How do I prepare for the personal evaluation?
Before receiving the invitation by e-mail, you have already discussed the course of the evaluation day with the interviewing consultant or the assistant in charge of the arrangements. You have agreed on a suitable date and discussed the content of the day. I hope you also asked any questions that you may have had about the evaluation. If you have any special needs related to mobility, writing, reading, or anything else, please let us know at this point. This will allow us to take them into account in the day’s arrangements and provide you with an unbiased and enjoyable experience.
What should I expect?
Depending on the situation, you can perform the tasks in person or remotely, or combine both. By participating in the evaluation at our office, we can guarantee you a peaceful space without distractions. This is something you should take into consideration if you do not have this option at home. Especially when it comes to tests with time limits, it is important that you can be free of disruption. Sometimes it is possible for you to choose whether you want to attend the evaluation in the daytime or evening. We want to offer this flexibility, but please also note that at the end of the day, you may be tired, and this may affect your test results.
It is worth taking little everyday things into account when preparing for the evaluation. Check the address and how to best get there on time. You will get more information about local parking options in the invitation. Make sure, too, that you do not have any unresolved issues at work or at home, so that you can fully concentrate on the tasks of the day. If your evaluation goes over lunch time, there are plenty of lunch restaurants near our offices where you can have food. We have sometimes been asked about the appropriate dress code, and our answer is: dress like you normally do when working in an office. Normally, reviewing graduation and work certificates is not part of the evaluation day; if the certificates are to be included, this will be stated separately in the invitation.
If you are doing the tasks and interview remotely, make sure you have a quiet space where you will not be disrupted. Interruptions can affect test performance. Turn off all the alerts and notifications on your phone and computer. Check that your internet is working. During the interview that is part of the suitability evaluation, you will be interviewed by one consultant. The evaluation may also include simulations, in which you and several other applicants are in remote contact with each other at the same time.
You can dress for a remote interview as you would dress for a job interview, at least to the extent that is visible to the interviewer through the camera. Keep in mind that your face should be seen, meaning the light should preferably come from the front rather than the back. For example, if you sit in front of a window, your face may be left in the shadows. In any case, you should check that the background is peaceful and tidy. You can also use a separate background
Tests and tasks
You will be completing questionnaires already before the evaluation date. This will add flexibility to your timetable. Complete preliminary tasks in good time before the deadline. It’s never good to leave things to the last minute. You will also be doing some tests during the day. It is possible for you to do example tasks in all your tests: the purpose is not to evaluate your test-taking ability, so the example tasks help place all applicants on an equal footing. If you want, you can try questionnaires that are freely available online that resemble the researched psychological test we use. Even if they are not official psychological tests, you will gain experience in how to complete them.
You should take the tests in your mother tongue whenever possible. In most tests, you can choose at least between Finnish, English or Swedish. Some tests have a wider variety of language options. Sometimes when answering questions, it can seem difficult to choose the option that suits you best. Don’t spend too much time considering these. No test result is dependent on a single answer; it is about the big picture. Even when it comes to the capability tasks with a time limit, it is possible to leave an individual task unfinished and move on to the next one if you cannot find a solution. Try not to stress too much about the tasks. Capability tasks tend to go quite well, even if you don’t have time to finish all the tasks within the time limit.
Often, the evaluation day also includes simulation tasks, in which you need to solve various problems alone or in a group. The tasks aim to build a good environment where you can show off your skills as yourself.
Interview
You can also prepare for the interview by going through what to expect from the new position and how your own abilities meet these expectations. The interviewing consultant is familiar with the requirements of the position; however, they only know about you based on your preliminary task. The consultant has a set of criteria they have agreed on with the client. You can get an idea of these criteria by familiarizing yourself with the job advertisement, for example, if one has been drafted for the job. It’s a good idea to mirror your own previous experience with these criteria and to be prepared to describe how you would use your strengths to meet your employer’s expectations.
The interview is an important part of the evaluation: here, all the other results get their meaning through you. Therefore, the consultant will help you with the questions to allow you to communicate as well, accurately, and beneficially as possible about your own abilities and development opportunities. Here, you will go through concrete events from your career and your future plans. The consultant believes that you are the expert on your life and hopes that you have confidence in their work as an evaluation specialist. In this role, the consultant will compare your preparedness to the criteria needed to succeed in the position – the same criteria that you familiarized yourself with when you decided to apply. You and the consultant have a similar objective in this regard.
After the evaluation day
The evaluation day will result in an estimate of how likely you are to succeed in the position you are applying for. The evaluation compares your way of working to the criteria set for the position. Even if you are not suitable for that particular position, it does not mean that you cannot be recommended for another one.
This evaluation is reported to the recruiting supervisor. You always have the opportunity to get feedback on your evaluation. You and the client will receive the results in the same format. Reporting usually includes at least an oral and graphical summary of the results. Often our client orders a written report from us, in which case, you will also receive one. If you have any questions about the report, or if you would like to discuss your future with the evaluator, please feel free to contact the consultant.
Read more After the evaluation.
You can contact us by calling 040 092 7635 or emailing psykologiassistentit@mps.fi.
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