O'Neil Associates, Inc.
Skills Inventory Form Instructions
Over the years we have found this form to be the single most useful indicator of the match between any job applicant's skills and our needs.  Accordingly, receipt of this document ensures that your application will be dealt with very seriously.
Do not be discouraged if some questions seem inapplicable to you -- not all skills are applicable to the duties of all positions.  Please respond to all questions, however, since they help us figure out exactly where you might best fit in.
And a couple of points that help us but also demonstrate your sense of aesthetics and facility with MS Word: 
o	Be sure to fill out the form so that your responses will be visible upon printing a hard copy of it (i.e. do not indicate your response by changing the font color of the answer, because it will still print as black).
o	Please keep the form in its two-page format (i.e. delete these instructions before returning this document and reformat the document to 2 pages).  Inability to do so properly will indicate to us that you are not very facile with MS Word.
General suggestions:  The old idiom "honesty is the best policy" applies here.  Tell us what your real level of skill is, without embellishment.  Likewise, when a question asks about your interests or preferences, we will both be most well served by an honest, straightforward, thoughtful response.  The worst outcome is not to not get a job offer.  The worst outcome is to conceal your real abilities and aspirations and get and accept a job offer that turns out to be inappropriate.
Specific Instructions:
Position applied for:  If you have in mind a specific position, please state it.  Our website www.oneilresearch.com contains specific job descriptions.  "Any" is OK, but only if that is what you really mean.
Survey research training:  We are interested in specific training in survey research.  As the form indicates, this might include a course in survey research methods, questionnaire design, sampling or primary survey data analysis.  It does not include general courses in "marketing" or "advertising," or even statistics.  Indeed, while the applications of our work in business are numerous, relevant courses in business schools are rare.  
Start as interviewer?  Most of our current staff began as interviewers.  If you do not fully meet the requirements for a specific position based on your current specific survey research and computer skills, willingness to start as an interviewer may be a competitive advantage.  Again, please be candid.  If you are not willing to do this, simply say NO.   
Work schedule desired:  Again, please answer honestly.  Do not put "part-time" because you think we are hiring part-time if what you really want is full-time.  Tell us what you are looking for.  We can't meet your needs unless we know what they are.
Availability:  Tell us specific hours you are available to work between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.  We simply need to know what your real availability is.  Again: honesty.  This means that if you put availability at 8 a.m. and get a job offer, and then tell us you really do not wish to start until 9 a.m., we will feel as though we have been deceived.  On the other hand, if you put down that you are available at 9 a.m. and there is a position that requires you to begin at 8:30, you will not be considered for this position. No one is twisting your arm here; simply tell us when you are available.
"I can start work":  Option A, "immediately," does not mean in two days.  Option B means that you require X number of days notice from a job offer. Option C means that you know that you will be available on a certain day, regardless of when an offer is made.
Page 2, Computer Skills Inventory:  In each case, we are asking you to self-rate your level of computer competency.  Note that a number of the competencies are asterisked for items for which you can claim "A" level competency.  The asterisk indicates that we would like to see a sample program.  In each case, we need input, not output.  For example, in the case of SPSS, we would like to see the actual input code that you wrote.  Sending output or data files is not relevant.  In the case of HTML coding, simply citing a URL address would be sufficient if your program exists on the Web.
Do not hold up your response in sending this form if your program samples are currently unavailable; they may be sent later.
Again, do not be intimidated if some of these items seem beyond you.  We use this form as a general assessment tool for all candidates, for all positions.
Obviously, all of these items are not of equal value.  Since we process social science data, SPSS, Access and Ci3 are often of the greatest interest.

O'NEIL ASSOCIATES INC.      SKILLS INVENTORY
412 E. Southern Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85282  Tel: 480.967.4441    Email: careers@oneilresearch.com
Name	Phone #	Date	
Position applied for:	Email:	Where did you hear about us?	

This form is designed to be filled out by an applicant for any staff position with our firm.  Do not be discouraged if some questions seem inapplicable to you — not all questions are applicable to the duties of all positions.  Please respond to all questions, however, as they help us to place you appropriately.

Survey Research Training.  Indicate the number of survey research college courses (excluding statistics) you have completed (e.g. questionnaire design, sampling, primary survey data analysis).  Circle one response and list course titles.	SAT Scores	ACT Scores	
		Science:	
# of Courses	Course Titles	Reading:	Math:	
a.    0-1		Writing:	Reading:	
b.    2-3		Math:	English:	
c.    4 or more			Writing:	
Describe any other survey research training	
Describe any supervisory experience in telephone surveys.	
Would you be willing to start work as a telephone interviewer .  Circle one response.
a.   Yes		b.   If there is potential for advancement		c.   For _______ months		d.   No	
Work Schedule Desired [Circle response(s)]	
a.    	Full-time.  Indicate the maximum number of hours  you are willing to work regularly: _______	
b.    	Part-time.  I would like a minimum of _________ hours and a maximum of _________ hours per week.	
How flexible are you regarding the number of hours per week if we can average what you need/want? ________________	
Availability.  What specific hours are you available to work (indicate for each day of the week, below)?  Specify all available hours, even in excess of hours noted above.	
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	
							
I can start work	a.   Immediately (i.e. today)	b.   In ______ days	c.   On _____________ date	
Is there any date after which you know you will not be able to continue working?  (e.g., leaving town when you graduate from college, spouse's planned move, etc).  When is that?
Are you a student? 	No 	Yes-->When do you expect to graduate?   ___________ year   ________ month	
Check one:  I live in metro Phoenix     I plan to move here by ______ (date)     I will only move with a job offer	
Computers:  Do you own or have any regular access to a PC     Yes     No      If yes, what type ___________________	
What is your data entry speed? 	Numeric _____ approx. keystrokes/hour	Text _______approx words/minute
How much time, outside of work hours, are you willing to spend in the next 30 days upgrading the computer skills listed on the reverse side of this page?  _______ hours per week	
Career Objectives:  What are your career objectives?	
		
Do you have a car (circle one)	Always	Sometimes	Never	
O’Neil Associates, Inc. maintains a non-smoking workplace.  Do you smoke?	Yes	No
If yes, please indicate how you have adapted to non-smoking workplaces.	
IMPORTANT!!!  Please attach a current resume or provide previous employment information on a separate sheet.  THIS SHOULD INCLUDE STARTING AND ENDING DATES, SUPERVISOR’S NAME AND PHONE NUMBER, STARTING AND ENDING WAGES AND REASONS FOR LEAVING EACH JOB.  If all of the above information is not included on your resume, you may write it in by hand, if you prefer.  Incomplete applications will be taken as an indication that you are not detail oriented.	
PLEASE FILL OUT THE BACK OF THIS FORM.  THANK YOU.

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY:  			RESEARCH				NON-RESEARCH
Circle “A” Computer 			   WinCati	      Cati		        Access Programming	SQL	
Competencies			    	   SPSS		      Ci3		        Visual Basic		Networking

COMPUTER SKILLS INVENTORY
INSTRUCTIONS  Circle the letter by the answer that most nearly describes your skills for each area.  Feel free to elaborate on your skills in the space below each question.  Specify the names of the ‘other’ programs with which you claim skills.	
Social Science Data Processing Programs	SPSS	SAS	Other
	
Used extensively to construct and clean data files from scratch, write actual code, not just menus.	a*	a*	a	
Have only used existing data files to run procedures (e.g. tabs, regression etc.)	b	b	b	
No exposure	c	c	c	
Database programs	ACCESS	Visual Basic	dBase	Other
	
Have written substantial programs	a*	a*	a*	a	
Used program to create and modify files but never written programs	b	b	b	b	
No exposure or used program for data entry only	c	c	c	c	
CATI.  Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing	WinCATI	CI3	Web Surveys	Other
	
Expert.  Can program and manipulate questionnaires.	a*	a*	a*	a	
User.  Have used but not programmed	b	b	b	b	
No exposure	c	c	c	c	
Linear Programming Languages (others = Pascal, C, etc.)		BASIC	FORTRAN	Other
	
Expert, highly facile programmer		a*	a*	a	
Simple programs only		b	b	b	
Minimal exposure, never written programs except for learning experience		c	c	c	
No exposure		d	d	d	
Microcomputer Networks.	Win NT/
2000/XP	*Nix-based  Systems	Novell
Other	
Extensive experience: have been network manager or set up a network	a*	a*	a	
Someone else had primary responsibility: I helped them	b	b	b	
No exposure or just worked on a computer that was part of a network	c	c	c	
Operating systems.	Win NT/
2000/XP	*Nix-based Systems	DOS
	
Expert: write sophisticated batch programs (DOS), setup/ optimize systems (Windows)	a*	a*	a	
Moderate proficiency.  Understand structure of sub-directories, simple batch files	b	b	b	
No exposure or have only used an Apple Macintosh system	c	c	c	
Graphics Production Programs	Harvard	Powerpoint	Other
	
Expert, highly facile at design and customizing (Send Example)	a*	a*	a	
Simple programs using templates	b	b	b	
No exposure	c	c	c	
Spreadsheet programs		Excel	Other
	
Expert user, substantial programming, macros, etc.		a	a	
Limited use customizing		b	b	
No exposure or data entry only		c	c	
Word processing programs		 MS Word
Ver: _____	Other	
Highly facile user.  Understand use of styles (not just fonts!), mail merge, etc.		a	a	
Can produce simple documents but have little experience with advanced features		b	b	
No exposure		c	C	
Other software/Hardware	General Software Trouble-shooting
	Hardware (e.g. memory, drive installation)	Webpage design	Other	
Highly facile; had primary responsibility	a	a	a*	a	
Have some experience	b	b	b	b	
Someone else did this	c	c	c	c	
* *List URLs from any pages for which you have had primary responsibility; 	__________________________________    
									__________________________________

IMPORTANT!!!      Please provide 1 or 2 pages of program samples for each starred (*)“a” item you circle!