During my time interviewing for jobs, I spent several hours taking a series of tests for the roles I was interested in. These tests were required before they’d even let you talk to a human HR representative. I always passed them, but sometimes they didn’t even give you a call back.
When I interviewed for a position with the city, I was presented with a series of hands-on IT issues to try and resolve as they watched me. I successfully handled all of the incidents in what they said was record time. However, I wasn’t selected for that role because the pay was lower than my experience level and they were concerned I wouldn’t stay long term.
Shortly after, I was offered another position with the city and I took it. One week into the job, I was offered a higher paying position elsewhere, but I remained as I promised I would during the interviews. I respect the amount of effort that went into making me an employee, the time, the work, and I wasn’t about to disregard all that effort for more money. It turned out those concerns about me leaving were unfounded.
I spent a good amount of time on the trading floor at Wall Street, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the industry. The pressure of the job, the pace, plus my team’s intelligence made me a better IT professional. Combined with my strong work ethic, I’ve been able to deliver results consistently.
Some of the tests I took were more book oriented, and I finished school nearly three decades ago. Those tests were a bit tougher for me, and I had some good and some not-so-good experiences with those.
The interesting thing is, in my nearly three decades of working in IT, the real world challenges I’ve faced have been quite different from those textbook scenarios. Practical problem-solving skills and experience often matter more than test performance.
I was tested repeatedly throughout my job search, sometimes without even a callback. Job hunting is an interesting journey. What has your experience been with applying for work and tests?
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