How do you test applicants?

[mcoffman]

Hi all!

Last week I went to AUGI CAD Camp for the first time and came away with some awesome stuff. In Robert Green's CAD Manager's Handbook course the topic of testing applicants came up. I'm trying to come up with some ideas and questions for putting together a multiple choice question set. My first question is, how many of you test applicant? Next I was hoping some of you may have ideas for questions to put into the test. To give some topics my company is in the Fire Alarm/ Nurse Call industry so we deal with Arch XREFs a lot as well as schematic systems layouts and obviously block libraries.

Thanks in advance!
MC

[Opie]

Have you tried these threads?


Screening Applicants
CAD Test for new hires
CAD Skills Test - Includes attachment(s)
Want Sample Questions to Ask During Interview
AutoCAD Interviews, conducting a CAD test
What makes a good CAD operator?
New Hire/Interview AutoCAD test
Testing during Interviews
AutoCad recruitement test
Guidelines when interviewing someone
Autocad Architectural Test - Includes attachment(s)
Testing of new hires
AutoCAD questions for interviewing
Questions to ask while interviewing a potential employee

[mcoffman]

Once again I forgot the FIND command...

Sorry! Thanks for the links!

MC

[jaberwok]

Why multiple choice?
Draughting isn't (in the conventional sense) a multiple choice occupation.

[Doodlemusmaximus]

Very difficult this one I would tend not to test, as most of the time I find that it gives you a lot a lot more than their CV unless you over complicate the test, in which case what are you really after here? i would tend to use the provisional period to assess them before carrying on with them. Or even better yet have a system where by you take them on, on contract with 1 week notice period for a trial period before making them permanent. That aways works out fine.

[H-Angus]

Very difficult this one I would tend not to test, as most of the time I find that it gives you a lot a lot more than their CV unless you over complicate the test, in which case what are you really after here? i would tend to use the provisional period to assess them before carrying on with them. Or even better yet have a system where by you take them on, on contract with 1 week notice period for a trial period before making them permanent. That aways works out fine.

Yep same thoughts here. Also what about technical skill/knowledge? In my experience it is more important than CAD which can be taught relatively quickly. But alas there are also other threads which discuss this.

[Avatart]

When our new users start, they are on six months probation, if they can't draw, they can find the door.

Usually a quick look at the CV and references will tell you all you need to know about thier CAD skills.

[mcoffman]

Unfortunately company policy where I work precludes probationary periods. Once you're on, you're on. We've recently had a several bad hires that in interview were able to BS their way to sounding like real pros. Having to take a simple test would have prooved or disprooved their claims. I found a neat test at www.academix.com (http://www.academix.com/) that not only tests on acad knowledge but ability to follow instruction.

As for relying on industry experience over drafting skills that is not an option. I work in the Life Safety industry (Fire Alarm, Nurse Call, Access Control, etc.) and finding people that have even heard of that field let alone know what they're doing in it is VERY rare. We have to rely on a new hire knowing their stuff about drafting so we can focus on training them on the industry skill set. I'm in charge of training and don't have time to explain what an xref is when I've got to teach someone what a networked transponder system is. At the very least I want to know what their weaknesses are heading in so I'm prepared rather than having to spend a week fixing all the drawings that were FUBAR'd by their incompetence. (Yes that happened and that person is no longer with the company)

Anyway... I think I've found what I'm looking for. Thanks for the input everyone! In an ideal world I would agree with most of you that pre-hire evaluation shouldn't be necessary but at least in my situation it appears to be.

Thanks!
Mc

[mcoffman]

Why multiple choice?
Draughting isn't (in the conventional sense) a multiple choice occupation.
The idea isn't to see if they're a master drafter. It's to test basic knowledge of AutoCAD to see if they are being honest in where their at. I don't mind working to train someone who isn't the best drafter so long as they admit it and are willing to put in the extra effort to learn it in addition to learning the new industry skill set. It's when someone claims to be a "Power User" and is blowing smoke that I get a tad bit annoyed when they wreck a week's worth of work on a project.

The idea of the evaluation in my mind is to weed out the chaff, and to see where those that truly want to be there and are honest about it are in their existing skill set.

MC

[jpduhon]

Unfortunately for the CAD Man., applicant testing is virtually non-existent in Architectural firms, at least here in Chicago. Employers are much more concerned with the applicant's abilities as a designer and critical thinker.

On the up-side, a good, well rounded candidate that exhibits these qualities will generally prove to be a good technology adopter and, if they don't know CAD well already, will be a fast learner. The down side, of course, is that people of all professions will BS their way into a job and the cadman has to take the good with the bad.

[avdesign]

Here's my 2¢ testing a candidate depending on the field can be tough. You have to balance various skills you need vs the skills they may or may not have. This can be gamble for some of specialized business that use CAD. I can teach CAD but what I can't teach is necessary skills that take experience and time to learn. I'd rather hire a indivdual with the experience skills and then teach them CAD. But that's just me and my experinces .