AI (Artificial Intelligence) is testing you as soon as you submit your CV

Have you ever been to an interview where you been asked to perform a test; either selection or practical? Testing at interviews is becoming more common especially in fields where there are many candidates to choose from. For some recruiters and companies, the ‘test’ process has started before you’ve even been given a call asking you to come to an interview. It is not uncommon for AI to test the strength of your CV once it has been submitted, making sure that your career history, experience, and qualifications match the job criteria you have applied for.

What happens next?

So if you have managed to outwit the robots, what comes next? There is a whole host of testing that interviewers can use to assess your skills, experience and general background in regards to your suitability for the role you are applying for. Some interviewers want to stick to a more personal approach and use a range of searching questions that will give them an idea as to whether you are a suitable employee for their organisation. Firm favourites are ‘tell me about yourself’, a question that can give an interviewer a good insight into your general character, your approach to work and whether you would be a good fit for the role. But more and more often we are seeing a host of aptitude and psychometric testing that will tell an interviewer a lot about the person you are with a range of questions that appear to be unrelated to the role you have applied for.

Aptitude and psychometric tests

These testing processes are widely used in the interview process and are designed to give the employer an insight into an individual’s mental capabilities and behavioural style in regards to their suitability to the role they have applied for. Personality characteristics can help an employer identify the extent to which a candidate’s personality and aptitude are suited to the role. What we say at a face to face interview may not be a true reflection of our ability to perform a certain role. Psychometric testing asks questions that appear unrelated to the personality trait they are exploring and is thought of as a personality test that you cannot cheat. Psychometric testing is structured so that they are examined statistically and are objective and unbiased. Everyone is presented with the same questions, and therefore the outcome is a more accurate outline of a candidate’s suitability for the role.

Academic testing

Academic tests can also be a valuable tool when it comes to the interview process. Many people are looking to take the next step up the career ladder to a supervisory or leadership role. These positions require the candidate to be able to communicate effectively with both colleagues and clients and a good level of written and oral skills will be essential. Verbal reasoning tests are a good indicator of someone’s ability to interpret and understand information which can be vital when it comes to understanding both a client and your employer’s needs.

In this blog we have only touched on the testing you could face during the interview process. Each company has its own processes for interviewing and selecting candidates, and you can never know for sure what you are going to face and why you are being presented with these tests. Our advice to any candidate is to be prepared. Read the job description and make sure your skills and abilities fit with it. Research the company; their ethos, mission statement and culture and make sure it is a good fit for your personality and what you are looking for in an employer. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be in yourself and your abilities and confidence, in measured amounts, is a quality that many employers put high on their list.