Smooth sailing with behaviours?

When recruiting, there are three steps:

STEP 1 : The Handshake – how do they appear
STEP 2 : The CV – what they claim
STEP 3 : The way they Behave – will they fit into your world and organisation?
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Are you ‘subjected’ to psychometric tests?

You may have seen the recent FT story about ITV bosses being ‘subjected’ to psychometric tests. The reason they were being assessed? The new chairman called the company a ‘shambles’ when he took over.

The media say people are ‘subjected to’ testing, even though the business case for testing is clear. Thousands of organisations in UK use psychometric testing and their candidates are actually better off. Read more

Would Psychometric Assessments Support those in Government?

Before going any further, let me stress that this is not a blog highlighting our political views or intentions for next week’s General Election – but more of a “what if?”

By the end of next week we could be waking up to a hung parliament, but what would be the outcome from a personnel perspective and how would the “teams” be supported?  I wonder if anyone has actually stopped to think about how such a scenario could affect the aptitudes of those serving in Government. Read more

Psychometric testing is for life, not just for recruitment…

‘Cradle to grave’; ‘soup to nuts’ – there are many ways to describe a holistic approach. Psychometric testing is the ideal tool to recruit, manage and develop your staff. Here we look at the seven steps of successful selection & retention:

1.    Attract – select a psychometric benchmark and use the wording in the job ad to appeal to the right people. This proven strategy will naturally screen out those who aren’t suitable.
2.    Assess – ask the candidate to complete a psychometric assessment and compare to the benchmark. Research shows this is three times more effective than interview alone.
3.    Interview – use behaviourally based questions to probe into a candidate’s past experience. Use the same interview structure for all candidates to ensure impartiality.
4.    Decide – use psychometric testing as an objective look at a shortlist. First impressions are made within 3 seconds of meeting someone – challenge the reasons you want/don’t want to hire each candidate.
5.    Manage – help line managers to get to know their new team members quickly. Short managing and coaching guidelines will get the best out of new employees.
6.    Develop – build development plans for new and existing employees. Maximise natural strengths and manage natural developmental areas with psychometric reports.
7.    Retain – use psychometric profiling to succession plan for the future leaders of your organisation. Identify the right employees for high potential programmes and leadership capabilities.

Many organisations stop using psychometric assessment after the second interview but to generate a meaningful ROI it should be used throughout the employee lifecycle