What we're really trying to do is help them find out if they enjoy certain kinds of jobs, see what kinds of challenges they may have, that sort of thing. We try to do four-hour assessments to see about their endurance as well as their interests. There's just about a different site for every kind of interest. When I call to set up a situational assessment, I tell the potential employer that we have a person who is interested in trying some different kinds of tasks. Then, if they are willing, I ask the employer to set aside some work, and the person and I will do it.
Some sites are a lot more receptive than others.
We've built such good relationships with some places that we don't even have to call in advance anymore - we can just show up. During the actual assessments, I pay close attention to how the person is learning, how quick they're picking up on things, if they appear to enjoy the work, and how they're interacting with others. Of course, I don't always know how to do all the job tasks we are trying out, myself. Sometimes I learn it from my co-workers because we tell each other about different sites. Otherwise, the contact person is expecting us and they'll usually explain the job.