I will go out on a limb for the purpose of us gaining an insight into the information that can be gleaned from this sort of testing.
Last year I did this testing, basically to get a profile on myself. It took about 2 hours, and consisted of a series of multiple choice questions to determine my intellectual level, a series of math and logic questions, followed by the main portions which was a series of posed statements where I answered on a scale of 1 thru 10 as to how much I agreed with the statements.
I was given a copy of the report, primarily because I had a friend who worked in HR for this corporation. It was for a manager position at a large retail chain store, so obviously their "matrix" is not suited for helicopter pilots. This will give you a idea of the type of information the interviewers will have when they talk to you.
Please feel free to tease and rib me about some of my "attributes"......
I am sure I will never hear the end of some of it.....
Executive Summary Narrative
Overall, Gordy is "Recommended With Qualifications" for the position of Store Manager - Future Opportunities at Acme Sales Company. This recommendation is derived from the detail comparison of his behavioral characteristics with those of the Ideal Profile and the following resulting evaluations of his behavioral competencies:
• Intellect -- Solid Match
• Drive and Motivation -- Fair Match
• Work Style -- Unsatisfactory
• Interpersonal Style -- Solid Match
• Leadership / Management Style -- Fair Match
• Culture Fit -- Solid Match
The subsequent paragraphs provide details that support Gordy's overall "Recommended With Qualifications" rating and offer additional insights into Gordy's behavioral characteristics.
Strengths
Gordy has specific characteristics that match those required for the position. Gordy is able to balance in-depth analyses and the "big picture" when investigating issues. His approach to problem-solving varies based on the situation. Gordy has a moderate preference for teamwork. He is comfortable working in a group or on his own. Gordy prefers an average amount of social interaction. He can be outgoing but does not always need to talk to others. All these characteristics are in line with the position's requirements.
Opportunities
Gordy also has specific characteristics that do not align with those who are successful in this position. Gordy prefers to start immediately on tasks and organize only when necessary. However, success in this position may require him to organize prior to starting tasks. Gordy naturally prefers to work without guidance from others as he is very self-reliant. However, at times, to be successful in this position he must wait for direction before taking action. Gordy is comfortable with disagreement and may be uncooperative at times. However to be successful in this position he must encourage and assist others at times.
Notable Characteristics
Gordy exhibits additional characteristics worth noting. He strongly prefers to work without external direction and almost never relies on others to complete his tasks. Gordy is very comfortable challenging authority and may have a hard time following established rules. In addition, he is very competitive and fiercely defends his position, therefore he may be seen as "cold." These are the characteristics about Gordy that stand out and are worth noting.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Gordy is "Recommended With Qualifications" for this position. Some of Gordy's behavioral characteristics differ from those in the Ideal Profile, resulting in qualifications to his recommendation. Carefully review the mismatched characteristics as presented throughout this assessment as you evaluate him for this position. This recommendation should be considered as one aspect of the complete hiring equation. Use the information above as a guideline when evaluating Gordy for this position. Additionally, you should carefully take into consideration Gordy's experience (interview, resume), your interview assessment (see Interview Questions tab), references, and background checks when compiling your total assessment of Gordy.
Attributes
Motivated By:
• Relying completely on himself
• Adventurous activities and tasks
• Sharing his opinions with others
• Constant activity in the workplace
• Adjusting his plans at work
• Opportunities for career growth
• Directing and influencing others
• Holding others' accountable for their work
Wants an Environment Which Provides:
• New and unique approaches to work
• Opportunities to compete with others
• An unstructured work setting
• A fast pace
• A playful or casual atmosphere
• A high rate of change
• Little or no social activities
Tends To Avoid:
• Evaluating his past experiences and mistakes
• Guidance from authority figures
• Reassuring and encouraging others
• Understanding others' motivations
• Organizing and prioritizing his work
• Obvious approaches to problems
• Working with details
• Taking action based solely on the facts
• Making decisions without others' opinions
• Giving positive feedback to others
Management May Increase His Effectiveness By:
• Rewarding cooperation with others
• Offering opportunities to build self-confidence
• Providing support during stressful situations
• Coaching him on how to work in unstructured situations
• Helping him to be more open to praise and recognition
• Reminding him to approach situations in a step-by-step manner
• Outlining when it is necessary to follow a plan
• Ensuring that work is completed before participating in social events
May Become Demotivated By:
• Having to depend on others
• The inability to take risks
• The inability to assert his views
• A lack of tasks or activities
• A lack of variety in his work
• No opportunity for promotion
• Little opportunity to lead others
• Lenient responses to others' mistakes
May React to Pressure By:
• Refusing to seek guidance from others
• Making risky decisions
• Repeating past mistakes
• Resisting direction from others
• Being disagreeable with others
• Speaking his mind and attempting to talk over others
• Being unable to develop and motivate others
• Not prioritizing or keeping orderly records
• Suggesting unusable ideas
• Being impatient with others who have less energy
Interview Questions
Must-Ask: #1 Self-Reliance
Important Issue:
Gordy naturally prefers to work without guidance from others as he is very self-reliant. However, at times, to be successful in this position he must wait for direction before taking action.
Questions To Ask Candidate and Insights:
"When managing a retail store, do you prefer to have a lot of guidance and direction from the head office or do you prefer to have the freedom to act on your own and take responsibility for your actions? Please explain."
• Gordy's behavioral profile indicates that he enjoys independence and he may not always seek input from others before making a decision. Gordy may also resent being micromanaged.
"Tell me about a management experience where you were given a great deal of freedom to make decisions. Tell me about a management experience where you felt you were being micromanaged or you felt you had little control to act on your own. Which situation did you prefer or feel more comfortable with?
Please explain."
• Gordy prefers to think on his own and he will not always listen to the opinions of others. He may become frustrated if he is instructed to rely on others.
"Describe a situation where you had to develop your own marketing strategy for promoting your store within your community. Did you feel comfortable developing the marketing plan on your own or would have preferred to have more guidance from the head office? Please explain."
• Gordy is very self-reliant. As a manager, he may be reluctant to delegate work to his direct reports. As a result, this may cause him to "burn out" as he tries to do too much on his own.
"Tell me about a time when you were overwhelmed by competing demands on your time. How did you handle the situation? Did you ask anyone for help? Did you delegate some of the work to your staff?"
During the Interview:
• Gauge Gordy's willingness to listen to suggestions from his staff. Do you get a sense that Gordy will move forward on issues without listening to others first?
• Monitor the intensity of Gordy's self-reliant behavior. Try to determine if he will try to do too much and not delegate tasks to the other staff members at his store.
When Doing Reference Checks:
• "As a manager, did Gordy achieve his store's sales and revenue targets with little supervision? Did he tend to seek input from others when making decisions or did he prefer to rely on his own thoughts about how things should be done? How would you rate Gordy's overall effectiveness as a manager?"
• "Did Gordy ever display an attitude of superiority to his management colleagues? How did his peers and staff respond to him? Did his staff ever complain that Gordy didn't listen to their suggestions?"
Must-Ask: #2 Cooperativeness
Important Issue:
Gordy is comfortable with disagreement and may be uncooperative at times. However to be successful in this position he must encourage and assist others at times.
Questions To Ask Candidate and Insights:
"Give me an example of how you encouraged cooperation among your employees. In your view, do you think people work better when they work independently or in a group? Please explain."
• As a store manager, Gordy may have difficulty mentoring or coaching his staff. At times, he may be focused more on his own success than on the success of his staff members.
"Give me an example of a time when you witnessed one of your sales associates struggling to complete a task, such as finding the price of an item for a customer. Why was your associate struggling? How did you respond? What was the outcome?"
• Gordy's staff may perceive him to be cold and uncaring. As such, it might not be easy for Gordy to have cooperation among his staff or build team spirit.
"Give me an example of a time you praised your direct reports for a job well done. How did you praise them? How important is it for a retail manager to give positive feedback to his or her staff?"
• Gordy is competitive by nature and he cares deeply about his own goals and success.
"Tell me about a time when your ideas were overlooked and another store manager's suggestions were implemented by the head office. How did you respond? How did your management colleagues deal with your response? What was the outcome?"
During the Interview:
• Gauge Gordy's ability to assist his direct reports and meet their needs for praise and reassurance. Will Gordy be a good coach or mentor?
• Gauge Gordy's warmth and friendliness towards his staff and customers in the store. Does he have a tendency to get defensive? If so, what types of issues or comments make him defensive?
When Doing Reference Checks:
• "Was Gordy perceived as someone that his sales associates could come to if they needed help completing a task? How often did Gordy give praise or recognition to his staff members?"
• "Did Gordy seem to have a strong desire to succeed or win over others? Did Gordy ever come across as "cold" or "detached"? Do you think Gordy can succeed in a less competitive environment where competition is not rewarded? Explain."
Must-Ask: #3 Assertiveness
Important Issue:
Gordy is more than willing to voice his viewpoint and take charge of situations. However, success in this role will require him to let others assert their views at times.
Questions To Ask Candidate and Insights:
"Did you ever have to step up and take charge of a situation at a store? Did you enjoy taking charge? Was it easy for you to give direction or would you have preferred to let others take charge and assert their views? Explain."
• Gordy's profile indicates that he may be an overly assertive manager.
"Recall a situation when you observed a customer complaining to one of your employees. Briefly describe the situation. Did you intervene? And if so, how did you address the situation? Did the staff member appreciate your assistance? How did the customer respond to your intervention?"
• As a retail manager, Gordy is comfortable giving direction to staff and asserting his views. However, at times, he may be overbearing and not willing to listen to the views of others.
"Tell me about a time when someone from the head office opposed your ideas for a new plan, such as a new sales strategy for the store. How did you handle their opposition? Have you ever realized that you misjudged a situation and that you were, in fact, wrong? How did you handle being wrong?"
• Gordy may at times be too assertive as a store manager. His tendency to dominate situations may result in poor staff morale.
"Describe a situation where you had to decide whether to accept input from your boss or proceed with your own ideas. What did you do? What was the outcome? What impact did your choice have on your working relationship with your boss?"
During the Interview:
• Listen to how Gordy describes himself and his relationships with his staff and managerial colleagues. Does he recognize the importance of letting other people speak out on issues? Does he value others' opinions?
• During the interview, observe Gordy's ability to be considerate of others. Does he come across as being too assertive? Will his staff members resent working with Gordy because he might be too controlling?
When Doing Reference Checks:
• "Did Gordy speak his mind and share his opinions on issues with staff and colleagues? How was Gordy viewed by his coworkers? Was he seen as a "know it all"?"
• "When conducting meetings or interviewing candidates, did Gordy strike a good balance between listening and speaking? How often did he seek input from staff? Did staff ever complain that he was too controlling?"
Must-Ask: #4 Ambition
Important Issue:
Gordy is motivated to "climb the ladder of success" and reach his goals. However, success in this role will require him to be content with less opportunity for career advancement.
Questions To Ask Candidate and Insights:
"In your previous retail jobs, did you try to move up in the organization and get a better job, or were you generally content to stay in the job you had? How important is it to you to get a better job within the same company? Please explain."
• Gordy's behavioral profile indicates that he is ambitious. He will likely be willing to take on more responsibilities to do well in his career. However, he may feel frustrated working in a retail store if opportunities for advancement are not immediately available.
"Describe a situation when another person was given a promotion or made the retail manager at your store when you thought you should have been selected for that job. How did you feel about not getting the job? How did you respond to the situation? Was there anything that you learned from the experience?"
• Gordy may be unhappy if he does not achieve an important position in the company. He is driven to succeed and he wants to "climb the ladder of success". If he has ideas for improving customer care or inventory control, he will work hard to see that his ideas are put in place.
"Tell me about a time when you wanted to hire more staff to improve customer service and to improve sales, but your company had a hiring freeze. How did that make you feel? Do you become frustrated when headquarters doesn't recognize what you need to do to make your store successful?"
• Gordy is motivated to succeed and advance at work. However, he may overlook important aspects of his own and others' development.
"Give me an example of a time when you coached a staff member and worked on their development as an employee. Tell me about a time when you reprimanded an employee for not working as hard as they should. Briefly describe the situation and how you dealt with it. How did the employee respond?"
During the Interview:
• Gauge Gordy's drive and ambition as he describes his previous jobs. Do you think his desire to be a successful retail manager might lead him to make decisions that benefit him personally, but are not good for his direct reports? Do you think he will listen to suggestions from his staff?
• Gauge Gordy's attitude toward other managers who are not as ambitious as he is. Will he take the time to help his staff members grow as employees, or do you think Gordy will focus only on his own career?
When Doing Reference Checks:
• "As a retail manager, was Gordy ambitious? Did Gordy ever sign up for additional training to improve his chances of getting a better job? Did you ever worry that Gordy was working too hard and becoming exhausted by the long hours that are required in the retail environment? Did Gordy ever seem frustrated that he wasn't climbing the "ladder of success" as fast as he wanted?"
• "Did Gordy spend time coaching his staff and focusing on their development, or did he focus primarily on his own development? When working towards his own goals, did he ever overlook the needs of others?"
On-boarding Report for Gordy
About Gordy
On the job look for Gordy to:
• Consistently complete tasks without assistance from others
• Thrive in situations that require him to bring tasks to completion
• Seek to improve existing processes
• Attempt to create and introduce new policies and procedures
• Be highly motivated during times of risk and uncertainty
• Enjoy stepping outside of his "comfort zone"
Onboarding Activities
Training - During training, expect Gordy to take responsibility for his own learning and to seek opportunities to try new training methods. Also, be aware that Gordy often takes unnecessary risks when performing new activities and often fails to consider the future. The instructor may benefit by making sure he fully understands the need to observe the required safety measures and explaining how well thought-out solutions are helpful.
Tasks - When taking on new tasks, look for Gordy to strive to be self-reliant and to find new ways to achieve results. Be aware that Gordy may take unnecessary risks when rewards are involved and tends to overlook obvious issues that will impact results. When giving Gordy new tasks, be sure to clearly define situations where risks may be taken and to specify issues that need careful investigation.
Time Management - When Gordy manages his time, expect him to save time by relying on his judgment to take action and to readily alter plans to try new time-saving ideas. Consider that Gordy may fail to complete goals on time by taking unnecessary risks and may frequently encounter roadblocks by not considering the future. You may help Gordy by outlining situations where risks should be avoided and by instructing him to consider the impact of his actions on long-term goals.
Teams - When working on a team, expect Gordy to begin working without being told what to do and to support non-traditional work approaches. Consider that Gordy may take unnecessary risks for the sake of adventure and tends to undervalue his past experiences when making decisions. When placing Gordy on a team help him to make sure risk is kept to a minimum and to use previous experience to guide his actions.
Supervisor - When working with his supervisor, expect Gordy to be extremely self-sufficient and to enjoy coming up with new strategies. Recognize that Gordy may choose to take risks over actions that usually work and may overlook long-term outcomes of decisions. You may improve his onboarding experience by teaching him to raise concerns when a situation becomes too risky and by instructing him to consider how his actions may affect him in the future.