Survey to see if you can interact with clients

[tytkhat]

Hi fellow nurses...I recently filled out an application as a staff nurse with a large well known health care company headquartered in Oakbrook, Il. A representative in human resources called me with instructions to take a survey as part of the hiring process. I took this 59 question 'survey' that asks questions like "if your supervisor was asked about you, they would say you are: mostly compassionate, can see yourself in someone else's shoes, or most loyal" That might be a paraphrase, but the point is, the test is designed to see if you are compatible to interact with the patients...really! :down:In any case, at the conclusion of this survey, I had a message that said I did not pass to the next phase of the application process, and I would not be able to reapply for the position for six months!!! Is this what we as nurses have to look forward to? I told the HR rep that I doubted my answers would be any different in six months. I could hear the disappointment in his voice that I didn't qualify for round two. I feel that this company is really missing out on talented nurses if this is how they hire. I find it truly disheartening. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

I had to take one of those tests to get my first nursing job. It was online and you only got a few seconds to answer each ridiculous question. I'm not sure how I passed it, because from what I hear, a lot of people don't. You're definitely not alone...

[musingmom]

As a new grad applying liberally to jobs, I can say about 75% of them require a similar survey. Some of them call them personality assessments. There's no right or wrong answer they say, except of course there is, lol. I always feel like I'm trying to prove I'm not a psychopath on those.

[Nola009]

Wow, sorry to hear that. Sounds to me like any of those options would have been acceptable. The only thing is, I guess employers have so many people to choose from now, that they must figure some (apparently stupid) way to narrow things down!

[SeattleJess]

Oh, the horror! My heart goes out to you. I just completed a behavioral interview that left me shaking my head. It seemed like another hoop to jump through that showed only whether you could learn to a test. As Nola009 said, when you have so many applicants you need some way to weed out the qualified from the qualified. (Is it really that bad out there? Is this what I have to look forward to after two years of nursing school???) Of course saying you know how to prioritize and resolve conflicts and blah blah blah does not mean you actually can do those things, just that you know how to answer behaviorally based questions. Sounds like your HR person wanted you. Maybe ask him how you can learn to take these tests so that your answer accurately reflect the skilled nurse you are? There are plenty of tools out there for interviews; why not for tests?

Good luck whatever you do.

If you were smart enough to jump through the hoops to get your RN credential, you're smart enough to jump through this hoop.

[schnookimz]

The famous advocate survey. Well known around here!