Successful Recruitment Tests

To obtain a position, you think you are subject to recruitment tests. Here are some tips for success.

1 - Prepare your recruitment tests

Ask about the type of test performed by the company

* IQ test, personality test, knowledge test, etc., recruitment tests can be very varied.

* Do not hesitate to ask this information to the recruiter during your first contact: this will allow you to be well prepared on the day.

Train yourself

* If you know that you will have to pass IQ tests, a little workout will help you to be more efficient;

* You will find easily on the Internet series of tests to be carried out;

* Do not hesitate to time yourself.

Arrive rested

* On test day, get up after a good night's sleep, have a light meal and relax before your appointment.

* Bring a bottle of water and an energizing bar to hydrate yourself and give yourself energy between tests.

Take the test serenely

Before you start, take the time to ask yourself what are your strengths but also your weaknesses vis-à-vis the position for which you are applying.

Stay calm in the face of tests

* If you can not answer a question, go to the next one. You may have time to turn over at the end. In any case, it is better to move forward.

* You must not panic: the recruiter is waiting to see that you are the perfect candidate for the position. So you have to stay focused and show that you know how to bounce back.

* Also think about mastering your gestures.

Stay true to yourself

* You must be honest about your professional skills: do not invent experience, the recruiter will realize.

* Do not be too confident: overconfidence is a real trap. It can both make you fail your recruitment tests, but also discredit you in the eyes of recruiter.

If it is a personality test

* Stay consistent and reasonable about all of your answers.

* There is no wrong answer so do not try to show yourself in your best day at all costs.

After the tests, avoid commenting on the exercises with the other candidates: this type of conversation can only give false impressions on the coming results.

Urban Planner

The urban planner, or functional architect of IS, has a role of adviser, he/she designs the information systems of company. In addition, he/she manages in a coherent way the different elements of the information system.

The missions of urban planner/functional architect of IS

This information system organization consultant must propose an architecture model corresponding to the needs of users within the company. He recommends technologies and providers both in terms of hardware infrastructure and software.

In a large company, there is a urban planner and a functional architect of IS. Their role differs then: the first will elaborate the rules of construction of IS, the second will be in charge of the correct application of urban planning rules (processes, functionalities, applications, technical aspects, data management).

Skills required to practice the profession of urban planner

- Initiative

- Sense of the customer relationship

- Analytical skills

- Know how to animate a team

What training to follow to become a functional architect?

A first experience in a consulting company can be an essential asset. In general, this position requires 10 to 15 years of experience on major projects. A degree from a major school in computer science, management or commerce is necessary to become a functional architect. Note that experience is very important to apply for this job.

The job opportunities of urban planner

The urban planner usually works in digital service companies or consulting companies.

Professional evolution

With a successful experience over time, the urban planner will be eligible for a position of IT manager or technical director within a company, but also expert/consultant in computer system externally.

Product and Offers Manager

The product and offers manager has a marketing role, specialized in IT products. His role: choose the right products to optimize sales.

The missions of a product and offers manager in IT

As a marketing expert, the product and offers manager must study the market. This induces a precise knowledge of customer expectations, competitor activities, as well as existing products. This is how he participates in the development of his company's products, of their conception to their commercialization. The products can be software, applications...

Skills required to practice the profession

- Initiative

- Good communicating

- Know how to work in a team

What training to follow to become a product and offers manager?

To become a product and offers manager in computer science, it is better to have a university diploma with 10 to 15 years of experience in marketing. Training in computer engineering school or in a functional area (Finance, Human Resources, Transport...) are excellent gateways to access this profession.

Opportunities

The product and offers manager work in IT companies producing applications and software, in connection with advertising agencies and marketing research companies.

Professional evolution of the product and offers manager

An experienced product and offers manager can support multiple products.

How to convince your employer to get training?

Training allows to evolve in your company, even to consider leaving it to go to work in another one. However, how do you convince your employer to let you attend training?

1 - Knowing the formalities of a training

First, ask about your rights. An employee has a personal training account:

* He can exploit it (almost) as he pleases.

* He can choose the material that will allow him to evolve at best.

However, to be able to follow this training, he must apply for authorization to his employer. It is indeed him who finances it!

Moreover, training, according to the collective agreement, can be followed on working time.

For the company, your training time will not be beneficial. It is therefore essential to negotiate well.

2 - Know how to choose relevant training

You must first find a training that is logically part of your professional career.

Your employer would not finance a hobby or a fad. If your training is to be profitable, it must also be beneficial to the company.

For example: a commercial English course can meet the international goals of your employer. Having a bilingual collaborator would be an asset.

3 - Prepare your presentation to convince your employer

Be sure to introduce it to your employer:

* Begin by testing the ground in oral, during your quarterly evaluation for example.

* If your employer seems to agree with the principle of training, then prepare your project:

- you must present a specific roadmap.

- take care of the spelling.

- prepare your arguments.

- anticipate its possible reticence: will it take time? Yes, but it is an investment. You will be away a week? No, you can choose a part-time package. And so on.

* Finally, present your project to your employer and send him a written request so that he can think about it if necessary.

Good to know: pay particular attention to the dates of training. This should not take place at the same time as the biggest congress of company or during the holidays, when the number of employees is lacking.

If you are opposed, ask why. You may be able to adjust your request and represent it later.

Recruitment Interview Grid

Recruitment is a necessary step in any paid employment relationship. It responds to specific codes that need to be known and are part of a recruitment interview grid.

Interview grid and recruitment questions

The employer may ask limited questions to the employee during recruitment. Some are allowed, others are prohibited.

Good to know: Labor Code provides that in any enterprise employing at least 300 employees and in any recruiting company, recruiters receive training on non-discrimination at hiring at least one time every five years.

Allowed queries

The employer has right to ask questions that are directly related to the duties of proposed position.

The information requested during the interview should be used solely to assess the candidate's professional skills. In order to do this, the investigation methods must also be transparent and relevant.

The candidate must be informed beforehand as to the used methods and techniques.

Good to know: if the information required corresponds to the right conditions, the candidate must answer it in good faith. On the other hand, the employee can not be sanctioned for concealing an element that the employer did not have to mention during the hiring interview, such as his state of health.

Prohibited investigations

As a matter of principle, in terms of recruitment, there are two imperative requirements for the employer:

* He must respect the privacy of candidate for hiring.

* He must refrain from making his choice on discriminatory grounds.

He can not question the candidate on the following criteria: state of health, political or religious convictions, origin, trade union activity, pregnancy, family situation, etc.

Establishment of a recruitment interview grid

Candidate responses

Once identified the questions that may or may not be asked, it is up to the recruiter to establish a grid on the progress of interview.

The general attitude of candidate, such as his attire, punctuality, attitude, gestures, dynamism, listening skills, oral expression, and coherence of speech, is noted. The recruiter will also appreciate the veracity and consistency of speech.

He must put these presentation assets in correlation with the writing of cover letter and  curriculum vitae. It will be mentioned the training of students, or the professional experiences of candidate. They will be linked to their professional skills and their future professional projects.

Note: other complementary skills can be important, such as computer science, languages, office automation.

Replies related to the position

Finally, the practical questions of taking a position will arise. The proposed remuneration will be contrasted with the candidate's expectations regarding compensation.

Similarly, it will be necessary to highlight the date of taking the job envisaged with the availability of candidate, depending in particular on the execution of a notice period or the existence of a non-compete clause.

Finally, the question arises of motivations in the form of knowledge and know-how that will sometimes make it possible to distinguish one candidate from another.

Prepare for Job Interview

You have sent several applications to respond to job offers.

Your cover letter and resume have been impressive, here you are at the major step of job interview.

To ensure a good promotion of your candidacy, there are different styles of hiring interviews that you will need to prepare to attract the interest of your recruiter.

Prepare and complete successfully a job interview

In order to successfully complete your job interview, you will set a course of action that will determine your appointment.

Before the job interview

As a first step, you will have gathered all the necessary information about the company proposing the position to be filled so as not to be caught off guard during the various interview questions.

You will take care of yourself, that is to say:

* you will be fit physically, morally and relaxed, so you will have slept well the day before;

* dress according to the concerned position:

- avoid clothes that are too obvious and do not obscure your personality.

- your dress must be sober and tasteful, remember that you are supposed to represent the company that recruits you.

- so be consistent with the image conveyed by the latter.

During the interview

Many factors will determine whether you are the ideal candidate for the proposed position. You will therefore put all the chances on your side:

* be on time to your appointment, relaxed, but not too casual;

* it is even advisable to arrive 10 minutes before the hour, to take the time to discover the premises of company, to observe the people, to feel the atmosphere;

* you are spontaneous, dynamic and smiling, you will approach your interlocutor with a frank handshake;

* be enthusiastic and do not hesitate to anticipate the typical question by answering the reason for your departure, why you wish to leave your current employer;

* be expressive: look interrogative, interest in the conversation of recruiter, be active in listening, look straight in the eye;

* your speech must be strong;

* always check your physical and body restraint which also plays a very important role;

* express yourself by asking relevant questions to lead the debate:

- nature of the position: creation, replacement, dismissal, etc.,

- medium- and long-term goals in the company likely to hire you,

- elicit your interest in the company in question by transmitting information you have previously collected on the company (website, journals, etc.),

- be careful not to overuse technical jargon;

* have a judicious attitude: repeat the name of your interlocutor several times in the conversation to make you sympathetic to his eyes;

* if you want to make notes about the company and the concerned position, ask if it does not bother;

* be careful during the interview, your recruiter may be disturbed (telephone, entry of a collaborator). Know where the conversation ended to pick it up correctly, when your interlocutor will ask you (he will take the initiative and not you);

* know how to highlight the missions and/or responsibilities you will have to take and demonstrate that these have already been entrusted to you and that they have been carried out successfully;

* do not hide that you are on other tracks;

* you are very interested in this position, but you are not in a desperate situation;

* you have the spirit of competition, you have a certain personality that makes the difference, at the end of interview, you can ask where your candidacy is at this stage of  selection;

* do not forget to thank your interlocutor for having received you, you are at his disposal for any additional information or for another appointment.

Preparing a job interview: what you should not do

Your main goal is to successfully complete your recruitment interview. In this case, there are pitfalls to avoid:

* for women: stay sober and elegant. Avoid challenging outfits and make-up;

* it is your interlocutor who tells you when you will have to sit down. You will therefore wait until you are invited and will not take the initiative;

* do not be depressed in your chair or chair;

* your towel will be placed next to you and not placed on your lap, it will be opened to quickly access the documents to be provided;

* do not let it be your first interview;

* show no sign of impatience or nervousness;

* you do not criticize your employer or the former companies for which you worked;

* do not speak or laugh too loudly, especially if people are working around you;

* do not cut off speech to your interlocutor;

* stay in the context of your professional career, your skills and your motivations for the position to be filled. Do not disclose too much about your privacy, some items may be eliminatory;

* similarly, the recruiter does not "do social", it is useless to seek to pity him with your personal problems (divorce, illness, mourning) more, it is badly perceived;

* to outlaw political discussions;

* have confidence in yourself, do not underestimate your abilities, but be careful not to fall into self-complacency;

* your interlocutor causes silences, do not get intimidated and ask relevant questions;

* the salary is dealt with at the end of interview, however, do not sell off, your application is interesting otherwise, would not have been summoned;

* do not make the mistake of indicating that you know people in the company, you do not know the judgment of your interlocutor on them.

Prepare for a job interview: recruitment tests

Some recruiters will ask you to take recruitment tests to separate you from the other candidates.

These are psychotechnical tests such as: tests of intelligence, aptitude, IQ and personality, etc.

To prepare for your job interview, you can:

* obtain various books from publishers specialized in this kind of tests,

* perform simulations on specialized sites to familiarize yourself with these different recruitment tests.

CV by Skills

The CV is your sesame and your best promotional tool when you are looking for a job.

It will be a CV for internship or a professional CV according to your training and your acquired experience.

In all cases, the presentation will be of paramount importance.

What is a CV by skills?

The CV by skills is classified by acquired competency during your professional career, unlike the classical CV which is classified by theme.

It will therefore highlight the candidate's experiences without revealing the career's chronology.

So it will be the best selling skills that will be presented in the foreground to find a job.

CV by skills: what are the objectives?

Recruiters, recruitment firms, headhunters or companies regularly receive numerous applications. It will thus be necessary to leave the lot to be able to obtain a first interview of hiring.

The CV by skills will enable the various recruiters to:

* target the most relevant CVs while performing a quick reading of the latter,

* see, at a glance, what are the qualities and abilities of candidate:

- it allows to see precisely the tasks carried out in relation to the profile sought before highlighting the status of candidate,

- what it can bring to the company.

* eliminate the superfluous and avoid redundancy.

The CV by skills is more enjoyable to read, the recruiter gets bored less by reading the CV.

Who uses a CV by skills?

The CV by skills is still recent on the job market, so it is not yet accepted by all recruiters who do not necessarily like to change their habits.

All candidates can not use the CV by skills:

* A beginner will not be able to use a CV by skills because he/she does not have yet enough professional experiences.

* However, it will be suitable for experienced executives who have a good professional background.

* Persons who have been out of the labor market for some time. In this case, the CV by skills can hide the few "holes" in a CV.

Advantages and disadvantages of the CV by skills

As in all CVs, the CV by skills has its share of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

* The recruiter focuses directly on the essential points: skills, assignments, responsibilities.

* The CV by skills makes it possible to hide a vacuum in a CV, it is more discreet, because the chronological order is not respected.

* The CV by skills is particularly suitable for career reorientation or return to work.

The disadvantages

* The CV by skills can cause suspicion on the part of recruiter, he may think that you have something to hide because you do not respect the chronological order of the CV.

* Do not just list your skills, they have to be justified, you will have to discuss them in your interview, so they must really be acquired.

In any case, adopt the CV that best suits you to distinguish yourself from other candidates, you must make all the difference. Do not hesitate to play the franchise card.

Be aware that the recruiter generally checks the reliability of received information.