Can You Profile Mozart?

The search for a psychometric test of creativity has been a holy grail of test publishers and developers.

Such things do exist: the most famous is the Torrance Tests Of creative Ability.  But none of them are widely used.  The reason is, I think, that creativity is difficult to define and therefore measure: is it the ability to come up with lots of ideas?; the unusualness of the ideas you come up with?  Should you expect creativity to be on tap or dependent on mood (in which case it will be extra difficult to test for!).

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Testing is training

Psychometric tests help retain staff in bad times.

Sounds unlikely?

Personnel Decisions Limited surveyed 530 managers and found they’re putting extra effort into retaining staff during the downturn.  We’ve obviously learnt the key lesson of previous economic ‘blips’: don’t slash and burn your staffing.  Retaining core knowledge and skills upholds performance in depressed markets, speeds up growth at the upturn and prevents a collapse in engagement.

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Employee Testing – the business case

You wouldn’t invest £45,000 (or £10,000) in a new piece of kit, new office space or a major piece of marketing on the basis of looking at it for an hour, finding out what birth sign it was made under(!) or relying on the makers’ brochure.

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The key to interview success - a firm handshake?

Some interesting new research has highlighted the impact a firm handshake has on interview success. We know that the first few minutes with someone has a disproportionate influence on us in terms of an ultimate decision. This research shows that even a handshake can subconsciously influence us.

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