Job Hunting? Dig Up Those Old SAT Scores

[Earth_First]

Employers Still Want Candidates' Test Results—Sometimes Decades Later

A low score doesn't necessarily kill a person's chances, hiring managers say; instead, they say they believe SATs and other college entrance exams like the ACT help when comparing candidates with differing backgrounds or figuring out whether someone has the raw brainpower required for the job.

But some companies do set targets, particularly on the math section. Mark Rich, managing director of consulting-industry recruiting firm Whitehouse Pimms, says clients often tell him to screen for candidates whose SAT scores placed them in or above the 95th percentile. Investment firm D.E. Shaw Group asks candidates to break out their math and verbal results.

Google Inc. famously fixated on job candidates' grade-point averages, test scores and alma mater, but the company changed tactics about two years ago, when data showed that traditionally pedigreed candidates didn't always make better hires.

Internal studies found "very little correlation between SAT scores and job performance," said Kyle Ewing, head of global staffing programs at Google. The company now relies on interview questions that probe how a potential hire has solved complex problems in the past.

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303636404579395220334268350?mg=reno64-wsj

[exboyfil]

1. Ridiculous

Either lazy HR or grade inflation at universities making it impossible to assess candidates.

[yeoman6987]

4. Good God

Seriously, I have to go try and find my SAT scores from 1986 and 1987 (took them twice) if the job is interested in them. Wow! We have really gone crazy.

[yeoman6987]

5. For my current position

I forgot I did need to provide my transcripts from Florida State (1991) and George Washington (2000) for my current position which I started in 2012. You would think after 12 years graduating from GW with an MBA that they would care less what my grades were and only care about what I did from 2000 until 2012 work wise. Very weird what is going on with employment.

[wilt the stilt]

2. depends on the job

I find the most important 3 qualities in sales is discipline, organization and listening. For technical positions it is problem solving. People in business are for the most part pretty average intelligence. I happen to be in software and by and large we do have pretty smart people. More than one person I have spoken to us never felt so dumb as when they joined us and actually starting to work here and noticed how smart everyone is. Of course this has deteriorated as we got bigger.

Funny thing in sales is most of the top sales people came from 2nd tier schools and had average grades. My wife was a great student and at first she went into sales and her first boss said the her that most really "good " students make lousy sales people. My wife stunk in sales. t's almost like the better student gets good marks as a hedge to take the risk out of their career. Sales people are risk takers. They are gambling their job all the time and especially in enterprise software.

The thing that drives many people nuts is how much an enterprise software sales person can make. It drives the accountants nuts but guess what no sales and the only job an accountant has is closing the business.

Universities by and large don't get it. There is an over emphasis on accounting and marketing and finance. There are almost no sales courses in college and the ones they do have are a joke. The business curriculum is based on a model when we were a manufacturing country. It is the same as when I went to school 40 years ago.

Accounting is a support position yet most colleges are run by ex-accountants. I'm taking my son under my wing and I am going to teach him enterprise sales. From creating a territory, cold calling and the politics in sales. He will make money.

[exboyfil]

7. I was in technical sales for 3 1/2 years

I was not very good at it, but I learned a great deal. I don't think you can teach it at school.

I would never resent a salesperson's salary - without them we would all be in the unemployment line. Customer first, sales next in that order in my opinion.

It is good you are teaching your son your business. I told my daughter, who is studying to be an engineer, to get some sales experience early in her career. She will understand business better, and she might decide she likes it.

[wilt the stilt]

13. you wouldn't because you have done it

and you know how hard it is. One of the biggest is building a pipeline and cold calling. I'm one of the best cold callers in the country.and everyone around me knows it. I'm known within my industry. If you knew the people I cold call and what my rolodex looks like it would amaze you. I have actually affected the country by some of the deals I have made.

[Arkana]

3. That's...dumb.

Even colleges barely care about SAT scores anymore.

[Javaman]

6. As if my SAT score from 30 years ago as any barring what so ever on today.

I other news, kindergarten finger paintings now needed for job profile studies.

[NightWatcher]

10. We'd love to offer you the job but you clearly colored outside of the lines

Sure, your PhD is impressive but we demand perfection. Excuse me I need to go, the French Fry machine is acting wonky.

[Javaman]

12. That's been following me my whole life! damn those lines!

LOL cheers

[PasadenaTrudy]

8. I never even took the SAT

I made it to grad school, though. I had dropped out of HS in my junior year in 1981.

What about folks who didn't attend HS in the US? My Korean friend moved here in her 20s and is going to college now

[ananda]

9. Newsflash to employers!

Just because somebody might have had high SAT math scores back in the day,
doesn't mean they know math now. Cough

[PasadenaTrudy]

11. No kidding!

What, are they going to ask you to solve a quadratic equation during the interview? "Here. Graph this function!"