Bizarre application questions...

[Cooper]

So, I have an interview, and a non-confirmed interview (I know the guy, my parents know the guy, he's said he will interview me, but when he has more people to interview. I don't fully trust him), and I've been applying to temp agencies.

Questions were T/F, or Yes/No.

There were the bizzare, but strangely common, like: "Everyone lies on their job applications." "Everyone steals from work." "Sometimes I feel my job owes me."

Then the obvious red flag ones: "Sometimes, I just have to punch people's lights out."

Then the huge WTF one: "I understand why some people go on shooting rampages."

[Pixilated]

But ... who on earth would answer them truthfully if they DID apply?? That's what I've never understood. We recently had class assessments (all on Scantron; heaven forbid they should actually give students a chance to make their own comments), and one was "Students do not cheat in this class."

Well, really, how the *bleep* would I know??

[Cooper]

Pixilated, that's what struck me at first. But I guess if you're crooked enough to agree, and stupid enough to agree publically, that takes you off the list on two counts.

I was used to the 'psych exam' stuff... it's just that I felt like, for this specific test, I was trying to prove I wasn't a RAGING psychopath, rather than trying to prove I was a halfway-decent person.

[jedimaster91]

Those questions tend to make you look like a liar, a psychopath, or a lying psychopath.

[mhkohne]

But ... who on earth would answer them truthfully if they DID apply?? That's what I've never understood.

It doesn't matter (at least in theory). They ask a variety of questions that get at the same underlying psyc features, so if questions addressing the same feature come up wildly different, then they know something is up.

[Kittish]

Thing is, the 'psych evaluations' don't work. Give the same person the same test on a different day, and you'll get different results. That, and the wording of the questions skews the test toward particular results.

[MoonCat]

Tests like that are BS for a very simple reason. It doesn't take a huge intellect to figure out what they WANT you to say. If you want the job badly enough all you do is give those answers. Doesn't guarantee you'll be hired, but it will get you closer to the short list than admitting you want to punch someone's lights out, even if that's true.

[aqutalion]

On some true-crime show I used to watch, they mentioned an armored car company that had the question "I have thought about how to rob an armored car", or somesuch on their application eval, and tossed all the applications who answered "no". They figured everyone at least thinks about it, and if you answered no, you weren't being honest.

When I applied for my security clearance, the questionaire asked if I'd ever participated in or plotting terrorist action against the US, and from all the confidentiality disclaimers, they were apparently expecting people to honestly answer "yes".

[Racket_Man]

During my IT days I had to fill out SOOOO may of those Psych test/eval that I would/could spot the reworded questions in a heartbeat. I would say about half of the jobs had those types of test/evals.

There were sometimes 3 or 4 variations of the same question all posed in different manners.

[KhirasHY]

"Ah, I see you're excellent at lying on bullshit tests. I don't even have to ask why you think you'll be a good fit for this company!"

[Dreamstalker]

When I applied for my security clearance, the questionaire asked if I'd ever participated in or plotting terrorist action against the US, and from all the confidentiality disclaimers, they were apparently expecting people to honestly answer "yes".

That actually makes sense in a way; I've always thought that the 'best' way to defend against something is to have done it (or researched it) yourself so you know what's likely to happen and can act accordingly...yet still be honorable enough not to use the knowledge to do bad things. That's where it can get tricky.

[bhskittykatt]

I hate those tests.

I remember one question when I applied for a GM position was "Sometimes I get frustrated". Well no sh*t, everyone gets frustrated sometimes. What kind of BS is this?

That actually makes sense in a way; I've always thought that the 'best' way to defend against something is to have done it (or researched it) yourself so you know what's likely to happen and can act accordingly...yet still be honorable enough not to use the knowledge to do bad things. That's where it can get tricky.

That's the same thinking I had with those questions. Have I thought about robbing an armored car? Hell yes (and thought about taking it for a sweet joyride/car chase afterward). Would I ever actually do such a thing? Hell no.

I've spent a lot of time thinking how, exactly, I could cover my tracks in our computer system if I wanted to rip off the company. I never would, but if a CW ever came up with the same ideas I did I would be sure to notice! I think that's a benefit in the end.

[Dreamstalker]

It seems that in general, a 'yes' answer to any of those type of questions gets an application chucked...it 'must' mean that someone will do X

(for instance: I've been looking at the self-scans with a shoplifter's eye so I'll know what to look for myself. I'm probably the only person in the store who does so)

[Sulhythal]

People that write this things...or, perhaps, it might be better to say that the ones who READ those things probably do not know the difference between fantasy and reality.

The "zomg thief!" ones that are phrased so ambiguously (Have you ever known anyone who stole something? I mean, yeah come on. Everyone knows SOMEONE...even if you never hung out with them, you probably knew someone in school who stole...but saying yes means they think your closest friends are thieves?)

Though if it was possible, my answer to the armored car question would be something along these lines: "Well, not previously, no. But I certainly am NOW, after reading that question. Thanks a bunch"

[smileyeagle1021]

The "zomg thief!" ones that are phrased so ambiguously (Have you ever known anyone who stole something? I mean, yeah come on. Everyone knows SOMEONE...even if you never hung out with them, you probably knew someone in school who stole...but saying yes means they think your closest friends are thieves?)

Yeah, and of course it couldn't possibly be that you know someone who stole from you!
Yeah, I know a thief, the wrotten bastard stole a $1000 laptop, $500 trombone, an XBOX, and about $100 of cash, and then skipped town... I'm pretty sure his green card was expired too if we want to go there.
Oh, and for those who are wondering how I could allow such a nefarious person to become close enough to rob me blind, my bishop at the time told me about him, that he was a recovering addict, had already gone through a 12 step rehab program and needed a place to stay until he could get back on his feet. I of course was reluctant to let him into my home knowing his past, but I remembered my Christian teachings of judge not lest ye be judged and the fable of the good samaritan and let him stay with me despite my best judgement... clearly that makes me the type of person that you don't want working for you