FAQ’s
Why use psychometric testing?
Around 70% of UK companies with over 50 employees use psychometric tests, often in recruitment, sometimes in developing skills. Use is increasing.
Yet “psychometrics” still sounds like a black art and “testing” gives people flashbacks to sweating over exam papers.
What are often known as “softer” factors are increasingly seen as important in success, for instance:
- how well you understand and get on with people
- your ability to lead
- how far you follow rules or come up with your own unique solutions
- your ability to cope with stress.
As service orientation grows, the old saying “people are our most important resource” becomes more relevant. They are also an organisation’s biggest cost and single most complex aspect of organisational success and failure. Next to recruiting and managing a workforce, putting in a new intranet is a doddle.
So, what exactly is “psychometrics”.
Put simply, psychometrics is a set of techniques used to ensure, among other things, that:
- you are actually testing what you think you are testing. A written test of mathematics should be testing maths, not writing for instance.
- your test gives the same results if it’s given to the same person twice or administered by different people
- it’s fair to everyone
- you know how accurate the measure is and how far you can depend on it. No measure – whether of your height or your profit is 100% accurate (just ask an accountant about the latter). Sometimes this can be significant.
Psychometrics allows you to weigh up the accuracy of your decision.
I use interviews and other methods; why should I replace them with tests?
You shouldn’t! Tests provide part of the picture; interviews, for instance, provide information tests can’t reach.
But research shows that interviews, references and application forms are very bad at predicting whether people will succeed. Interviews are particularly dangerous because you will be hugely influenced by your prejudices, likes and dislikes without realising it.
If you think back, you will remember the great candidate who proved top be a complete disaster. You might even recall the exciting company which employed you and which you left as quickly as you could. Let’s not forget that recruitment is two way!
What are the business benefits of testing?
Psychometric tests sound rather academic but they’re actually ways of making hard-headed business decisions.
Psychometric Tests will:
- increase your bottom line
- decrease staff turnover
- identify talent
- create a more efficient organisation.
Psychometric tests sometimes look expensive. A good test might cost you £100 to administer and interpret. But since it may cost you £10,000 in direct costs if you recruit the wrong senior manager (and a lot more in indirect costs) this doesn’t seem too high a price.
Tests will also help companies defend against legal challenges to HR decisions, which might end up in expensive tribunals and court cases. It’s illegal to discriminate on grounds of:
- gender
- race
- sexual orientation
- religious belief
- age.
Test results are defensible evidence in court, whereas interviews are open to all sorts of challenges. And, of course, using them will ensure that you are being objective, building a successful, effective, motivated organisation.
Good recruitment and development practice are part of a company’s marketing and brand development. Even a rejected candidate will speak well of a company that’s taken the time to create a professional recruitment process which gives valuable feedback; tests provide that.
Do you offer a free trial?
Yes. We are so confident that our Psychometric Testing system will:
- help you make much better people decisions
- reduce your staff turnover
- save you time and money
- improve working relationships,
that we are willing to remove any risk in your buying decision. Call 0800 043 3950 now to get started.
