atest

Aptitude Tests by Welcome Solutions

The following five aptitude tests were developed within Welcome Solutions (all rights reserved) with the purpose to help PhD graduates and other professionals with academic education to find the right working environment for themselves on the open job market.

The tests were created in collaboration with professionals who are very successful in their current working environment and helped in constructing the questions for the associated tests. The tests were further normalized on the representative group of professionals in all age groups, working in various working environments.

Would you survive in a corporation?

1. If someone ignores your requests at work:

a. I switch to a zen mode, and I do nothing,

b. I confront them openly,

c. I report this to our common boss asking help,

d. I am looking for another solution to the issue so that I can avoid this person.

2. Which of the following statements fits you best?

a. It does not matter to me whether people whom I work with, have a similar attitude to life as me. Work is only work,

b. It is important for me to stand out as a unique personality in my environment,

c. It is important for me to be able to influence the way of thinking people around me,

d. It is important for me to function in a group of people who think alike.

3. What extra effort would you be willing to pay in order to get praised in front of all your coworkers?

a. Just to get praised? Nothing…

b. A good name at work is important. I might stay for an hour after my working hours for that purpose,

c. I could pay some effort as long as it does not screw my coworkers over,

d. I could do anything, as long as it is allowed by the labor agreement.

4. You believe that people who are most successful, are usually the people who are:

a. The most chilled and fun to work with,

b. The most hard-working,

c. The loudest and the most noticeable,

d. The most creative and the best connected.

5. When you are proposing a new project:

a. I am prepared to wait for my results for years. Patience is gold!

b. I understand that everything takes longer than expected when you work with people,

c. I have a plan in my head for how long it will take, and I aim to reach my own deadlines,

d. I want to have the results out as soon as possible.

6. What is your attitude to meetings at work?

a. Meetings are counterproductive, I avoid them,

b. I like participating in progress meetings once in a while,

c. I enjoy casting and attending meetings as long as it leaves me with enough time for work,

d. I adore meetings! I would be happy if I had a job that consists of meetings only.

7. How would you stand a boss who is clearly incompetent?

a. Not too well… I would probably quit,

b. I could handle this for some time,

c. I could handle this if the salary was good enough,

d. An incompetent boss is an opportunity and not a problem!

8. The annual Day Out organized by the company is:

a. Yet another boring thing to do, and I would rather spend this time with my family,

b. A bit stressful because I know that in fact, I stay under observation and evaluation,

c. A good occasion to chill and have some barbecue with colleagues. Why not!

d. A great occasion to drink with the right people, and to increase my circle of influence.

9. What is your attitude to procedures?

a. I never follow procedures,

b. Procedures are hell to me, but I use to follow them as I am scared of the consequences of not doing this,

c. I’m fine with procedures in general,

d. I always follow procedures. They make life a lot easier when you work with a lot of people!

10. What is your general attitude towards your job?

a. A job is not as important in life, jobs are like buses – they come and go,

b. A job is important but I have other personal priorities like family, health, and hobbies,

c. I am ambitious and I want to be best but a job is just a job: I will not work after my working hours or take up tasks I did not agree for,

d. A job is the most important thing in life! If you are truly passionate about your job, you will work day and night.

Is startup life for you?

1. Projects are piling up on your desk. The product launch is coming. It is hard to squeeze in all the tasks within a regular, 8-hour long working day… What are you going to do?

a. I care about my physical and mental health, therefore I keep 8-hour working days as before. Speeding up before the deadline is a short-lived strategy!,

b. I think of delegating some part of my work to my team members so that I can meet the deadline,

c. I try to keep the 8-hour long working day but right before the deadline, I arrange a working marathon together with my colleagues so that we have a beta version of the product by the market launch,

d. I put more hours for the time being. I care about my teammates, and the successful market launch is our common business!

2. For you, the future in your professional life is:

a. The most exciting when I can plan my development twenty years ahead,

b. The most exciting when I can be paid well and have a good status,

c. The most exciting when I have some personal freedom at work, and I can multitask multiple projects,

d. The most exciting when I have options and opportunities, and when I can closely watch leaders at work.

3. A client is knocking on the door of your office as he cannot find your boss. What do you do?

a. I excuse them and politely explain that I’m also not sure where the boss is at the moment,

b. I excuse them and politely explain that I’m also not sure where the boss is at the moment. Then, I share the boss’ private phone number with the client,

c. I offer them a seat, excuse them, and go find my boss,

d. I offer them a seat, ask if they would like a coffee or tea, and what the problem is.

4. Whenever working in a team, I prefer to…:

a. I don’t really like teamwork and prefer individual projects,

b. Be the boss,

c. Be told what to do, and follow the instructions,

d. Partner with teammates and share the responsibilities.

5. What do you think about the dress code at work?

a. I love it. It makes me feel like a professional!

b. It is acceptable to me as long as my position is prestigious and paid enough,

c. I am not a big fan of a dress code, it is uncomfortable. But well, it is often the part of the job and you need to accept it!

I am not a fan of the dress code at all. It limits my creativity and sense of personal freedom.

6. How do you usually treat your boss?

a. Boss is a boss, nothing else. It is the most healthy approach for me to treat my boss as a part of my professional life, and be formal around him/her. Treating your boss like a friend can only lead to problems,

b. Boss is a leader whose role is to make the project work. I usually keep formal around my bosses but if I have some transient problems in private life which lower my productivity, I share that with my boss,

c. Boss is a leader but an informal and friendly atmosphere helps in leading. I like being able to joke around with my boss, and inspiring conversations about both work and life,

d. I prefer bosses with whom I could be friends. If I can drink with my boss and talk about almost anything, I respect them more and I become more dedicated and productive.

7. You believe that very successful entrepreneurs such as Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, or Mark Zuckerberg are:

a. Opportunists who might be rich and famous but usually do not treat other people well,

b. Smart people but I cannot imagine to be friends with someone like this—I have a completely different mindset and developing big projects is not my thing,

c. People who are changing the world. I wish them well,

d. My idols. I would be grateful for the opportunity to ever meet them in person.

8. How would you feel about the fact that the company you are working for, will probably not be on the market anymore in three years from now?

a. Awful. Why would you even choose to jump a sinking ship? I would be living in the shadow of failure for the whole time,

b. Weird. I would be fine with this for the time being, but I would actively search for other job opportunities in case one day the company gets liquidated. I could have issues with motivation at work too,

c. OK-ish. I would make sure that I aggregate some savings in case the calamity happens, and I would keep my ears open to hear what comes next,

d. OK. I would make sure I enjoy working there as long as it lasts, and learn as much as I can. Nothing lasts forever!

9. Imagine a team which gets very successful with their product on the job market. Who should profit from this success the most?

a. Everyone in the team equally, duh?,

b. The people who did the actual job, i.e., developed/implemented the product,

c. The people who believed in the project, and invested their funds in this project at the early stage,

d. The people who came up with the vision, assembled the team, and found the investors

10. How do you feel about celebrating success at work?

a. I don’t enjoy it when I am expected to celebrate at work too often—I come there to do the job and not to drink. And especially, I do not like the situations when I am expected to stay at work after working hours,

b. I can handle celebrating with colleagues once in a while. I would rather join than organize it myself though,

c. Celebrating little successes is good for the motivation in the team so I am for it!,

d. Of course, I enjoy it! Working is stressful in general so cheering every success is essential to feel good at work. I often initiate little celebrations at work.

Is freelancing an option for you?

1. I prefer to work from:

a. Any place where I can access the internet,

b. Home,

c. Office.

2. I am:

A bit of a specialist but also a bit of a salesperson,

b. A specialist,

c. A salesperson.

3. When I have a boss:

a. I always feel a bit oppressed no matter how nice my boss is,

b. I sometimes like it, and sometimes not—depends on the boss,

c. I feel safer knowing that someone is out there to supervise my work.

4. I like it when:

a. I can be openly proud of the projects I did, and sign my name under everything I do,

b. I can choose which projects I have put my name on—and I can also wipe under the carpet when something does not work out,

c. I have little responsibility for the project, and I am a nameless member of the team.

5. My dream working style is:

a. To build a business which gives me a passive income, and travel all around the world,

b. To build a company and have other people working for me,

c. To have a stable, happy job in a large company where I am safe, paid well, appreciated and enjoy working in my team.

6. When I am alone at work, I feel:

a. Great—I am a great accompany to myself, duh!

b. Good but I need to consult other professionals regularly, or otherwise, I feel insecure or blue after a few days,

c. Not too well. Teamwork is always best!

7. I believe that I am:

a. A top professional in my field. My time and expertise are worth a lot!

b. I know things but I am not sure what is the market value of my skills,

c. Still on the learning curve, and I would rather be supervised by more experienced people.

8. My attitude to taking breaks and vacations is:

a. I know how to keep the work-life balance, and I always take free time when I feel I need it,

b. I keep a habit of going somewhere once per year when everyone else is taking vacations,

c. I tend to overwork myself and I usually take vacations when I am already almost a wreckage.”

9. I am:

a. Competitive. I like games in which you need to bid against other players or win the race,

b. Competitive from time to time—but I always make sure that other people do not suffer from my desire to win,,

c. Not competitive at all. I am the most chilled person I know, and I never race against others if I do not have to.

10. My control over my personal finances is:

a. Very good. I am always aware of how much money I have at the moment, I am familiar with the local tax regulations, I have a financial plan, and I am reasonable with my expenditures,

b. OK. I am not obsessed about my finances, but I am aware of what most of the taxes mean, and I am never late with paying my taxes,

c. So so. In daily life, I do not track my finances too closely as money is not an important part of my life. I have some savings so I am good, right?

11. When I work in a team with a toxic or very incompetent person:

a. I cannot handle this at all, and my life becomes miserable,

b. I try to avoid them as much as I can,

c. I am trying to get used to it. Well, that’s what the project requires…”

12. Among the following qualities, the quality most important to me is:

a. Freedom,

b. Building bonds with the right people,

c. Making an impact on the world.

13. When I need to face a few important deadlines in a short time:

a. I get double motivated: I put myself together, focus, and I become even more productive than usual. I function relatively well under stress and it’s hard to even recognize from the outside that I’m under pressure,

b. I stress out and procrastinate a little, but nevertheless, I force myself to finish and submit every task even though my solution might be imperfect,

c. I can crash under stress and call off or postpone some of the projects.

14. When I do a project for someone else, it is the most rewarding aspect for me to see:

a. That person’s smile when they see the results of my work,

b. The results of my work,

c. The honorarium transferred onto my account.

15. My daily life at work is usually:

a. Irregular and diverse. I can get creative and focused at different times during the day and night. I also like interweaving deep work with social contacts with people (e.g., meetings with coworkers or clients, or social media activity), and other distractions such as exercise or meditation. If I spot a new opportunity, I reshuffle my agenda and take it!

b. Rather flexible but I prefer to keep a steady rhythm, start and finish working around the same time every day. If I don’t finish some task today, then no worries, there is another chance tomorrow!

c. Very well planned. I have my to-do lists and deliverables, and I like diving into projects for the whole days without getting interrupted. I usually have the goals for the whole week / month planned ahead and I prefer not to get distracted from these plans too easily.

Are you entrepreneurial?

I feel annoyed when someone tells me what to do. I feel annoyed when someone tells me what to do. I feel annoyed when someone tells me what to do. I feel annoyed when someone tells me what to do.

I used to sell something as a kid.

I like learning new things every day.

When I hear, this is not possible, I get more motivated to try than before.

5. I have big dreams — so big that they are thrilling. I daydream sometimes.

6. I read some self-development literature or watch some self-help lectures and documentaries once in a while.

When I meet successful people, I don’t distance myself but rather, I make friends with them and ask how they became successful.

8. I can lead teams and projects. I am a good organizer.

9. I can manage money properly. I’m reasonable with my expenditures.

10. I like building projects. I have a sense of mission.

11. I am a doer. Once I have an idea, I want to start execution asap.

12. I take calculated risks in my life.

13.

When shopping, I analyze and compare the prices of products. I sometimes wonder why people would be willing to pay a certain price for a given product, and where does that value come from.

14. I’m good at spotting good deals when shopping.

15.

When watching sports or TV competitions like Got Talent, Big Brother, The Apprentice, America’s Next Top Model, Eurovision or any other, I immediately start analyzing what are the factors for success in that show, and what the participants could have done better.

16.

While organizing events, I’m comfortable with the associated chaos: unexpected circumstances, and changes in the plans. This is the charm of logistics for me.

17.

I enjoy little unexpected events during the working day (e.g., an unexpected phone call, someone dropping by my office without an appointment or so).

18.

I sometimes stop when walking in the street, and ask myself how the objects around me (buildings, lamps, bar decorations) were built, who built them, how much it cost, and what were profit margins.

19. I have capitalistic political and economic views: I opt for low income tax and low social security.

20. It’s hard for me to fit into the 9-5 working scheme as I get ideas at random times during the day and night.

21.

I don’t like the idea of being the smartest person in the room; I always aim to make friends with people who are better at something than me.

22.

Personal freedom is important to me. It’s so important that I would trade a large portion of my monthly income to be able to have full control over what I work on and with whom.

23.

Sometimes I lock myself in a room/office for days and get on the bonkers mode because I’m so obsessed with solving some particular problem.

24. I perceive my mistakes as lessons and I don’t have any major regrets in my professional life.

25. I can multitask and I get hyperactive at times.

26. I believe that having haters is an indicator of personal success.

27. I enjoy persuading other people to my ideas.

28.

I have my own judgement of people. I don’t listen to other people’s opinions but rather, I come up with my own opinion after talking to the person in private. I like reading people as well, and it brings me satisfaction to find out that my assumptions were right.

29.

I have a general interest in people. I’m interested in their personal needs and motivations, and try to understand in what categories they think and how they make decisions.

30.

I value my time. I like using life hacks — little tricks that simplify and optimize my life, and protect me from spending my time on unnecessary activities.

Would you get far in academia?

1. Signing with my name under my projects:

a. Actually scares me, as this means responsibility,

b. Does not matter to me,

c. Is something I like enjoy but only when I am happy with the outcome of the project,

d. Is a great motivation to me. I am proud of everything I do, and I prefer to have a track record of my projects.

2. Learning new things at work:

a. Is quite tiresome and stressful. I prefer to have a job in which I already feel an expert at,

b. Is something I like doing once in a while as it is a nice twist to the daily routine,

c. Is something I enjoy. I would get bored without learning something new on the daily basis!

d. Is something I cannot function without! If I had a type of job in which I couldn’t learn something new every day, I would quit.

3. Bureaucracy and attending administrative meetings is:

a. My preferred types of activity at work, as it requires patience and following the rules rather than an intellectual effort,

b. Something I deeply hate and would never agree to do, or I would delegate at every possible occasion,”

c. Something I enjoy to do once in a while to rest from creative and intellectually engaging work,

d. Something I do not enjoy but I would still do if this allows me to also do some cool things for the rest of the working day. Love requires sacrifice.

4. When I hear anonymous critics of my work:

a. I think, “And who are you? Show me your face, you hater!”

b. I try to ignore what I hear, and forget about it,

c. I initially feel bad about it, but then I put myself together and analyze whether the critic was valid,

d. I concentrate, I try to understand the intentions of the person who gave the opinion, and I think about how to improve my work for the future.

5. When I suddenly ask myself an interesting research question:

a. I realize how busy I am, and I try to forget about it,

b. I put it on the bottom of my to-do list,

c. I leave everything else, and I design an experiment to approach this research question,

I conduct a brief literature research, I think of how many people might be potentially interested in this topic, and whom I might do the study with. If all the stars align and I see a potential for a good publication, I go for it.

6. I believe that academia is a place where, in order to get the faculty position, you should:

a. Be born as a genius,

b. Do your diligence, and work very hard on one very specific topic to become a world-class expert,

c. Develop a very broad range of skills, from mastering your research topic, through teaching students, to grant writing,

d. I prefer bosses with whom I could be friends. If I can drink with my boss and talk about almost anything, I respect them more and I become more dedicated and productive.Have decent research skills, follow the trends in your field, avoid conflicts, find good mentors, develop a network of trust and stay loyal to it.

7. When I am in contact with a person who is very frustrated, sad or angry at work:

a. I leave all my tasks aside, and I take care of them,

b. I try to figure out what the problem is, and solve it,

c. I isolate myself from them as this situation has a negative influence on my mood,

d. I am friendly to them, and share words of support, but I make sure that my job is still done.

8. At work, the people I appreciate the most are the people who are:

a. The most hard-working, would you even choose to jump a sinking ship? I would be living in the shadow of failure for the whole time,

b. The most empathic and sympathize with others,

c. The smartest, and best at spotting opportunities,

d. Diligent, peaceful, and loyal.

9. For me, the boundary between professional and private life is:

a. Very clearly delineated: I forget about work at 5 pm,

b. Rather clear but once in a while, I like thinking about my projects in free time,

c. Not very clearly defined. I often bring work back home, and I often hang out with colleagues,

d. There is no boundary. My job is a lifestyle, I think about what I do almost 24/7, and my colleagues are also my good friends.

10. What I cherish the most in academic life is:

a. An opportunity to study an interesting topic in detail,

b. A feeling of doing something important,

c. Travels, personal freedom, and the feeling of constant progress,

d. People in academia, and these little moments of discovery and learning something new.

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Would you survive in a corporation?

Is startup life for you?

Is freelancing an option for you?

Are you entrepreneurial?

Would you get far in academia?

Why do so many people feel lost in the job market?

Copyright
© Ontology of Value^® 2022 Nijmegen, the Netherlands

For Professionals

For BUSINESS

For Universities

About Us

Would you survive in a corporation?

Is startup life for you?

Is freelancing an option for you?

Are you entrepreneurial?

Would you get far in academia?

Why do so many people feel lost in the job market?

Copyright © Ontology of Value® 2022 Nijmegen, the Netherlands

For Professionals

For BUSINESS

For Universities

About Us

Copyright
© Ontology of Value^® 2022 Nijmegen, the Netherlands