume for the rehearsal. Yes, put on the suit and tie. Ask the “interviewer” to do the same. Put your papers in your briefcase or portfolio. Walk out the front door and stand on the stoop until your cue to enter the “building.”

Such elaborate preparations may seem excessive, but believe me, they can make all the difference in how well you carry off the real thing.

Many companies now screen potential candidates by conducting telephone interviews to reduce the face-to-face interviews to the top six or three candidates. Your first phone call from an employer may be a request for a telephone interview.

Telephone interviews are also used when you and the employer live in different cities. Few employers want to incur expenses to fly a candidate in for an interview unless they have a very strong opinion of the candidate.

A screening telephone interview may be a series of questions asked of every candidate; these questions may focus on some of the unstated requirements for the position and the answers allow the employer to eliminate candidates who do not “fit.”

Long-distance telephone interviews more closely resemble the first face-to-face interview with a company. Be prepared to have the call last for 30 minutes or more, and to be asked the same kinds of questions you would be asked if you were meeting in the company’s office.

Although most companies schedule telephone interviews, there is always chance someone will call and want to do it “right now.” If this happens to you, ask if you can call them back in five minutes. Use this time to gather your materials and mentally prepare yourself. You might also want to make a note of this in your folder on this company; expecting an instant interview does indicate a lack of courtesy on their part.
At least 30-minutes before a scheduled telephone interview get your game face on.

Turning off any radio, stereo or television.

Disable call waiting or any other feature on your telephone that could produce sounds that interrupt the telephone call.

Put the dog outside or whatever else it takes to keep down barking.

Get dressed in business clothes; do not take the call in your bathrobe.

Comb your hair and does any other grooming that will help you project a more business-like attitude.

Go into a quiet room and close the door to take the call. If you do not have a home office, make sure you have a writing surface handy for taking notes during the call.

Assemble your company folder, your resume, and the cover letter sent to the company. If you have filled out an application for this company, get it, too.

Put your cheat sheet of answers to anticipated questions on the desk beside you.

Smile!