As a construction job seeker, what do I need to know about psychological and pre-employment testing?

As part of the construction interviewing process, construction executives are sometimes required to take a psychological test. Many widely used psychological tests ask questions that invade the test-taker's privacy. And the jury is still out as to whether these tests have any ability to predict whether a particular employee will lie, steal, manage poorly or cause other workplace problems. Because these tests are an imprecise measure at best, and because they are likely to be intrusive, construction employers would do well to avoid these tests in most circumstances.

Although aptitude and personality testing, and doctor evaluations take place with about 25-30 % of construction firms when hiring, which is typically due to the cost and the fact many tests have proven to be inconsistent and subjective in results. If a construction jobseeker were to take multiple tests with multiple administrators, or to take different types of tests, the results would not be consistent or conclusive. There is a margin for error that is significant which depends upon many variables and factors beyond the control of the test, so the results are more often subjective than objective.

As a result, known professional references, networking and intuition remain the most common means of evaluating construction job seekers for hire with most construction firms.