Your Ideas Are Not That Original

Most job seekers have very strong feelings on one particular topic: job interview assessments. It is not uncommon in today’s job market for an employer to ask you to take an assessment. Yes, they may ask you to take a test.

An employer may ask you to “do a case study.” An employer may ask you to take an IQ test or to write a paper. Or, an employer may ask you to write a sample marketing plan.

Very often, I hear from job seekers that they feel that these assessment are ridiculous. Job seekers believe they are a waste of time. The company is asking the job seeker to do free work. And, many job seekers feel that companies do assessments such as these in order to steal their ideas. Job seekers often feel that their resume should speak for itself.

But, what if we think about the other side of this issue? Yes, assessments do take more time. And, when it comes to test taking, it could be debated that they are not always perfectly fair.

Assessments do however give a company a bird’s eye view into how you think. For example, what if the manager who hires you doesn’t like your ideas, or your working style? Doing an assessment may give you the opportunity to avoid a company that’s not for you.

Plus, it is not uncommon to compete against Ivy League graduates in a job interview. If you only needed a resume, the Harvard graduate might win every interview. An assessment can allow an underdog candidate to be taken more seriously. It can show a hiring manager that you understand their business, and are willing to work hard.

I once used an assessment when interviewing candidates for a graphic artist role. Each person was asked to create an image. In fairness, I provided each person with a small payment for their work. But, this small project allowed me to clearly see who the most talented designers were. It allowed all bias to be set aside, and to focus on results.

Think of it this way. An assessment can help to set you apart from the competition.

And, on the topic of stealing ideas, I hate to break it to you. Your ideas are not that original. Neither are mine. It is not uncommon for two people to come up with the same idea. Not only that, a company cannot sustain on a few ideas that may have been shared in a job interview assessment. The likelihood that a company is interviewing you in order to take ideas from you is low.

Rather than be upset about an assessment, look at it as an opportunity. It’s your chance to shine, and it’s your chance to get a new job offer. Many candidates drop out on the assessment step. Be the candidate who takes a risk, and wins big. You might get the opportunity to implement the ideas you created.

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

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Happy hunting!