I passed

[SuperDan]

Last week I took two tests at the state workforce development office that are required for a job I'm attemting to get with Mittal Steel. The results came in today.

The Finding Information test was a breeze. All it involved was reading graphs and charts and graphics and whatnot and answering questions whose answers could be found in those graphics. According to the results report I received, I scored a level six, which is the highest possible level for that test. The reslults didn't give specific nubmers of right or wrong answers, but I wouldn't be surprised if I got a perfect score for that particular test.

The Observation test was a different story. Basically it involved a videotape where they would "train" you for a situation, then they would show a short clip involving that situation in practice and would ask you a quetion, such as what is the next step, what was done wrong, etc. It started out ok, but as the test went on the "training" portions would get longer and longer and more confusing and the short clips that the questions were based on weren't exactly filmed in a way that helps you do what you're supposed to be doing (such as a newspaper ad proofreader situation where they pan quickly down the ad order and the ad as it is prepared to go to printing at the paper, but not showing both so you can compare, or a situation involving verification of purchase orders where you need to check various numbers against the vendor invoice but it again quickly pans across the top of the PO then the top of the invoice then the bottom of the PO then the bottom of the invoice). Did I mention they only show these question clips once? It was ridiculous. In any case though, I scored a level five (with the highest level again being six, lowest being three). Mittal Steel requires a level four or better, so I move on to the next phase in the hiring process.

I should be receiving a letter from Mittal soon which will tell me the next step in the hiring process. I know they require a physical exam and drug test, and I assume there is an interview in there somewhere as well. I also know that their union contract requires them to give hiring preference to relatives of current employees, and I happen to be a nephew of a current employee.

Hopefully I'm well on my way to an SC-free (and much better paying) job.

[Rapscallion]

Congratulations!

As a side note, and I don't think it will affect anything, the owner/chief exec of Mittal Steel (if it's the same place, and I think it's huge coincidence if it isn't) was embroiled in a cash for UK citizenship or honours fracas some year or four back.

Raspcallion

[Barefootgirl]

Yes, its the same dude, Lakshmi Mittal. I've met him, as it happens - he's a very pleasant man, despite being richer than Croesus.

Good luck with the job, SuperDan. Assuming all goes well, when do you hope to start?

[SuperDan]

They're doing a massve hiring spree, as the baby boomers are starting to retire from the NW Indiana plants, and the process is supposed to finish up sometime in January.

[SuperDan]

My uncle reports to me that out of everybody he works with who sent family and friends to start the application process, I am one of only two who actually received an application package from Mittal after taking the tests from the state. The package included a job description (including both duties and pay rate, a nice one I may add), an application, and instructions to report to their personnel office on a Wednesday in January for further testing and to turn in said paperwork. Although it doesn't mention anything about an interview happening at that time, my uncle has advised me to be prepared for an interview and also to make sure I know what I included on my profile with the Department of Workforce Development and make sure I respond to interview questions in a manner consistent with my profile responses (which is more of a pain than it sounds, not because I lied, but because there is no provision in the state's profile program to incriment up your months of experience with your skills or to include present or future employment or education. (The employment section and the college section will not save unless you fill in EVERY blank, including the "Date To" blanks, and they will NOT work with "present" or a date in the future. My profile currently does not show that I'm returning to Purdue next month as an Electrical Engineering major, and it says that I'm employed at my current store either through this month or through last month (don't remember when I last updated) even though I still work there and will continue to work there until I've gotten a YES from Mittal, and even then I'll likely stay with the store until a day or two before my first at the mill.)

My uncle is dropping by tomorrow afternoon to talk me through the "expected" responses on the application and the interview and let me know what to expect on the testing. There is also some additional paperwork not provided or even mentioned in my packet but that he has to get himself from the company's HR webpage to give the company the extra information needed since the contract there requires the company to give hiring preference to family members.