Failed Online Test

[Yosser]

Hello everybody,

For the last couple of years I have been unemployed and trying to get a job with First Great Western (not solely but I've applied for several positions).

I recently filled out two seperate online assessments for customer service and ticket inpector positions. I thought I answered the questions intelligently but I failed both. :cry:

I would like to try again, with a similar job in another station but I don't understand where I went wrong. Obviously nobody knows wat answers I gave but any advice would be very welcome.

Many thanks in advance, Kevin.

 

[455driver]

What relevant experience do you have for these roles?

If its none then the TOCs wont be particularly interested as they will have more than enough applicants with the relevant experience.

Advice would be to get a job which will allow you to get that relevant experience before applying to the railways again, also being employed will show that you have a decent work ethic.

 

[YorkshireBear]

What relevant experience do you have for these roles?

If its none then the TOCs wont be particularly interested as they will have more than enough applicants with the relevant experience.

Advice would be to get a job which will allow you to get that relevant experience before applying to the railways again, also being employed will show that you have a decent work ethic.

Even working in shops can help with customer facing roles.

 

[Maybe]

I'm sorry you where unsuccessful but don't let that dampen your spirits.

One of the things with online assessments or application forms that people fall down on, is punctuation and basic grammar.

Make sure you spell check everything before sending it off.

I find it best to actually write my answers in a word document, before transferring them accross to my actual application.

At times I have also thought that I have written a brilliant application, only to ask a friend or someone else to overlook it for me, for them to notice a glaring error. Perhaps asking someone else to cast over your application may aide you, as sometimes other people may have an alternative suggestion.

When asked for example;
"Please give a time when you have provided excellent Customer Service"

Try and incorporate not only what you did, but also how you felt, what was the reaction, could you of done anything better and most importantly what the result was.

Always answer questions honestly, do not make up any stories as later on down the line you may get found out.

But most importantly pick something you feel comfortable talking about, put down what you feel is important, not what you are thinking what people expect you to say.

The above may not be useful to you, but it has always been helpful to me in the past.

I wish you all the best, and however demoralising it is, each knock back will eventually make you stronger.

 

[Yosser]

Thanks very much for the replies folks.

Just to clarify, it's the actual 'online tests' part of the application I failed on. If they like your application you are sent a link to an online asessment. The asessment has approx 40 questions, each question consists of 4 statements. For each statement you have a choice whether you answer: disagree, strongly disagree, somewhat agree, strongly agree, or don't know. The questions are self-analysis based about your work ethic, personal decisions, and your behaviors. For example 'Do you like working within a team', 'Do you always feel full of energy at work', etc.

I certainly have the right experience and the fact that I have got past the initial application where you have to demonstrate that proves it. But these tests are so infuriating.

 

[TDK]

Thanks very much for the replies folks.

Just to clarify, it's the actual 'online tests' part of the application I failed on. If they like your application you are sent a link to an online asessment. The asessment has approx 40 questions, each question consists of 4 statements. For each statement you have a choice whether you answer: disagree, strongly disagree, somewhat agree, strongly agree, or don't know. The questions are self-analysis based about your work ethic, personal decisions, and your behaviors. For example 'Do you like working within a team', 'Do you always feel full of energy at work', etc.

I certainly have the right experience and the fact that I have got past the initial application where you have to demonstrate that proves it. But these tests are so infuriating.

With some of these assessments the questions are repeated to see whether you are answering them from your own beliefs or what you think the company wants. If you go into these sort of online assessments and answer the questions consistently this will usually secure a pass. Without knowing the questions it is difficult to answer your original question on where you went wrong but if it is the type of online assessment I think it is the reason above maybe your answer.

 

[Greaseball3220]

Hello everybody,

For the last couple of years I have been unemployed and trying to get a job with First Great Western (not solely but I've applied for several positions).

I recently filled out two seperate online assessments for customer service and ticket inpector positions. I thought I answered the questions intelligently but I failed both. :cry:

I would like to try again, with a similar job in another station but I don't understand where I went wrong. Obviously nobody knows wat answers I gave but any advice would be very welcome.

Many thanks in advance, Kevin.

If it's the SHL test I think your're referring to, 128 statements with options ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree, it's a complete sham. I'm certain that TOC's have to fill quotas for numbers of applicants to show the Dept of Employment and there's jiggery pokery of a financial nature between the TOC's and SHL and various other outsourcing companies who look after recruitment. Never met you but I'd hazard a guess that your're perfectly capable of being a competent ''Service Delivery Assistant'' or platform staff in the terminology of those of us who reside in the pre-neoliberal real world.

 

[Yosser]

With some of these assessments the questions are repeated to see whether you are answering them from your own beliefs or what you think the company wants. If you go into these sort of online assessments and answer the questions consistently this will usually secure a pass. Without knowing the questions it is difficult to answer your original question on where you went wrong but if it is the type of online assessment I think it is the reason above maybe your answer.

Thanks for this advice. I did get the impression they are trying to catch you out. It's difficult becuase you can try to honestly answer the question but more often than not your answer requires an explanation, which is obviously not possible here.

I really do believe it is a 'scam' as the previous poster said. I guess in a world where they will get 1000's of applicants (it is very well paid for a customer service role) then this is a way to whittle down the applicants. Just not a fair or sensible way, afterall they have missed out on a very capable candidate in me!

 

[TDK]

Thanks for this advice. I did get the impression they are trying to catch you out. It's difficult becuase you can try to honestly answer the question but more often than not your answer requires an explanation, which is obviously not possible here.

I really do believe it is a 'scam' as the previous poster said. I guess in a world where they will get 1000's of applicants (it is very well paid for a customer service role) then this is a way to whittle down the applicants. Just not a fair or sensible way, afterall they have missed out on a very capable candidate in me!

This is the problem with roles like this one, they are well over subscribed as to speak and many good candidates do not get through. Unfortunately in todays climate companies do need to use some form of model for sifting unfortunately I feel this model is a false impression of the applicant.

 

[CatfordCat]

Found this - and I'm applying (a second time) for a FGW station based job and have to do one of these some time in the next few days.

I didn't get to the interview stage some months back after doing a test like this, so assume I failed it.

I agree that it seems absurd in places - from memory, I got 4 situations for each question and had to select one that was 'most like you' and one 'least like you' - for some, there was an obvious 'right answer', with a lot of others, you were given either 4 positive traits and 4 negative traits.

Obviously someone somewhere has decided what 'the right answers' are for specific roles, but I'd agree that it comes across as pseudo science being used by HR people...

 

[Central Trains]

Anyone got any tips on how to 'pass' this online SHL online personality test please?

 

[TDK]

Anyone got any tips on how to 'pass' this online SHL online personality test please?

The tips are above on this thread