Employment application test

Tom Dunlap

Tom Dunlap

Here from the beginning
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Retired in Minneapolis
At one of the jobs I had I was given the task of creating a simple employment test to accompany the resume/application for the climbing crew.

The written part consisted of several questions styled on what might be found in the ISA Tree Worker certification.

Along with the written test I came up with a knot test. A complaint I heard from crew leaders was that someone had been hired who claimed to have many years of experience but couldn't tie or untie the most basic handful of knots.

Applicants were given a 8' length of ⅜" pole pruner cordage with a bowline on a bight tied in the middle. The first knot question was to untie the BOB. The Pass was to spill the bite backwards and it would fall apart. The Fail was to start to back weave the ends of the rope because they don't know their knots. Then there was a list of several knots to tie in the cord. One, of course, is a plain ol' bowline. The Pass was to have it TDS with a proper tail length.

The test was setup so that the HR person could be my proxy if I were out of the office. The key things I needed were how the BOB was untied and if the bowline was TDS fluidly or by fumbling.

I should have kept a set of pics of what applicants would hand back. Many 'bowlines' were really bad Home-Depot-Knots. Bowlines tied with tails either as short as a gerbil…OOPS!—-I mean hamster—- or long as a python. And this was from applicants who claimed to have years of experience. If any of them were hired their short comings on this simple test were noted and reviewed with them before signing on . Their crewleaders were notified too.
 
I like that idea of untying the bowline. Simple and effective to gauge proficiency without insulting someone that doesn't know better. A lot of ability to read into from the hiring perspective, yet most on the other side of the table would have no idea what you're really looking at.

I love it, and I'm gonna steal the idea
 
Seriously, you’re on the right track here Tom.

One of the most reassuring aspects of my work as a trade school teacher was the prescribed method of evaluation in the provincial system in which I worked, that required that all evaluations be practical and individual. Thus an exam in roofing for example would call for each candidate to calculate and cut rafters, install sheathing, flashing, membrane, drip edge, and shingles. It might take 6 hours and would be very strictly scored.
 
A month or two ago, a local company had me come out to do a “working interview”. It was fun, got to go deadwood a huge native cottonwood along a river with two other climbers. There wasn’t really a set “skills” test, it was just the 3 of us climbing, deadwooding this beast, and a lot of hilarious banter…… At the end of the day they reported back to management I guess so they could give me a hourly wage offer with the job that I declined.
 
Last edited:
Chris Schultz said:
do a “working interview”.
Click to expand...

DID YOU get paid for doing the work?

I'd never set things up like that. If the person gets hurt they are an employee and workers comp will cover them.

If a person seemed worth hiring Id setup a temp hire. After getting burned and paying high wages for no skill I told the climber that they were on a probation for the first week or two. The wage was usually loweer than what the asked for. During the probation it was usually evident if there were a keeper or not on the first day or two. At the end many of them got 100% of what they wanted for the whole time. Others stayed at the low rate...most were overpaid at that rate. I was upfront on what they were expected to do during the day.

Once I got the setup debugged it worked well. Never got burnt by paying too much during probation.
 
Chris Schultz said:
do a “working interview”.
Click to expand...

DID YOU get paid for doing the work?

I'd never set things up like that. If the person gets hurt they are an employee and workers comp will cover them.

If a person seemed worth hiring Id setup a temp hire. After getting burned and paying high wages for no skill I told the climber that they were on a probation for the first week or two. The wage was usually loweer than what the asked for. During the probation it was usually evident if there were a keeper or not on the first day or two. At the end many of them got 100% of what they wanted for the whole time. Others stayed at the low rate...most were overpaid at that rate. I was upfront on what they were expected to do during the day.

Once I got the setup debugged it worked well. Never got burnt by paying too much during probation.
 
Chris Schultz said:
do a “working interview”.
Click to expand...

DID YOU get paid for doing the work?

I'd never set things up like that. If the person gets hurt they are an employee and workers comp will cover them.

If a person seemed worth hiring Id setup a temp hire. After getting burned and paying high wages for no skill I told the climber that they were on a probation for the first week or two. The wage was usually loweer than what the asked for. During the probation it was usually evident if there were a keeper or not on the first day or two. At the end many of them got 100% of what they wanted for the whole time. Others stayed at the low rate...most were overpaid at that rate. I was upfront on what they were expected to do during the day.

Once I got the setup debugged it worked well. Never got burnt by paying too much during probation.
 
Tom Dunlap said:
DID YOU get paid for doing the work?

I'd never set things up like that. If the person gets hurt they are an employee and workers comp will cover them.

If a person seemed worth hiring Id setup a temp hire. After getting burned and paying high wages for no skill I told the climber that they were on a probation for the first week or two. The wage was usually loweer than what the asked for. During the probation it was usually evident if there were a keeper or not on the first day or two. At the end many of them got 100% of what they wanted for the whole time. Others stayed at the low rate...most were overpaid at that rate. I was upfront on what they were expected to do during the day.

Once I got the setup debugged it worked well. Never got burnt by paying too much during probation.
Click to expand...
Yes, I got paid. In regards to work comp etc. I did ask about that, and was told I would be covered if something were to happen. I believed that to be true. (Very reputable company). I guess that is a risk some companies are willing to take….. these are desperate times for lots of employers.
 
Tom Dunlap said:
At one of the jobs I had I was given the task of creating a simple employment test to accompany the resume/application for the climbing crew.

The written part consisted of several questions styled on what might be found in the ISA Tree Worker certification.

Along with the written test I came up with a knot test. A complaint I heard from crew leaders was that someone had been hired who claimed to have many years of experience but couldn't tie or untie the most basic handful of knots.

Applicants were given a 8' length of ⅜" pole pruner cordage with a bowline on a bight tied in the middle. The first knot question was to untie the BOB. The Pass was to spill the bite backwards and it would fall apart. The Fail was to start to back weave the ends of the rope because they don't know their knots. Then there was a list of several knots to tie in the cord. One, of course, is a plain ol' bowline. The Pass was to have it TDS with a proper tail length.

The test was setup so that the HR person could be my proxy if I were out of the office. The key things I needed were how the BOB was untied and if the bowline was TDS fluidly or by fumbling.

I should have kept a set of pics of what applicants would hand back. Many 'bowlines' were really bad Home-Depot-Knots. Bowlines tied with tails either as short as a gerbil…OOPS!—-I mean hamster—- or long as a python. And this was from applicants who claimed to have years of experience. If any of them were hired their short comings on this simple test were noted and reviewed with them before signing on . Their crewleaders were notified too.
Click to expand...
Many years ago I was working in Mobile, AL; and needed some PPE. I went to a local shop, which also did drug testing on the customer site, or at their PPE shop.
I asked what percentage of tests were failed at the PPE shop ?
70+% FAILED !

Why would someone get up in the morning, and go into the shop to be tested, knowing that they were going to FAIL !
 
@GregManning I’m betting that most of the 70% failures were people that show up to work: got injured, damaged something, or their number came up on a random…. Id also bet today that number is higher.
 
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