Pre-Employment Tests For Maintenance and Repair Workers
Top Skills and Abilities:
- Equipment Maintenance
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Manual Dexterity
- Information Ordering
Top 3 Tasks:
- Use tools ranging from common hand and power tools, such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, and wrenches, to precision measuring instruments and electrical and electronic testing devices.
- Perform routine preventive maintenance to ensure that machines continue to run smoothly, building systems operate efficiently, or the physical condition of buildings does not deteriorate.
- Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
Overview
When hiring maintenance and repair workers, skill and reliability are generally the most important factors to consider. Therefore, hiring managers should make sure they are selecting individuals who are capable of performing the tasks they are hired to do — and who are trustworthy and dependable. Aptitude, skills, and personality tests can help employers assess these qualities.
Assessments for Maintenance and Repair Workers
For example, the Wiesen Test of Mechanical Aptitude (WTMA) can be used to predict an applicant's performance on jobs involving machinery, tools, and equipment. The Criteria Basic Skills Test (CBST) measures basic literacy and numeracy, as well as attention to detail. Those employers whose primary concern is reliability and trustworthiness may also choose to utilize personality tests such as the Workplace Productivity Profile (WPP), a behavioral risk assessment that measures a candidate’s honesty, integrity, and attitude towards theft.
Requirements
While no formal education is necessary to become a maintenance and repair worker, many individuals obtain certificates and additional training in specific areas. They also have the option of demonstrating their proficiency by earning a certificate from a professional organization, such as the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals. Hiring managers should be on the lookout for these endorsements of skill. In addition to the practical side of the job, maintenance and repair workers need to be equipped with a strong set of soft skills to put clients at ease and describe mechanical problems in layman's terms.
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Source: U.S. Department of Labor