Do you feel like you never have enough information to make a decision about a candidate? You’re not alone. Recruiters are always looking for new and better ways to find the best candidates for their open positions.
One of the challenges of recruitment is assessing candidates accurately and fairly. This is where psychometric testing can help. Psychometric testing is a process that uses workplace assessment tools to measure factors such as personality, cognitive ability, and skills. This information can be helpful for recruiters in helping them to decide whether or not a candidate would be a good fit for the role.
If you’re looking to fill a position in your company, you may be wondering about psychometric testing. But what is psychometric testing, and how can you use it in your recruitment process? Read on to find out.
What is Psychometric Testing?
Psychometric testing is a type of assessment that measures your cognitive abilities and personality traits. Cognitive ability tests measure things like memory, reasoning skills or problem-solving abilities, while personality or behavioural assessments, such as a DISC assessment, explore a candidate’s work style preferences and social tendencies.
Psychometric testing aims to provide a fair and objective way to assess candidates. Psychometric testing can help recruiters better understand a candidate’s potential and how they might perform in the role by measuring psychological traits.
What is Psychometric Testing in Recruitment?
Psychometric tests are used in recruitment to measure a candidate’s suitability for the role or organisation. Psychometric testing is a valuable tool that recruiters or hiring managers can use in the recruitment process to help identify the best candidates for a position. These assessments cover several different areas and subject matter, including reasoning skills such as problem-solving abilities, numerical skills, verbal abilities and logical reasoning capabilities, among other things.
A lot goes into determining what kind of person will best fit an organisation from inside their own company and external factors such as education level. It’s vital that you take this step when looking at your candidates because if there is anything we’ve learned over time, it’s not just about a candidate’s previous work experience.
While there are many different types of psychometric tests, they all aim to provide an objective measure of a person’s characteristics and capabilities. Recruiters can then use this information to make better-informed decisions about who to hire, how to develop staff, and which roles might be a good fit for someone.
Now that we’ve answered the question “what is psychometric testing?” let’s look at how to use psychometric testing in recruitment.
Why do Recruiters Use Psychometric Testing?
Psychometric testing in recruitment is used to identify the best candidates for a role. By measuring a candidate’s cognitive abilities and personality traits, recruiters can better understand whether or not the candidate would be a good fit for the position.
In addition to helping identify the best candidates, psychometric testing can also help assess how well suited a candidate is for specific roles within an organisation. Recruitment managers will look for different things when conducting a psychometric pre-employment test. For example, if you’re looking to fill a leadership position, you might use psychometric testing to identify candidates who have the potential to be successful leaders. Or, think about a high-pressure head of sales role. A hiring manager may be looking to see if candidates work well in stressful environments and communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels; this could also mean someone who’s naturally inclined as a leader who can lead others through difficult times or takes charge where necessary.
On the other hand, a job role in a technical IT role may require a candidate who is organised, disciplined, and works well independently. There is a particular psychometric assessment or set of assessments for each of the above positions that will evaluate traits and skills most important for success in the role.
Psychometric tests offer:
- A well-rounded picture of a candidate.
- Insight into their logical processes, reasoning and problem-solving skills, and ability to interpret and analyse a range of data
- A view of how the candidate is likely to behave in the workplace.
Just as importantly, they also provide insight into traits and behaviours that help understand how they might fit into an existing team.
What are the Benefits of Using Psychometric Testing in Recruitment?
Psychometric assessments are redefining the way organisations undertake recruitment. Recruitment managers, in particular, are turning to psychometric tests to find the top applicants in a more efficient and reliable approach.
Psychometric tools help recruiters proactively construct a far better image of the applicant and provide them with a greater indicator of their suitability by assessing attributes such as reasoning skills, behavioural style, and emotional intelligence in a candidate.
There are numerous benefits to using psychometric tools for recruitment, including:
- ability to predict job performance of recruits
- create an understanding of how people are likely to behave in the workplace
- improved candidate quality
- reduced time to hire
- decreased recruitment costs
- improved employee retention rates
Ability to predict job performance of recruits
One of the critical benefits of psychometric testing is that it can help to predict job performance. This is because the tests measure a range of abilities and personality traits that have been linked with success in specific roles.
For example, suppose you’re looking to fill a leadership position. In that case, you may use a test that measures problem-solving ability and decisiveness, as these are important qualities for leaders.
By using psychometric tests, organisations can identify candidates who have the potential to excel in specific roles.
Create an understanding of how people are likely to behave in the workplace
Another benefit of psychometric testing is that it can help recruiters understand how people are likely to behave in the workplace. Psychometric tests that assess behaviour and personality can offer you with information about a candidate’s prefered communication styles, reactions to stress or pressure, their ideal working environment, and factors that motivate them.
Improved candidate quality
The best employees aren’t just right for the job. They’re also right for the culture you promote as an organisation. Finding talented candidates who also share your business values is perhaps one of the most challenging parts of recruitment, and the wrong culture is often the cause of failed hires. As psychometric testing provides a more rounded view of a candidate, it can help to improve the quality of candidates being put forward for roles. This is because the tests can identify those who have the potential to excel in specific roles, as well as those who might not be suitable for a particular position.
Reduced time to hire
Another benefit of using psychometric testing in recruitment is that it can help to reduce the time to hire. Psychometric assessmets provide a great deal of information about a candidate in a short time. That makes these tests invaluable for mass recruitment drives, such as graduate assessments when you’ll need to create a shortlist from a large pool of applicants as quickly as possible.
Decreased recruitment costs
A great monetary benefit of using psychometric testing in recruitment is that it can help to decrease recruitment costs. Using psychometric tests can reduce the amount of time and money spent on advertising, interviewing, and training unsuitable candidates. In addition, as psychometric tests provide such a detailed insight into a candidate, they can help avoid bad hires.
Improved employee retention rates
Finally, psychometric testing in recruitment can help to improve employee retention rates. This is because the tests help identify candidates who are likely to feel comfortable with the tasks and type of job role. Therefore they are likely to stay in a position long term.
How to Use Psychometric Testing in Recruitment
Psychometric testing can be used in different ways during the recruitment process. You can use it to:
- screen candidates
- assess fit for specific roles
- help develop talent pipelines for future positions
Screening Candidates
One of the most common ways to use psychometric testing in recruitment is to screen candidates. Screening candidates means using psychometric tests as part of your initial selection process to identify candidates with the right skills and personality.
This can be done by including a psychometric test as part of your online application process or administering tests during the first round of interviews. Using psychometric testing to screen candidates can save time and resources by only inviting the most suitable candidates to move forward in the recruitment process.
Assessing Fit for Specific Roles
In addition to screening candidates, psychometric testing can also assess fit for specific roles. This means using psychometric tests to identify which candidates have the skills and personalities that match the role requirements.
This type of assessment is often used when filling senior or specialist positions where it’s important to find someone who has the right skills and fits into the company culture. By using psychometric testing to assess fit for specific roles, you can make sure you’re only considering candidates who have the right skills and personality.
Developing Talent Pipelines
Another way to use psychometric testing in recruitment is to develop talent pipelines for future positions. This means using psychometric tests to identify high-potential candidates who might be suitable for future roles, even if they don’t have the exact skills or experience required for the position.
This can be done by administering tests during initial interviews or as part of an employee development program. Using psychometric testing to develop talent pipelines lets you have a pool of high-potential candidates ready and waiting when new positions become available.
Tips for Administering and Interpreting Psychometric Tests
If you’re thinking of using psychometric testing in recruitment, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Here are some tips for administering and interpreting psychometric tests:
- Ensure the test is valid and reliable.
- Only select the tests most relevant to the job role.
- Prepare candidates before they take the test. Make them comfortable by explaining your selection process and any testing purpose.
- Make sure the test is administered by a qualified professional.
- Interpret the results with caution.
- Use the results as just one part of your assessment.
Psychometric testing is becoming an increasingly popular tool for recruiters. By administering and interpreting psychometric tests, recruiters can get a more accurate picture of candidates, which leads to better decisions about who to hire. Our team at HR Profiling Solutions is experienced in administering and interpreting psychometric tests. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you find the best talent for your organisation.
