We are devoting our entire issue this month to the mechanics of how our web-based testing system works, and we have included a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Performance Profile testing at our web site.  We want you to understand how easy it is to administer our tests, and how we can customize the service that we provide to your company.

Convenience, Confidentiality, and Personal Attention

Web-based testing is convenient for you because it allows your candidates to complete the questionnaires that I use to compile the Performance Profile Report on their own time.  It is confidential because only the applicant's answers travel, embedded in a stream of data, over the Internet.

For every applicant who completes the questionnaires, we send a Performance Profile Report, which represents my professional judgment about the person's work-related preferences and potential, and a Professional Development Guide, which is a customized developmental workbook that can be given to newly-hired employees.  The Professional Development Guide answers the new-hire's question, "How did I do on those tests?" and it provides suggested activities, readings, and self-exploration exercises that will help the individual become more productive.

We provide help to candidates who have difficulty with Internet connections, or who do not have Internet access, by sending paper, electronic, or faxed copies of the tests, and by answering questions about the testing process at our toll-free number (800-886-4356).

How Our Web Site Works

Access to the Assessment Center in our web site is controlled by a Log In ID and password, which we activate for you.  We provide a Web Instruction Sheet in electronic format that can be forwarded to candidates; the Web Instruction Sheet explains how to find our web site, presents the Log In ID and password, and explains how to get help from us if there are problems.

Certain information is required from the applicant, since I don't have access to resumes, interviews, or other information about the applicant that you have.  All of the information that an applicant provides me at our web site is confidential; it is transmitted to us as a stream of data, stripped of all questions and identification, so that it would appear to be nonsense if anyone outside of our organization were able to intercept it.

Starting, Stopping, and Resuming

A visit to our web site is called an "assessment session," and an applicant can take a break from the session, close the Internet browser window, and then re-open the Internet browser and find our site, log back in and choose RESUME to pick up where he or she left off.  We strongly recommend, however, that you advise your candidates to allow for enough time to complete all the tests in one sitting.  A candidate should allocate 60-90 minutes to complete all of the tests at our web site, although most candidates finish in less time.

Once a candidate completes the assessment session, we tabulate the results and I review every individual's results.  I assign them Job Match and Potential For Growth Ratings and an Overall Recommendation that is based on my knowledge of your company, the position for which the person is applying, and his or her answers to the three questionnaires that are used for all Performance Profile Reports.  We compile the Performance Profile and Professional Development Guide Reports, which are based on the individual's unique profile, and send it to you in an electronic format that you can open, read, and print.

We can get results to you for a candidate within an hour of the completion of the questionnaires at our web site, if that occurs during regular business hours.  If there is a need for special handling, all you need to do is call us and alert us.

Technical Information About The Questionnaires

The three questionnaires on which the Performance Profile Report is based are the General Information Appraisal (timed), the Helm Preference Inventory (not timed), and the Work Attitude Questionnaire (not timed.)  All are work-related, and were developed and validated for use with the general, functional working population.  That's a specific way of saying that these are not general-purpose personality questionnaires that are adapted to business needs; instead, they were developed and validated (that is, tested empirically to be sure that they measure what they claim to measure) for use with normal working adults.

Customizing Options

Our web site is flexible and we can accommodate most requests for customizing your company's access to it.  For example, we can assign one reusable password to you that can be used over and over, or we can assign a group of single-use passwords so that you can assign each candidate a unique password.  We can distribute completed reports to different individuals under different circumstances, for instance depending on which hiring manager authorizes the assessment session, and we can customize the personal history page of our web site to control the choice of "position applied for" that the candidate can choose.  If you are interested in customizing options, please call Barbara Otto at (800) 886-4356, or click here to send her an email.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

In this section, there are answers to the questions we most frequently answer about the testing process.

Are there different tests for different positions?

No, the Performance Profile Report is based on the same three tests:  the General Information Appraisal, the Helm Preference Inventory, and the Work Attitude Questionnaire.  When I look at each completed set of tests, I evaluate them differently, depending on the position, what I know about your company, and any benchmark studies we have done for that position in your company.

Does Helm and Associates, Inc., give applicants any feedback about how they did on the tests?

No, we maintain complete confidentiality and do not discuss any results with individuals, unless you have authorized us to do so.  We provide you with the Professional Development Guide at no additional cost, which is a customized developmental workbook that you can incorporate into a management development program, or use as a stand-alone development tool.   Click here to look at an earlier newsletter that focused on the Professional Development Guide.

How long does it take an applicant to complete the tests?

It takes most people less than 60-90 minutes to complete all of the questionnaires, but there are exceptions.  Some clients administer only one of our targeted employment tests, such as the TELLER TEST, and such a single purpose test may take as little as 12 minutes to complete.

How long does it take Helm and Associates, Inc., to process an applicant's answers?

We promise completed reports back to you within 24 business hours of the completion of the questionnaires, but it usually takes less than an hour from the time a candidate completes an assessment session until we send the Performance Profile and Professional Development Guide Reports to you.

What happens if a candidate does not finish all the tests at one sitting?

The candidate's answers are held in a temporary storage area in our web site, and the candidate can return to the web site, log back in with the same Log In ID and password (even single-use passwords), and choose RESUME to pick up where he or she left off.  We regularly review the temporary site and notify you if one of your candidates has started, but not finished, an assessment session.

What happens if you have an applicant who does not have easy Internet access?

We can deliver the tests and instructions via email, fax, or overnight delivery, and we maintain a toll-free fax number so that applicants can fax completed answer sheets back to us at no charge.

What happens if you have a candidate who is not fluent in reading English?

All of our tests are available in Spanish in electronic and paper form.  Simply call our toll-free number to arrange for Spanish-language tests if that is appropriate.

Why can't an applicant use a computer in a public library, or Web TV, to take our tests at our web site?

In order for our web server to send information to a test-taker, and to receive answers back, the person taking the test must be using a computer that has the "cookies" function enabled.  Our web site does not collect any information other than what the candidate types in response to our questions, and it does not leave any information behind, but it must be able to use the "cookies" function to collect the answers and then transmit them in real time.  Most public libraries disable this function and keep it out of the user's control.  Web TV does not have random access memory available for cookies.

Does a slow Internet connection (such as a dial-up connection) interfere with the timed test?

No, our web site turns the timer off when each question is answered, and does not turn it back on until the next question is displayed on the test-taker's screen.

How can you be sure that an applicant won't take the tests more than once?

We monitor each account daily; if we see that a person has taken the tests more than once, we immediately notify you.  In fact, it has never happened in the case of the Performance Profile questionnaires!

Can more than one applicant use the password we give you?

Yes, you can choose to be assigned a reusable password that can used indefinitely, or we can assign you a range of single use passwords so that you can assign a unique password to each candidate you ask to complete our tests.  The second option, single-use passwords, presents you with a bit more administrative work.

Can we tell whether an applicant has tried to take the tests at our web site?

Yes, we can tell if the applicant has begun to answer any questions.  If he or she simply logs in, however, but does not answer questions, there will be no "footprint" left behind.

Have you ever lost an applicant's answers from your web site?

No, we have never lost any information.  If an applicant has come to the site, answered the questions and clicked on SEND, he or she will see a confirmation number that establishes that all information was sent to our server.  Occasionally a test-taker will have connectivity problems.  When such technical difficulties occur, our Technical Support assists the test-taker in finding a way to complete the testing process.

How can an applicant get help while taking the tests, if he or she needs it?

Every screen in our web site includes a Click Here For Help button that provides our toll-free Technical Support number, and a link to our email.  If it is during regular business hours, help is only a phone call away; if it is in the evening or on the weekend, a message left at our toll-free number is always answered at the beginning of the next business day.

Do You Have Tests Other Than The Performance Profile Questionnaires At Your Web Site?

Yes, we can administer several single-purpose tests, such as the TELLER TEST, the Bank Customer Service Survey, the Work Attitude Questionnaire, and the General Information Appraisal as stand-alone employment tests at our web site.  In each case, the customized Results Report is sent to your email address after the applicant completes the test.  These tests are available on a pre-paid basis; call Barbara Otto or click here for more information.

A Question For You

We want to improve the quality of visits to our web site by your applicants.  Please call Barbara Otto or click here to send her an email if you have any questions or suggestions about how we can improve the testing process!