Testing prospective employee computer literacy

[SilverLining]

Could anyone recommend an intermediate online tool which is capable of testing someone's computer literacy and skills. I'm thinking along the lines of attaching emails, Excel functions, managing folder structures, dating capturing and a bonus if it tests for Access (and if the person knows it :-) Basically just to get around the people who tell you they are computer literate and they they know Jack.

This will be help to find a successful candidate for office admin position.

Thanks!

[rfung]

These seem like it would be easy to determine if you ask them a few simple questions during the phone/in person interview.

[andye]

Get them to actually do a couple of tasks that are typical of the work you'll be giving them.

Give the same tasks to each candidate so you can compare how well they do. Give them a time limit, and a written description of the task (so they're all working from the same info).

[Lexur]

...if you ask them a few simple questions during the phone/in person interview...

NO NO

I once had an employee with the perfect resume, nice personality and even big... well... attitudes.

I just realized my mistake once I saw her hitting the keyboard with two fingers.

You must develop some fake/test task and give all prospects a written script. Look at them while are working and carefully review the results.

[Steerpike]

I'm a professional programmer with 10 years experience who works as a web developer for the runner up of Australia's interactive company of the year: I still mostly type two fingered.

[ash1711]

Same here I can't touch type, or spell that well for that matter, but I'm not in admin just I.T. ;)

Back to the origional subject though, you could try getting a study book for the ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) qualification they should have basic questions on the material covered in there which is quite basic and some also come with a CD with sample questions on it.

[lorax]

1 finger or 2 doesn't matter to me. Can they get the job done in the timeframe I expect and at a quality level equal to their pay grade? Only one way to find out. Either they take a series of tests or they're hired for a trial period.

[DamonHD]

Hi,

I always hire for a probationary period.

Always.

Some people can hide their true colours in interview...

A good example of why you should do it?

One guy got hired simultaneously by TWO of my clients for full-time work (he claimed to each of them that he was moving or ill or some reason to be a bit patchy in his initial attendance I think). He was also quite aggressive to deter people from asking him questions. His misfortune was to be sitting right next to me in both companies which led to some interesting questions from me.

I'm not sure that either of the companies had him on probation, so actually firing him would have been quite messy and expensive, and I think that he was going to string them along for a month or two and then have them just get rid of him quietly to avoid difficult court cases.

However, since I pointed out to him that I knew extremely senior people in both companies (the MD of one, for example) that if he didn't resign without taking any money I'd be quite prepared to stand up in public court and say was a fraud he was...

Anyway, thankfully, he went...

(And yes, I did tell the senior people so they had to stop payroll given the fraudulent nature of his sign-on.)

Rgds

Damon