Page 101 - DMGT205_SALES_MANAGEMENT

Unit 7: Selection and Placement of Sales Personnel

2. Mechanical Aptitude Test: These measure the capacity of a person to learn a particular Notes
type of mechanical work as they measure a person's visual-motor coordination or
integration.
3. Psychomotor or Skill Test: These tests measure a person's ability to do a specific job. They
are administered to determine mental dexterity or mental ability and similar attributes
involving muscular movement, control and coordination.
Personality Tests: These tests try to find out an individual's value system, his emotional reactions
and maturity and his characteristic mood. Their major motive is to measure the basic make up
or characteristics of individuals which are non-intellectual in nature.
These tests can be categorised into the following types.

(i) Objective Test: They measure neurotic tendencies, self-sufficiency, dominance-submission
and self-confidence. These are scored objectively.
(ii) Project Tests: In this the candidate is asked to project his own interpretation into
certain standard stimulus situations which reflects his own values, motives and
personality.

(iii) Situation Test: This reveals the ability of a candidate to undergo stress and his
demonstration of ingenuity under pressure. In short, we can say that it is a measure of
applicant's reaction when he is placed in a particular situation.
Achievement Tests (Proficiency Tests): Achievement tests seek to determine how much the
individual knows about a subject. They determine the admission feasibility of the candidate and
measure what he is capable of doing.
1. Tests for measuring job knowledge: They are administered to determine degree of their
qualification and feasibility to perform the job.
2. Work sample tests: They demand the administration of the actual job as a test.
Interest Test: It is assumed in the use of interest tests that a relationship exists between test and
motivation. Hence, if two persons have equal ability, the one with a greater interest in a particular
job is more successful. These tests aim at finding out the types of work in which the candidate is
interested.
However, these are not used much in the selection procedure of sales personnel as significant
variation has been found in the interest test scores of successful and unsuccessful sales persons.

7.1.6 Physical Examination

Sales persons' job requires unusual stamina, strength or tolerance of hard working
conditions. The presence or absence of these qualities in the candidate is revealed by physical
examination. The major purpose of physical examination in the selection procedure of sales
persons is that:
1. It gives a clear indication whether candidate is physically able to perform the sales person's
job in the company.
2. It prevents selection of people who suffer from some contagious diseases.
3. It discovers the existing disabilities of the candidate and a record of the same is maintained
so that the question of company's responsibilities would be settled in the event of a
workman's compensation claim.

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