Every recruiter wants to find the best candidate for their vacancies, and at first glance, using a psychometric test for recruiting might seem ideal. But if you assess candidates with tests, you will find that psychometric tests are much more complex than just checking a candidate's abilities.
Every recruiter wants to find the best candidate for their vacancies, and at first glance, using a psychometric test for recruiting might seem ideal. But if you assess candidates with tests, you will find that psychometric tests are much more complex than just checking a candidate's abilities.
There are many types of psychometric tests available to hiring managers, but the quality and depth of the tests vary widely. Hiring managers should fully understand the scope and depth of each psychometric test for recruiting before using them in their candidate selection process.
What is a psychometric test for recruitment?
Essentially, a recruiting psychometric test is a standard questioning system based on measurable standards to quantify a candidate's mental abilities and behavior pattern. Psychometric tests are based on scientific and psychological research, studies and results. The aim is to provide a reasonable benchmark on how a candidate will handle specific responsibilities and situations in the work environment.
With a thorough understanding of it, a psychometric test for recruitment and selection can be a powerful tool in your recruitment and selection process. Without a thorough understanding, subjecting a candidate to a psychometric test for recruiting purposes can be unfair and encourage prejudice. It is also a waste of time and money if the hiring manager does not fully understand the content of the results.
There are different psychometric tests for recruitment that meet the key criteria for different functions with different key skills. You need to make sure that you choose the right test for the vacant position you are interviewing for.
A psychometric test for recruiting can give you insight into many aspects of a candidate, including:
A natural aptitude for specific skills such as:
- The ability to perform complex work on numbers
- Work with words and be able to read / prepare finely detailed documents
- Well-defined spatial skills
- Attention to fine details (alphabetical or numeric)
- Ability to concentrate for long periods without deviating from one's path
- Ability to perform repetitive tasks with precision over and over again.
Natural leadership skills, and leadership style:
- An organic leader, inclined to spontaneous "open door" type policies.
- A mechanistic leader who thrives better under strict rules and structures
- A classic leader who prefers autocratic power-based structures.
- A democratic leader who prefers to involve others and work in a team.
- A delegative leader who prefers to operate behind the scenes.
Natural personality traits like:
- Ability to remain calm and rational under pressure
- Ability to make quick decisions in stressful or crisis situations.
- An innate desire to help others
- Naturally outgoing and people-oriented
- Naturally combative or confrontational (which makes excellent debt collectors).
- Naturally persuasive and able to convince or motivate others.
- Prefers to have several different tasks in his working day.
- Prefers to specialize in just one or two tasks.
- Get sidetracked easily (people who get sidetracked easily are great at multitasking).
These are just a few of the important characteristics that a hiring manager will look to identify when using a psychometric test for recruiting. But it is essential to be able to interpret the results accurately, as indicated in the last point.
A candidate who has taken a psychometric test and is seen as easily distracted might be put aside as it may appear to be a negative trait.
But if you're looking to fill a job in a busy workshop, call center, sales center, or cash register, this is a valuable feature. If the candidate has achieved an average or higher score for attention to detail, they will thrive in a very active environment and will not forget to call back customers or perform administrative tasks.
If you want to include psychometric testing in recruiting, it is advisable to train and certify hiring managers. If not, outsource the testing and make sure there is a consultant who will fully understand your requirements and then analyze each psychometric test for you for recruiting purposes.
It is important to note, however, that no psychometric test is foolproof, that there is a margin of error, and that recruiting psychometric tests can give incorrect or inconclusive results.
How are the psychometric tests carried out for recruitment?
You can opt to outsource to an assessment center where the candidate will take the full range of psychometric tests that you have requested. Another option is to manage each psychometric test for in-house recruiting by partnering with a company that offers testing online.
How are the psychometric tests carried out for recruitment?
You can opt to outsource to an assessment center where the candidate will undergo the full range of psychometric tests that you have requested. Another option is to manage each psychometric test for in-house recruiting by partnering with a company that offers testing online.
This way you buy credits in advance where you pay a monthly deposit and you have access to a range of psychometric tests that you can use. Candidates log into the site with a unique password, and test results are sent directly to you for analysis.
Whether you use an assessment center or perform psychometric tests for in-house recruiting, the results can be wrong.
The main reason for a skewed result is that the test was not performed correctly or under ideal circumstances. The candidate may not have been prepared properly, or the environment was not suitable.
There may be other reasons for the skewed results of a psychometric recruitment test:
The candidate intentionally tried to change the test results (people sometimes try to give the answers they think the hiring manager wants).
The candidate was under the influence of a substance when they took the test (this may be alcohol, drugs, or medication for a chronic illness or condition).
The candidate suffers from severe depression or has just suffered a personal trauma that has affected his concentration.
Online psychometric tests can be affected by poor connectivity, and in this case the result may be inconclusive.
When to use a psychometric test for recruiting?
The results of a psychometric test should never be used alone in making a recruitment decision.
Other influencing factors should be the candidate's CV and experience, previous professional references, the way the candidate presented himself in interviews, and the candidate's qualifications. Keep in mind that a person may have skills for working with complex numbers, but if they don't have formal training, they are unlikely to be good at the job.
A psychometric test for recruiting works well when you:
Hire a large number of people to do the same job, such as call center staff.
Highly specialized positions, especially of a technical nature where doing the job correctly is the only option (such as in data centers or repair centers).
Hiring senior executives and leaders so you can determine if their management style is right for your organization.
Hire entry-level candidates who have no prior work experience; lack of skills often makes young applicants believe that they will be good at a task when in fact they are prone to something completely different. A psychometric test for recruiting a junior employee can help you place them in a department where they will thrive rather than fail.
Psychometric tests for recruitment are controversial
Never use psychometric tests haphazardly and without prior planning. Determine early on whether the position to be filled warrants the use of a psychometric test for recruitment and placement. If so, decide, while writing the job description and interview sheet, what information you want to get from the psychometric tests.
Always be sure to use validated psychometric tests for recruiting purposes, as they can expose your business to accusations of unfair hiring practices or unfair bias.
Also confirm that psychometric tests for recruitment purposes are available in all official languages recognized in your country. Even if the predominant language in your company is English, and the candidate can speak English! Labor law generally considers it unfair not to give the candidate the opportunity to take the psychometric test in his mother tongue.
Article Translated from our French site