Psychometric testing and hiring in 2015

An ever increasing number of employers are identifying the benefits of psychometric testing and are reaping the rewards of applying it to their recruitment process. In 2015, the decision to use technology in order to save time and money in hiring may make or break both recruitment agencies and frequently hiring enterprises. Gone are the days where a ‘gut feeling’ provides acceptable justification to decide the fate of one's career and more importantly, business success. Instead decisions must now be based on tangible data in order to compete with a fast paced environments, and fast paced staff. Furthermore, current research suggests that replacing a skilled person can cost an employer upwards of 150% of that employee’s annual salary, meaning even one bad hire can be extremely damaging! This is where online psychometric assessments can turn things around. Whilst there may be many kinds of objective testing on offer, they all aim to provide scientifically backed data about a person. This data may be on the candidates’ personality attributes, past behaviours, and intellectual abilities. This information can then be used to predict future occupational success in a wide variety of workplace environments, including sales, human services, and even the defence force. Listed below are some of the benefits and outcomes achieved by using such a process that traditional methods such as interviews, resumes or even years experience cannot achieve: 1.      Predicting future behaviour Information gathered from psychometric tests can be used to predict how well potential candidates will behave in the future. This can include how well they make decisions under pressure or how they prefer to manage important tasks. This kind of information makes an assessment report an integral ongoing tool as it can be used post-hire to provide vision into how best to manage an individual and receive the most value from their role (not to mention allows you to identify which directions NOT to point them in!) 2.      Comparing candidates Sometimes it can be hard to choose between your shortlisted candidates. Using psychometric testing to compare candidates allows you to look past aesthetic disruptions or perceived value shown through interview confidence to highlight number driven abilities and reasoning as it relates to verbal, abstract and numeral skills which have been shown to be far better indicators of job performance. 3.      Evidence and accuracy Even the most experienced interviewers may miss out on small, crucial details about their candidates, potentially leading to a bad hire. This is not because they are incompetent, but because simply relying on a resume and interview alone allows the candidate preparation to tell you exactly what you want to hear, without any way for you to determine how truthful and accurate the information really is. It's not the candidate's fault as it's natural to appear more able, more agreeable, and more confident in an interview situation than a working situation where they need to use their reasoning and intelligence to get the job done. Including research based psychometric tests to your recruitment tool box eliminates such guess work by adding reliable insight into the traditional hiring model. 4.      User friendly Often employers are concerned about how difficult interpretations of psychometric tests are. Fortunately, you don’t need a degree in psychology to understand them! Psychometric assessments are written using a practical language, so that employers can easily understand what is being measured, why it is important to their goals, and how their candidates compare to the ‘ average’ in any given assessment. This allows employers to determine if that person is suitable for the advertised role, and how successful candidates are likely to be. 5.      Specialised tailoring Some providers' psychometric assessments can be tailored to meet the employer’s individual needs based on the specific attributes and qualities an employer is looking for in potential candidates. In some cases a consultation can be organised between the employer and the psychometric assessment provider to understand their organisational goals and how these can be achieved through the right balance of talent management. Such a quality will not only increase the relevance of the tests, but also strengthen your hiring choices. With candidate's changing organisations more rapidly today, customisation in the recruitment process can ensure you're hiring longer term staff whom already have the required skills needed, saving you from training up workers to a beneficial level only to have them leave. 6.      More than one application Not only can psychometric tests be used for recruiting, they are also often used for training and retention purposes. These assessments allow you to profile employees, identifying their strengths, weaknesses and work styles. This information can be useful when considering promotions and reorganising work-flow. By reallocating tasks to employees that suit their abilities, you can increase productivity and job satisfaction, leading to a happier and more efficient workplace… and of course, increase revenue! If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of psychometric testing, or are ready to add them to your recruitment tool box, contact the dedicated team of psychology professionals at Psych Press for a confidential discussion about the variety of psychometric assessments they provide. Please call Psych Press on 03 9670 0590 or email info@psychpress.com.au

Predictors of job performance: How important is Personality?

It is considered that experience and skill are important predictors of job performance, and traditionally the hiring process has been based on these qualities. In recent years, however, personality has increasingly been recognised as an equally important predictor of job performance. 

Business mogul and entrepreneur Richard Branson is known to place more value on personality than skill set when hiring. Branson maintains that most jobs can be taught relatively quickly, and suggests “if you can find people who are fun, friendly, caring and love helping others, you are on to a winner”. Indeed, more and more businesses are incorporating personality testing into their hiring processes.

Attributes that make up Personality

Motivation, resilience, flexibility, and the ability to take initiative are examples of personality characteristics that strongly affect individual job performance. When planning your next workforce addition/s, it is important to underline which mix of these attributes equals ‘getting the job done effectively’ for the short and long term in your unique setting.

For example, the way individuals approach and complete tasks, adapt to change, and deal with stress are strongly influenced by personality and can have various connotations to performance depending on the environment and culture, not just the role at hand. A receptionist at a health clinic may have to be far more open to sudden adaptation and change than a law firm receptionist.

Predicting environment match 

Personality may also determine the workplace environment in which an individual is most likely to be successful. For example, introverted individuals are more likely to perform well in a job involving independent work, whereas extroverted or outgoing individuals are generally better suited to jobs involving more human interaction. 

Matching personality types together

Employers should also keep in mind how the workplace dynamic is influenced by the personalities of employees, who are more likely to stick around if they are happy in their workplace and get along with their co-workers. Matching younger up and coming employees to more experienced mentors can have great benefits for both parties, but be sure that there isn’t a large clash in flexibility or openness.

Recruiting based on personality therefore has a noticeable effect on your organisational goals. Being sure that your chance of turnover is significantly reduced is ultimately going to save costs, knowing that your staff members are adaptive to change will allow larger changes to become successful more quickly, and knowing that your staff are resilient during times of stress will reduce complaints and increase openness to job rotation and potential promotion.

Whilst experience certainly counts for something, the role personality plays in predicting job performance should not be discounted. Businesses can benefit from including an aspect of personality testing early in the recruitment process.

Want to learn more about testing personality directly related to your role and company?

Talent assessment and development Psychologists, Psych Press have a large selection of in-house and customisable assessment tools that link personality to performance prediction for a variety of companies. One such tool, Business Personality Reflections (BPR) has been used for a multitude of roles to ascertain a strong fit for recruiting decisions. Based on a wide field of research and multiple industry norms, this assessment provides a full report for your informed decision. To find out more visit the Psych Press Business Personality Reflections page.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/richard-branson-hires-for-personality-2013-9