What Is a Prospective Employer?- Definition Explained

Who is your prospective employer?

It is a person or company who is a potential employer; someone who may give you gainful employment. A prospective employer is usually a company to which you have made an application or expressed interest in working for, but are still waiting for confirmation.

But a prospective employer is also much more than that. It is the entity that can fulfil your career ambitions, enabling you to work in your chosen sector using the skills you have developed.

Should a prospective employer turn into a current employer, they will begin to deposit funds in your bank account and give your life a sense of purpose.

We are talking about an individual or a company who, in return for the rewards they are offering, asks you to undertake a certain job role. And it is only by putting yourself in the position where you can offer that “something” that you can turn the employer from being prospective to being your current employer.

Getting From “Prospective” to “Current” Employer

To move your employer from being a future prospect to a current one, there are a number of steps you need to take. The first is gaining the necessary skills and training you have probably taken already. But there is so much more than that which is given below.

1. Get to know them, but not in the back-slapping buddy way. You need to know what the employer’s values are. And in a world where there are many businesses doing the same type of work, you will see that employers in the vast majority of the same types of businesses are different.
2. Visit their websites. Search out their mission statements. Read their core values. In a word, see what makes them tick.
3. To make this a little easier to understand, decide for a moment you want to work in banking. Look at the websites of three banking institutions and see the differences between them.

Yes, they all handle money, offer various types of banking services, and offer loans and saving services. But you will notice they all emphasize different areas as being important.

One may be interested in customers who are working towards sustainability. Others may emphasize their focus on the industrial sector. Some may pride themselves on helping the not-for-profit sector.

Now with that exercise completed, do a similar exercise for the sector you want to work in.

Then decide which of the businesses comes closest to your ideal values. You are on your way to finding the employer for whom you may be the ideal fit.

The Pre-Employment Process

But it doesn’t stop there. Now the job search begins, and you have to convince the employer that you are the perfect fit. This is where you have to start the application and pre-employment testing process.

This can be demanding. But there is help at hand. Use the services of a job test preparation company; we recommend Job Test Prep.

With thirty years of experience in seeing job applicants through the pre-employment process, they will help you meet your prospective employer’s expectations.

What Do Prospective Employers Look For?

Many employers have a mental picture of what their perfect employee is like.

They may want to know if the future employee:

• Has good teamwork skills
• Is a good communicator
• Is able to make decisions
• Knows how to deal with various issues in the workplace
• Can take leadership

The list of attributes you will be tested for can extend even further. Your first step to success here is to find out what the employer may be looking for.

What Can You Expect From Pre-Employment Testing?

Psychometric tests will determine if you have the skills and attributes the employer requires in employees. This will vary from employer to employer, but you can expect to have to do some or all of the following:

• Numerical, verbal, and deductive reasoning tests
• Situational Judgment Tests (SJT)
• Personality tests

Numerical, verbal, and deductive reasoning tests should be self-explanatory. They are tests to establish if you have the skills required in the workplace. To get an idea of what to expect, try your hand at some of the following free sample tests.

• Numerical Reasoning Test
• Verbal Reasoning Test
• Deductive Reasoning Test

For SJTs and Personality tests, a visit to the website may help you here once again. Revisit the job advertisement; you will get some helpful hints there. The advertisement may, for example, state the company is looking for an employee who has excellent customer skills or who works well under pressure. If so, you can expect to be tested for those qualities.

With that information secured, it is time to begin preparing for the SJT and personality tests. To get a feel for that type of testing, try your hand at this free sample Situational Judgement Test.

When done, check your score and judge if you need further practice to turn the prospective employer into the person you will be working for. It is worth carrying out the same exercise with a further free sample test, this time a personality test.

If this is your first time doing pre-employment tests, you possibly found those tests a little different from your regular assessments. But with research into the company and regular practice on sample papers, you will manage to ace this part of the testing as well.

Assessment Centre and Your Final Hurdle

A day at an assessment centre is the final hurdle in the pre-employment testing process. You will, of course, have further tests, group exercises and perhaps interviews there. But you will also get to meet company representatives and perhaps even your prospective employer.

A day at the assessment centre can be intimidating. You will be meeting with people who are equally anxious to turn the prospective employer into their boss. This is your opportunity to make a good impression, but don’t forget that you will be monitored throughout the day as the employer’s representatives decide if you are a good fit for the company.

Be natural, be yourself but remember to behave as you would in the workplace. See this as your opportunity to learn more about the prospective employer and to turn that person into your future employer.

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