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I applied for a software role at FedEx and was asked to take a personality test

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Re: I applied for a software role at FedEx and was asked to take a personality test

#51

Post by bluefirebrand »

ejb999 wrote: post #3
billy99k wrote: post #2

I once had a SW interview with a job that had a 2-hour long personality test. No tech questions. Just random questions to test my personality. It started out simple, like 'what was the last book you read' to more in-depth situations that had nothing to do with the job. The manager interviewing me (who admit he basically just started managing a month prior) told me he just read a 'great book on management' and wanted…

Yep - companies will continue to use these bizarre hiring criteria/tests unless or until enough people refuse to participate; but as long as their is a line of people behind you willing to do 'whatever' for the chance at the job, not much will change.

Unfortunately companies have found a loophole: They just say "we couldn't find anyone who is acceptable for the role locally so instead we'll hire overseas for a fraction of the cost, darn"

Almost like the unnecessarily complex hiring processes are built that way on purpose.

Re: I applied for a software role at FedEx and was asked to take a personality test

#53

Post by afandian »

niceice wrote: post #36

You can take it here: https://fedexdataworksprod.traitify.com/assessment/31449c4a-... Each one has a title like "Starter Not a Finisher", "Frequently Change My Mind", "Always Wonder Why", "Easily Offended", "Art Isn't My Thing", "Unstoppable", "Make Friends Everywhere", "Good Enough", "Not My Job", "Tend to Feel Sad", "Volunteering", "Believe the Best of People", "Hard to Start a New Task", "Loves the Social Scene",…

You missed “gullible”. They’re selecting for the kind of people who wouldn’t immediately bail when they see this nonsense. Or don’t have much choice.

Re: I applied for a software role at FedEx and was asked to take a personality test

#54

Post by bluefirebrand »

vundercind wrote: post #48
niceice wrote: post #36

You can take it here: https://fedexdataworksprod.traitify.com/assessment/31449c4a-... Each one has a title like "Starter Not a Finisher", "Frequently Change My Mind", "Always Wonder Why", "Easily Offended", "Art Isn't My Thing", "Unstoppable", "Make Friends Everywhere", "Good Enough", "Not My Job", "Tend to Feel Sad", "Volunteering", "Believe the Best of People", "Hard to Start a New Task", "Loves the Social Scene",…

I’m convinced most use of these is actually testing for: 1) bright enough to answer to achieve just about any desired outcome (usually not a high bar), 2) socially/politically aware enough to realize which outcomes will be good, and which will be bad; and, 3) agreeable/compliant enough to go ahead and game the quiz to achieve a good outcome without raising a fuss.

It seems to me that what you are getting is people who are both decently clever and fairly dishonest.

Which is an awful combination to select for, imo

Re: I applied for a software role at FedEx and was asked to take a personality test

#55

Post by schmookeeg »

niceice wrote: post #36

You can take it here: https://fedexdataworksprod.traitify.com/assessment/31449c4a-... Each one has a title like "Starter Not a Finisher", "Frequently Change My Mind", "Always Wonder Why", "Easily Offended", "Art Isn't My Thing", "Unstoppable", "Make Friends Everywhere", "Good Enough", "Not My Job", "Tend to Feel Sad", "Volunteering", "Believe the Best of People", "Hard to Start a New Task", "Loves the Social Scene",…

I get an ASMR-like response from taking tests/quizzes, even these sorta pop-psych nonsense ones.

Apparently I'm a "mentor" at FedEx. It resonates. :)

My current client had me sit one of these after 2 years on the job. That one labeled me "Debater". I argued with them out of principle. I think that if their HR people used it to screen me before I started, I would not have gotten the gig at all. :D

Re: I applied for a software role at FedEx and was asked to take a personality test

#56

Post by syntaxing »

I once took an IQ test(?), I think it was called Wonderlic or something. I was desperate and it was my first engineering (unpaid) internship. Somehow I was a “genius” and they kept my test record as an example for the next couple years after my internship. I would probably walk out of an interview if someone handed me one today.

Re: I applied for a software role at FedEx and was asked to take a personality test

#57

Post by devops_palmer »

Before Covid I went for an interview at a remote-only company, which was a huge plus. We had the first interview over zoom (or zoom equivalent at the time) and everything went well - Then I get a follow-up email about github access and they send me a huge github repo where they want me to complete an example web application that can do x,y and z based on some of the example models included, and want it done in a week to be eligible for hiring. I kindly declined the offer to code for free - and then was messaged a few months later that they had removed this whole section of the interview process and invited me to re-apply. Needless to say I did not apply agin.

Re: I applied for a software role at FedEx and was asked to take a personality test

#58

Post by dgfitz »

syntaxing wrote: post #56

I once took an IQ test(?), I think it was called Wonderlic or something. I was desperate and it was my first engineering (unpaid) internship. Somehow I was a “genius” and they kept my test record as an example for the next couple years after my internship. I would probably walk out of an interview if someone handed me one today.

This one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderlic_test

?

Re: I applied for a software role at FedEx and was asked to take a personality test

#60

Post by oskarw85 »

neon_electro wrote: post #26
isawczuk wrote: post #20

Glad to see feedback from real users. My company was pitched by Paradox [1] to use their chatbot and this bizarre questionnaire to hire SW. Their solution target mostly McDonalds workers and other bluecollar, where I believe it's "okeish to put human beings thru the mud first". They claim [2] there is science behind it, but me and my partner's feedback was it will never work for IT workers. [1] - https://www.traitify…

What does “putting humans through the mud” achieve?

Negative selection
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