Psychometric testing is frequently used by recruiters as it allows them to unearth a wealth of information about candidates. This could include things like personality traits, thought processes, and even educational standards—all things that help you get to know someone.
It’s through getting to know a person that we can make sure we’re hiring the right one. To do that in a normal, one-on-one interview is difficult, if not virtually impossible. That’s why these tests are so important and why they’re being used by an increasing number of employers. The question is no longer if we should use them, but how we should use them to get the best results.
Weed out the Lies
Almost all of us will have experienced the nerve-wracking horror of a job interview at various points in our lives. Something else many of us will have experienced—although perhaps not have admitted!—is lying in an interview. Many job interview lies are relatively simple, for example, “I was never late at my old job” or “applied finance is just so thrilling to me”. It’s human nature to stretch the truth to make ourselves sound more appealing, especially in job interviews. Unfortunately, this can make the hiring process harder and stop recruiters from seeing the real applicant. This is where psychometric testing comes in. While it can’t eliminate all the lies, psychometric testing can tell you a whole lot of truths about a person. It can show you traits, approaches and behavioural issues that would normally be hidden in an interview. In the long run, this will prevent you hiring someone who may just end up in over their head.
Make an Informed Decision
The information provided by psychometric testing can give you a well-rounded view of the applicant and help you really get to know him or her. This is vital if you want to be sure you’re hiring the right people for your company. Not only do you want people with the right experience, but you need individuals who can smoothly integrate into your team. By uncovering personality traits, you can avoid personality clashes between colleagues. Response styles can tell you which areas of work candidates are best suited to, while overall answers can also uncover learning patterns, which are important for staff retention.
Get It Right the First Time
Everything discussed above circles back to one thing: you want to get the hiring right the first time. If you hire the wrong person or you repeatedly have to make the same hire for various reasons, you can waste a considerable amount of time and money. In the worst case scenario, this can even lead to your own role being questioned. Getting your hiring right the first time is a major argument for using psychometric testing in recruitment. By identifying the right person, you aren’t wasting resources on training the wrong candidates, and you aren’t wasting company funds. Hire the right person, however, and you could impact your company’s bottom line in a positive way. By deducing beforehand that a candidate is a great fit, you may even unknowingly hire your firm’s next top performer.
In Conclusion
As should now be clear, there are a number of reasons why psychometric testing is a valuable part of the recruitment process. A comprehensive understanding of the tests—and the results they produce—can deliver incredible benefits, for you, your recruits and the company as a whole.
