How do you make sure that you pass this test?

You have to stand out from the crowd when the interview shortlist is being prepared and the way to do that is…

Have an excellent CV and Covering Letter.

Most candidates will use an old, possibly updated CV and a ’standard’ cover letter, neither of which will be particularly inspiring to the reader. To make a real impression and ensure your place on the shortlist for interview, you should consider the extra value that a professionally written CV and covering letter will create for you.

I recommend that you employ a professional CV writer who has demonstrable experience in writing effective CVs. Please do not make the decision on price alone, although there may be some very good CV writers at the bottom of the price scale, you could find that your CV is farmed out to low paid contractors who cannot create the CV you need. When you consider the available CV writing services, look for one who will work with you to ensure your satisfaction and offer a money back guarantee.

Crucially, I also suggest that you look for the CV writing business owner who does all the writing personally and has the background and credentials to create the CV that will enhance your job applications. That way you are giving yourself the best chance of getting the new job you want much more quickly – and that means money in the bank sooner.

My CV Writing Services meet all of these criteria and will surely help you to pass the most important test.

This should also be important to you so if you view the questionnaires as just another tool to help YOU get the right job, then you can see there is less need for worrying about them.

One thing you must remember when looking for a new job – and keep this in mind when asked to do a test – the most important attribute in a new employee is the ability to fit into the organization. So what they want is someone who in many ways is like they are.

This page will help you sort out what Personality Tests are, which ones you might expect to come up against and what to do so you pass the test first time.

When writing your CV you should also bear in mind the importance of compatibility and you know that every vacancy attracts dozens, if not hundreds of applications and those other people are your direct competition. Look at it from the employer’s point of view; faced with all those CVs, what are they going to do to reduce the number to a manageable level? The answer is that they use the pile of documents to filter OUT any candidate whose CV is difficult to read, is scruffy in presentation or does not APPEAR to have the right experience. Most personnel officers do not have sufficient knowledge to understand the relevance of every bit of information you present to them, so if it is not in exactly the right format, your CV will probably be rejected at the first reading.

Equally, too many people include everything they can think of on the basis that the more detail included has to be a good thing, because the answers to all the questions lie in there somewhere. But when the initial sift is conducted, your CV must pass to the next stage within less than 30 seconds and that means that only relevant detail can be included. Too much and the reader won’t be bothered to look for it and find it.

So, writing a CV is about knowing precisely what the employer is looking for and writing it in such a way that the information is immediately accessible while demonstrating that YOU, the job candidate, has the existing skills and future potential to be an outstanding employee.

I recommend that if you decide to get help with writing a CV, employ a professional CV writer who has demonstrable experience in writing effective CVs. Please do not make the decision on price alone, although there may be some very good CV writers at the bottom of the price scale, you may find that your CV is farmed out to low paid contractors who cannot create the CV you need. When you consider the available CV writing services, look for one who will work with you to ensure your satisfaction and offer a money back guarantee.

I also recommend that you take advantage of these free Personality Tests to help you understand and write about yourself more eloquently.

In most circumstances, if your employer attempts to make you take a lie detector test, he is in violation of the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, and you are in your legal right to seek compensation. Many people find it helpful to engage a qualified employment attorney to represent them when employers have wronged them, and you may want to consider doing so. Even if the employer is clearly in the wrong, you may be in for a court battle to uphold your rights.

Exceptions to the Rule

As with all laws, there are a few exceptions to the rule. Government agencies are within their rights to screen any employees or potential employees with lie detector tests, for understandable reasons. Also, many security and defense companies are exempt from the EPPA, because the very nature of their work may require complete secrecy. In certain cases, pharmaceutical companies mandate that their employees take lie detector tests, but only if these employees are working in certain fields.

Additionally, an employer can require a polygraph test if he or she has a reasonable belief that an employee is involved in gross misconduct in the workplace. If the employee has been suspected of committing fraud, embezzlement, or a similar crime that tarnishes the name of the employer and is considered a serious crime, the employer is legally able to administer a lie detector test.

If the employer does demand a polygraph test in this situation, he or she is legally obligated to retain the results of that test for at least three years, and is barred except under very specific circumstances from releasing the information of that test. However, the employer can release this information to governmental agencies or courts without requiring a court order. It is important to know your rights as an employee in case they are being violated without you knowing it.

For more information about your legal protections as an employee, visit http://www.austinemploymentattorney.com

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Forensic toxicology is the use of toxicology along with a few other disciples like analytical, pharmacology, chemistry and clinical chemistry in medico-legal investigations of death, poisoning and drug use. The main aim of forensic toxicology is the technology and the techniques that are used in obtaining and interpreting the results. This field of toxicology is not too concerned with the legal outcome of the investigation. As per the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT) the field of forensic toxicology includes the measurement of alcohol, drugs and other toxic substances in the biological specimens along with the interpretation of the results in medico-legal contexts.

There are many areas of specialty within the field of forensic toxicology the main field being the postmortem toxicology. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) emphasizes on the fact that the field of forensic toxicology is very collaborative in nature as a forensic toxicologist is often working in conjunction with law enforcement officers, forensic pathologists, forensic scientists and other crime scene investigators.

The detection of the drugs and other toxic substances present in the biological samples are determined first by an initial screening and then a further confirmation of the right compound and the quantification of the compound. Both the screening and the confirmation are done using different analytical methods.

Forensic Toxicology – Samples

It is necessary that every analytical method in forensic toxicology is carefully tested with a pre-forming validation of the method to ensure the correct and indisputable results each time. A testing laboratory involved in forensic pathology has to adhere to some strict policies to ensure the best possible results and safety of every individual.

The choice of method for investigation and testing mainly depends on what substance is suspected and the type of sample used for testing. In biological samples, many complex factors like the matrix effect, metabolism and conjugation of compounds have to be considerer. Forensic toxicology also aims at finding out the compound statistics of the substances along with their concentrations.

Here is a list and description of some of the samples that are taken from the biological specimens for investigations:

* Urine: The urine samples provide quick and easy results for live subjects. It is most commonly used for drug testing in employees and athletes. The urine samples provide the added advantage that they do not necessarily reflect the toxic substances the the subject is under at the time of collection.
* Blood: A quantity of 10 cubic centimeter of blood is required to screen and confirm the presence of most toxic substances. Unlike the urine samples, the blood sample screen provides the list of toxic substances present in the subject’s body at the time of collection and is hence ideal for testing the blood alcohol content in drunken driving cases.
* Oral Fluid: The layman term for oral fluid is saliva. However, oral fluid is a more appropriate term as saliva is only a component of the oral fluid. The concentration of the toxic substances present in the oral fluid is in parallel to that of the blood. The use of oral fluids is gaining prominence in the fields of clinical settings and drunken driving cases.
* Hair: The hair is an important sample in the field of forensic toxicology as it is capable of providing information about medium to long term history of drug abuse. This is because the chemicals in the bloodstream are transferred to the hair follicle via which a rough timeline regarding the intake of drugs can be deduced. As the hair grows at approximately 1.5 centimeters per month, the cross section of the hair at different intervals will give a rough estimate of when the drug was ingested.

There are many other body fluids and body organs that are collected during an autopsy provide information that will be very vital to a forensic toxicologist. The common autopsy sample is the gastric contents of the subject that is very useful in the detection of undigested pills or liquids that were ingested just before the death. This sample is however not useful in highly decomposed bodies. Some of the other body parts that are used are the vitreous humor of the eye, brain, liver and the spleen.

Where once getting hold of illegal anabolic steroids meant visiting a dodgy gym in a bad area of town, now it is as quick and simple as ordering the latest Harry Potter book.

You want the EPO you keep reading they are using in the Tour de France? No problem. Like to try some human growth hormone which the world’s top sprinters are rumoured to be taking? Easy. Fancy some anabolic steroids to help build up your pecs? Enter your credit card number and we will ship them to your home address.

This week’s case concerning the Great Britain rugby league international Keiron Cunningham is only the latest in a series of drug scandals involving some of the biggest names in sport. The man rated the best hooker in the world joins a long list of iconic stars to have been implicated in a doping controversy.

If past history is any guide, however, the biggest winner will probably be the manufacturer of HCG, the drug for which Cunningham tested positive after it was given to him without his knowledge.

“We couldn’t ship the stuff out of the warehouse quick enough after all the publicity involving British athletes and [the anabolic steroid] nandrolone a couple of years ago,” said a salesman for one company, who wished to remain anonymous.

“People suddenly thought it was a magic elixir. It is the same with EPO and the Tour. We don’t stock it because it’s a prescribed drug, but if we did we would make literally millions judging by the number of inquiries we get about it. Sunday cyclists seem to think it’s going to turn them into a world champion overnight.”

Although most are banned in Britain and by the International Olympic Committee, hundreds of these performance-enhancing substances are just a mouse-click away on the internet, which has made them more readily available than ever.

Some are relatively harmless, others can have serious effects on a competitor’s reputation and health.

One of the leading drug advice sites on the internet, for example, warns of the dangers of taking HCG. It could lead to “reinforcing already existing breast growth in men” and “mood swings and high blood pressure”.

At a press conference in London tomorrow, UK Sport’s head of drug-free sport, Michele Verroken, will announce the results of the latest drugs tests for the quarter ended June 30 2003. There will be details of competitors who thought they could outwit the dope-busters, failed and were caught.

Much more worryingly, there will not be any information on those who thought they could get away with it and succeeded. For the drug war is a race where the cheats always try to stay one step ahead of the authorities.

Today, the industry is increasingly hi-tech: a complex, super-specialised smorgasbord of “designer” drugs. The relative few cases in Britain involving HCG – Cunningham is among only a handful to have tested positive for the drug – may make it seem to be the cutting edge of doping technology.

In fact, those in the know already consider it passé and are now using another drug, clomid, which offers the same benefits but is harder to detect.

Another example of how the cheats can steal a march on the dope-busters came during the 2000 Sydney Olympics when there were rumours some competitors were using an anabolic steroid called ganabol, which the IOC did not have a test for.

Scientists were baffled because the drug had been discarded by laboratories years earlier on account of its high toxicity. But in clinical tests in 1967 involving rats, ganabol had been shown to develop huge muscle growth, making it attractive to competitors in the power events such as swimming and sprinting.

The fact that some athletes had been using it was confirmed in 2001 by Charlie Francis, Ben Johnson’s former coach, when he wrote about ganabol in an article for Testosterone Magazine.

“This drug was brought to the attention of the drug testers in 1984, but as it wasn’t in commercial production a test wasn’t developed for it,” Francis wrote.

“Once athletes became aware of this loophole, a market quickly developed for the drug … By the time a test was developed, the word was out and the athletes moved on to other products.”

Ganabol is generally considered to be among the first of what are known as designer steroids, where the drug has its chemical structures modified so it is undetectable in urine tests but maintains its performance-enhancing qualities.

In his 2001 article, Francis claimed clandestine labs around the world were already working on finding the next designer drug that cannot be detected in time for the 2004 Athens Olympics. Few doubt they have succeeded.

The top names may have moved on but coming behind them will probably be a whole lot of eager new customers, armed with a computer, access to the internet, a credit card and warped sense of ambition, only too willing to click on for the chance to emulate their tainted idols.

How to abuse the system

HCG

What it’s for: to treat infertility in males. Found in pregnant females.

What athletes use it for: to increase testosterone. To help them recover from injury.

Human gene therapy

What it is used for: to develop new body parts for transplants. What athletes use it for: not on the market yet but set to be the next big thing. Athletes already looking for the formula.

EPO

What it’s for: to treat seriously ill kidney patients.

What athletes use it for: to boost oxygen-carrying red blood cells and increase stamina.

Human growth hormone

What it is used for: to treat underdeveloped children.

What athletes use it for: to increase muscle mass and strength. Very popular because it is almost undetectable.

There are many different types of pre employment tests but the most frequently used tests fall into these five categories – personality tests, skills tests, aptitude tests, integrity tests and drug tests.

Personality Tests

Personality tests measure the personality characteristics of job applicants that are related to successful job performance. Typically they measure one or more of five personality dimensions: extroversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience. The test format can vary from a brief written test to a long psychological examination. Personality tests have no “right” answers and cannot be prepared for. Applicants should answer honestly and not attempt to manipulate their answers to fit what they think the employer wants for two reasons. Firstly the tests contain validity scales that are designed to detect inconsistent and fake answers. This will be viewed as dishonest by prospective employers. Secondly applicants are misleading both themselves and the employer about their suitability for the job and are unlikely to be either happy or successful in the position.

Skills Tests

This is perhaps the most common type of pre employment testing. Applicants are required to demonstrate the skills needed for the job and confirm the job-related skills they say they have. Skills tests can range from a simple typing test, writing a report, lifting a heavy object to a complicated mechanical design. Some skills tests can be prepared for. Know which skills you will require on the job and practice these. Practice tests for typing and computer skills are available online.

Skills tests are considered acceptable if they genuinely test a skill needed for the job.

Aptitude Tests

These employment tests explore an applicant’s abilities such as reasoning, numerical, wiring or verbal skills. They differ from skills tests in that they are used to determine an applicant’s ability to learn and be trained in the required skills for the job while a skills test assesses existing skill levels.

Aptitude tests will tell an employer how quickly an applicant may be expected to learn to do the job tasks to a satisfactory level. There are general aptitude test referred to as IQ or intelligence tests and also tests for specific aptitudes such as mechanical aptitude.

Integrity Tests

Dishonesty in the workplace is a business reality. An integrity test explores an applicant’s honesty and trustworthiness. Questions are designed to evaluate the applicant’s attitude to drug and alcohol abuse, abuse of company resources such as phones, internet, email and vehicles, the confidentiality of company information and data, the stealing of company property such as stationery, telling “white lies”, and the approach to work ethic criteria such as time keeping and taking breaks.

Pre Employment Drug Test

The US Department of Labor has estimated that drug use in the workplace costs employers up to $100 billion dollars annually in lost work time, accidents, health care costs and workers compensation costs. As a result a large number of employers require applicants to have a drug test as part of their pre employment testing process.

An employer can have a program for testing job applicants for drug usage as long as it is administered fairly and consistently and is in line with federal and state laws. The laws concerning employment drug screening vary from state to state and some states require that employers may only test applicants once they have been formally offered a position conditional on a negative drug test.

The most common drug tests involve applicants going to a collection site where a urine sample is obtained and then sent to a certified laboratory for analysis. The standard drug test is called a “Five-Screen” and tests for 5 types of street drugs – marijuana, cocaine, PCP (Phencylidine), opiates such as heroin and morphine, and amphetamines. Urine drug testing is popular with employers because it is reliable, inexpensive and non- intrusive. Test results are usually available within 24 to 48 hours. Other testing methods such as hair testing, blood tests, breath tests and saliva testing are also used.

Job applicants are likely to be required to undergo some form of pre employment testing. Although the amount of preparation that can be done for these tests is limited it will benefit applicants greatly to understand the type of tests they can expect.

More about career personality tests

All patients are overseen by medical staff. Someone is always at the patient’s home during the detox process, which can last anywhere from three to seven days. Depending on the home detox program, the person who stays with the recovering alcoholic could be a friend or family member, with the medical personnel making daily visits and always available by phone. Other detox programs have the medical personnel staying at your home.

Home detox is much less expensive than in-patient detox. Rather than paying for your share of a stay in a treatment facility as well as keep your home operating, you’re just paying for your home, like normal.

Each person is evaluated for their suitability for in-home detox from alcohol before this program starts. There are usually questionnaires and/or interviews. At that point the addict’s suitability for in-home detox from alcohol will be determined. A plan for healthy, safe and effective detox will be prepared and discussed with the patient.

There are many products on the internet promising virtual “detox in a box” or “all-natural detox at home”. However, none of these are recommended by physicians. In fact, they’re primarily set up to help people using drugs or alcohol pass drug screening by employers and others. If you can find these products on the internet, don’t you think they employers can, too?

In-home alcohol detoxification can also be used before an inpatient or outpatient treatment program begins. When the individual arrives at the treatment facility, the recovery phase can begin straightaway.

During the in-home alcohol detox, a medical professional, usually a nurse, will arrive at your house. They usually wear street clothes, so as far as your neighbors are concerned, you just have a friend visiting. The medical expert will have already seen your evaluation and will have come prepared to treat you according to your special needs.

Medications are administered, vital signs checked, and the detoxification process has begun. For the detox to be most effective, it must be followed up by recovery. Many of the medical staff who guide the recovering alcoholic through the home detox process will also begin the long-term recovery process at the same time.

Alcohol detox is the first step in the recovery process. Detoxing at home, under medical supervision, can be a safe and confidential method of beginning a new life of sobriety. But even at home, it’s critical that the alcohol detox process only be done under competent medical supervision.

There are five major tests used by addiction counselors and alcohol abuse programs. These include the CAGE questionnaire, the Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Paddington Alcohol Test. To learn more about each one, keep reading.

The CAGE

The CAGE Questionnaire is an acronym based on the four simple questions that it uses. It is a popular test because it’s simple and often takes seconds to administer. To identify or diagnose addiction, a respondent must answer “yes” to two of the following questions. Have you ever thought you should cut down on drinking? Have your family and friends ever addressed or criticized your drinking? Do you feel guilty about your drinking? Do you ever need a drink to start your day or to alleviate a hangover?

The person is then initially diagnosed with alcoholism if answering “yes” to two or more of the above questions. It’s designed specifically for alcoholism and not intended to be used to identify other drug dependencies.

The ADDQ (Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire)

The ADDQ not only attempts to identify alcohol dependence, but also determine the severity of that dependence. It’s a little more comprehensive than other tests and typically takes a few minutes to administer.

The ADDQ is used mostly throughout Europe and the UK, but it’s also utilized in some areas of the United States. It consists of 15 questions and actually gives respondents a score on a scale of 0 to 45. A score that comes in higher than 20 typically infers a high level of alcohol dependence.

The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST)

The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test is used primarily by the justice system as a way of determining an individual’s dependence on alcohol and is often used when considering sentencing for any alcohol-related offenses.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was first developed by the World Health Organization. It is administered all over the world and is the official test in six countries.

AUDIT is comprised of ten simple questions. The first group of questions deals with alcohol consumption levels, the next focuses on alcohol dependence and the remaining group covers alcohol related issues or problems.

The Paddington Alcohol Test

The PAT was created for emergency health workers to use when dealing with someone who had a possibly alcohol-related injury or was in the ER due to hazardous drinking. It’s intended to identify alcohol abuse issues so that the patient may be directed to the proper care and resources.

These five tests are each intended to determine a respondent’s level of dependence on alcohol and associated alcoholism symptoms. Each has been validated, is used in the field and is designed for a particular purpose.

How long do drugs stay in your system? The length of time that the presence of drugs of abuse in the body can be detected is an important factor in drug screening. The chart below outlines approximate duration times. When interpreting the duration for the presence of drugs of abuse in the body, you must take into consideration variables including the body’s metabolism, the subjects physical condition, overall body fluid balance, state of hydration and frequency of usage.

Drug Detection Times in urine are expressed below in terms of lower and upper boundaries. The amount of time that a drug/metabolite remains detectable in urine can vary, depending on the following factors:

• Amount and Frequency of Use: Single, isolated, small doses are generally detectable at the lower boundary. Chronic and long-term use typically result in detection periods near or at the upper boundary.

• Metabolic Rate: Individuals with slower body metabolism are prone to longer drug detection periods.

• Body Mass: In general, human metabolism slows with increased body mass, resulting in longer drug detection periods. In addition, THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) and PCP are known to accumulate in fatty lipid tissue. Chronic users, physically inactive users, and individuals with a high percentage of body fat in relation to total body mass are prone to longer drug detection periods for THC and PCP.

• Age: In general, human metabolism slows with age, resulting in longer drug detection periods.

• Overall Health: In general, human metabolism slows during periods of deteriorating health, resulting in longer drug detection periods.

• Drug Tolerance: Users typically metabolize a drug faster once a tolerance to the drug is established.

• Urine pH: Urine pH can impact drug detection periods. Typically, highly acidic urine results in shorter drug detection periods.

• Note: In a small percentage of cases, users may test positive longer than times shown – most notably in cases of long-term chronic abuse, in individuals with significant body mass and/or body fat, and in individuals with health related issues resulting in abnormally slow body metabolism.

Drug Detection Times in Urine

Drug / Drug Group Time Range

• Alcohol 24 hours or less

• Amphetamines 1 to 4 days

• Barbiturates Short-acting: 1 to 3 days

Long-acting (Barbital, Phenobarbital): 1 to 3 weeks

• Benzodiazepines Short-term Therapeutic Use: 1 to 3 days

Long-term / Chronic Use: 1 to 3 weeks

• Cocaine 1 to 5 days

• LSD 1 to 2 days

• Marijuana (THC) Casual Use: 1 to 7 days

Long-Term / Chronic Use: 1 to 4 weeks Note: THC, the primary active ingredient in marijuana, is stored by the body in fatty lipid tissue. From there, it is slowly released into the bloodstream for up to several weeks – depending on the amount and frequency of use and the user’s level of physical activity. In chronic and physically inactive users, THC may accumulate in fatty tissues faster than it can be eliminated. This accumulation leads to longer detection periods for these individuals. Also, users with a high percentage of body fat in relation to total body mass are prone to longer drug detection periods for marijuana.

• MDMA (Ecstasy) 1 to 4 days

• Methadone 1 to 4 days

• Methamphetamines 1 to 4 days

• Opiates 1 to 5 days

• PCP (Phencyclidine) Casual Use: 1 to 7 days

Long-Term / Chronic Use: 1 to 4 weeks Note: PCP is stored by the body in fatty lipid tissue. From there, it is slowly released into the bloodstream for up to several weeks – depending on the amount and frequency of use and the user’s level of physical activity. In chronic and physically inactive users, PCP may accumulate in fatty tissues faster than it can be eliminated. This accumulation leads to longer detection periods for these individuals. Also, users with a high percentage of body fat in relation to total body mass are prone to longer drug detection periods for PCP.

With the help of nanotechnology, carrying out a complex heart surgery is very much possible. Doctors have started making use of nanobots to cure certain diseases. These nanobots also help in rectifying certain disorders in the human body.

Nanotechnology in Drug Development:

Recently, scientists are developing effective and better drug delivery systems using nanotechnology. Scientists are using nanoparticles to design a drug delivery system that may improve the pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties of a drug and help better processes such as Drug screening. Nanaoparticles have remarkable properties that drastically enhance the drug delivery. Due to their microscopic sizes, nanoparticles get an easy access in the cells.

There are numerous developments in the drug delivery owing to nanotechnology. One such development using nanotechnology is the transfer of drugs into the cytoplasm of cells through the cell membrane. This is an important development, because to hinder certain diseases from the body, the drug needs to enter the cell membrane.

To make a drug molecule effective in the body, it needs a triggered response. To do so, scientists are using nanotechnology. Scientists are developing drugs using nanotechnology that automatically activate, once they enter the human body.

Many researchers believe that it is possible to develop a drug delivery system that may prove beneficial in treating cancer and infectious diseases using nanotechnology. By far, they have identified six types of nano-enabled delivery systems that have considerable potential in treating cancer and other infectious diseases.

With the help of nanotechnology, scientists have developed injectable drugs, which are more pleasing for the patients, who receive them and at the same time are easy to administer. Better opportunities are coming up in the development of implantable delivery systems, due to the use of nanotechnology, especially in terms of injectable drugs.

With so much of development taking place in the field of drug delivery systems, researchers believe that in the near future nano-enabled medicines will have a tremendous evolution and will produce true nanomedicines.