Do Employment Assessments Alienate Good Potential Employees?

Because I had been actively attempting to drum up more work, I was spending an average of six hours a day filling out applications and taking assessments.

And, because of a recent experience I had with a popular car rental company who shall remain nameless (but you Trekkies know who I'm talking about), I have decided to pose the question to employees and employers alike: Are lengthy assessments and applications just alienating and frustrating good employees?

On average, the process is pretty much the same on the employee's end; You find a position you'd like to apply for, you click the "Apply" box, and you upload your resume' and cover letter.

Now, all of your relevant information is in their system...but they'd like you to type it all in manually again anyway. So you do. Done? No.

Actual screenshot from an assessment

Now come the assessments. Provided there are no glitches in their system, and their assessment software is compatible with your computer, you embark on a 1-3 hour journey that leaves you forgetting what job you actually applied for in the first place.

The above-unmentioned car rental company had a 150 question section first. Yes, FIRST. I was asked questions like "Do you like to visit art museums?" "Do you like poetry?" "Do you like to read?"

None of these questions seem to be relevant to the position in question, but I play along and answer as truthfully as I can.

The first section is done! I move forward to the second section; A 50 question math test. I complete that even though the job description requires no math.

I have now completed section two and move on to section three. Section three is a 30 minute tutorial on the test that is still to come. I watch the tutorial (which cannot be skipped) and move onto the test customer service/ data entry section. This section lasts an hour. It freezes several times, at which point I need to start all over again. But I do it.

After what feels like an eternity, I complete all sections. Within hours, I receive a standard rejection email stating that based on my assessment questions, they can not move forward with my application, but I am welcome to retry in a year. A YEAR. Because I like museums?

So, I am wondering: If my section 1 assessment questions were the problem, then why was I prompted to do two more hours of testing?

While this may seem like an extreme case, it actually isn't. I have to say that most of the application processes are just like the above example. Amazon is another company with a similar assessment process. However, if you are not accepted for one position, and you want to apply for a different one, you cannot retake the assessment. Therefore, you are rejected for ALL positions based on an assessment you completed 3 months ago for a different position.

It's mind-boggling. And I'm actually good with bureaucracy and hoop jumping. I can't imagine how anyone who doesn't test well, or who can't complete the tests because of lack of equipment or resources or who has a disability, can actually take these tests successfully.

Maybe I'm too old school. But I miss the days when someone posted a "Help Wanted" sign in their window, and you could walk in, answer a few questions and, hopefully,
leave with a job.

A happy ending for all.