Jeremy
Columbia,#2Consumer Comment
Tue, March 30, 2010
I have also received these same candidate e-mails from Pilot. Most come from either Careerbuilder or Monster. In these cases, if you want to be removed, you can block candidate e-mails from Pilot through your Careerbuilder or Monster account (there's usually a link at the bottom of any candidate e-mail allowing you to do just that). If they're e-mailing you directly and not through one of the job sites, then just go into your e-mail settings and block the address they're sending the mail from. Boom, you're off the mailing list. No more worries.
I did attend one of these Pilot career events. The recruiter said that he would e-mail me the assessment and official employment application to fill out. I promptly completed the assessment upon returning home from the interview, and was contacted shortly thereafter and asked to come in for a second interview. I sincerely doubt that your veteran status had any bearing on the company's hiring decision. I have been a retail manager in a company where we used online skill assessments such as these, and if you don't pass the assessment, the computer system will not ALLOW you to be considered for hire. I'm most familiar with the UNICRU system, which works on a "green, yellow, red" format. Green are candidates who more or less passed the assessment with flying colours, yellow candidates did not do as well but may still be worth speaking to in a formal interview, and red candidates may not be hired under any circumstances. It grades the assessment on a 100 point scale, 0 being the lowest. I have seen candidates with assessment scores in the single digits. I think a 4 was the lowest I've personally seen, and I'm not even sure how it's possible to score that low. A friend of mine who was asking me to hire him took the test and scored a 14. I regrettably informed him that it would not be possible for me to give him a job, no matter how much I would've liked to, as the computer system simply wouldn't have it.
I would like to point out that MOST major corporations now administer some sort of personality/skill assessment to applicants prior to hiring. This is an extremely common practice. Many use the UNICRU system, many others use Taleo, and there are many others out there. I feel that most of these are not so much an assessment of the candidate's personality, but moreso answer the question "are you smart enough to figure out what we want you to say?" Granted, I try to answer honestly when filling out these kinds of assessments. But do people seriously answer yes to "it is okay to take small things from my workplace?" Judging from the person who scored a 4, I suppose some people do. The face to face interview is the only true measure of a candidate's perosnality, work ethics, integrity, etc. Some peopla are not good at taking tests, but are great when you have them sitting in front of you. Some are the exact opposite - they look fantastic on paper and are atrocious in person.
All this being said, the Pilot assessment differed greatly from any I'd ever seen. It was more akin to an IQ test or the SAT than to an employment questionnaire. It did contain the usual strongly agree - strongly disagree stuff, but went much deeper, delving into things like analogies and even abstract thinking. It required much more thought, effort, and time than these types of things typically do, and I can understand why Pilot would consider it a major factor in hiring decisions.
However, it is NOT okay for the person who you contacted to tell you that the assessment said you were a "bad apple." If these are truly the words used and not your own paraphrasing, you should have reported that to the corporate office. If you failed the assessment, they should have simply stated that you did not score well enough to be considered any further.
At any rate, with your record of distinguished service to our country, I am sure that you will find an excellent job if you have not already. I wish you the best of luck in your search for employment, and don't let a little roadblock like this get you down. I have no doubt that there are lots of great companies who would love to have you.
Jacqueline Florio
Shenandoah,#3UPDATE Employee
Mon, June 15, 2009
I work at a pilot in Drums,Pa .The GM is narcissistic ,all he cares about is the budget ,and writing childish threatening notes to the employees ..The store is hot ,stuffy ,no ventilation,no air conditioning,no filters in the vents .We have to wear hot thick flannel like uniform shirts in the summer ,sweating...close to passing out .They are constantly out of coffee cups ,lids ,milk ,cream ,stirrers ,soda cups ,... etc weekly actually every week..customers constantly complain to us ..it is disgustingly frustrating... Gas pumps and diesel pump readers and reciept paper constantly broken ...more complains from customers ...Never enough employees to do all the work ...more complaints ....The people working there are very nice ,even the Assistant Manager who has been there for 14 yrs ...I can't understand how a company would want people complaining constantly about there services .....or do they know how many customers as well as employees are uncomfortable ....
Anonymous
Las Cruces,#4Author of original report
Tue, May 12, 2009
I am a Veteran, and I am warning all veterans about Pilot Travel Centers misleading and unfair hiring practices. I had a bad experience with Pilot Travel Center Recruiting. They basically disqualified me, by ignoring me. This maybe normal, but when an applicant requests to be taken off their mailing list, they should do it. I don't want to sound like a broken record. I have 23 years in the service, experience and education with nothing to prove. I just don't like being used. The recruiting department send mass emails, requesting interviews. When you show up for the interview for about an hour, they give you the impression your hired. Then they ask you to take a personality assessment, which they say is no big deal. I found out through my own investigation, that they weigh heavily on this assessment from a company called resource associates. I filed a complaint to their HR Office. I was told the reason I was disqualified, was because the assessment said I was a bad apple and would not work out. In addition I told them to take me off their mailing list, and they refused saying they couldn't. I am still receiving numerous emails from them requesting interviews. The emails state that I am a good candidate for employment. The cycle never ends. I am also attaching one of the emails. I've gone to a few interviews in hopes that there was a chance. They're all the same. It almost seems like they're discriminating against Military Veterans. I feel like I was discriminated against. I'm only warning you, because they asked me for referrals during those interviews. I basically showed them how to contact a Military Post and even gave them the form needed to advertize jobs. I thought I was helping Veterans by doing this. They sounded sincere in their recruitment of people leaving the military. I think they are using people to meets their own ends. They are targeting the military, without regards to whether someone is disabled or not. I receive this email often, numerous times a month. I've asked the recruiters to take me off their mailing list, and they refuse to do so. Militay leaving, retiring or separating from the service should be warned about this companies bad hiring practices. I can't let this die, because Pilot keeps throwing it back in my face with emails for interviews. They keep on reminding me I'm a Bad Apple. I'm currently employed now, but it still infuriates me. You can take this with a "grain of salt, or arm yourself". When you go to one of their interviews, be prepared. Just know they are probably "BS" you. Sincerely, An Upset Disabled Veteran This is an example of the letter I receive often. Dear Job Seeker, We are currently looking for Retail Team Members for the Anthony, TX area. Your experience/background appears to be a good fit for some of the career opportunities that we currently have available at Pilot Travel Centers. With more than 300 retail and restaurant locations coast to coast and annual revenues exceeding $12 billion, PTC is by far the largest, most successful company in the industry. We currently have openings for Retail Shift Leaders. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package that features: Competitive Hourly Wages, Medical, Dental, Vision, and Term-Life Insurance, 401K w/ 60% company match, Development and Advancement Opportunities We would like you to interview with us on Tuesday, May 19th from 9am - 5pm at Pilot Travel Center 2015 Antonio Street Anthony, TX 79821 For more information, please visit the Pilot Travel Centers website at www.pilottravelcenters.com.