Going Beyond the Interview with Psychometric Assessments
22 May, 20243 minutesIn today's rapidly evolving talent market, identifying the righ...
In today's rapidly evolving talent market, identifying the right candidate for a role goes beyond evaluating applications and conducting interviews. Psychometric assessments have emerged as a crucial tool in the recruitment process, offering a deeper insight into a candidate's skills and personality traits than traditional methods alone.
These assessments, grounded in the scientific study of measuring mental capacities and processes, unlock a comprehensive understanding of an individual's potential fit for a position.
In this blog, we will explore the essence of psychometric assessments, their importance in modern-day hiring practices, and how they can revolutionise the way organisations approach talent acquisition and development.
Skills-first hiring presents advantages for employers and job seekers
Recent research sheds light on the growing prominence of skills-based hiring and its transformative impact on both job seekers and employers. According to Forbes, over 70% of survey respondents shared their belief that skills-based hiring was more effective than traditional resume-based methods. And nearly half of employers shared that it is difficult to determine applicants' skills through resumes.1
While this approach benefits employers by facilitating a more effective evaluation of candidates, it also offers substantial advantages for candidates. Forbes also found that 86% of jobseekers expressed that the opportunity to showcase specific skills that were role-relevant would significantly enhance their chances of securing their dream job.
Skills-based recruitment processes are rising in popularity for hiring managers
LinkedIn's insights reinforce the momentum behind skills-first hiring, revealing that a staggering 88% of hiring managers admit to filtering out highly skilled candidates due to the lack of traditional credentials like past job titles or degrees.2 Furthermore, talent pools expanded on average nearly 10x when using a skills-first approach. This finding underscores the limitations of conventional hiring practices and the need for a more inclusive and meritocratic approach.
What are psychometric assessments?
Through psychometric assessments, employers can capture insights about applicants that may be otherwise challenging to identify during the traditional interview process.
According to the Institute of Psychometric Coaching,3 psychometric assessments offer a systematic and scientific approach to evaluating an individual's cognitive abilities and behavioural traits. These tests are designed to measure a candidate's fit for roles, based on required characteristics and cognitive abilities.
Psychometric assessments provide enhanced recruitment insights and inform developmental strategies
Psychometric testing offers valuable insights across all stages of the candidate journey. Unlike traditional interviewing methods, which rely heavily on job seekers’ candidness and are prone to interviewer bias and subjective evaluations, psychometric assessments provide a more reliable measure of candidate capabilities. An impressive 92% of companies view skills-based hiring as more effective than using a traditional CV and employers report that they have reduced the number of mis-hires by 88% as a result of skills-based hiring in the recruitment process.1
Furthermore, assessments are incredibly useful for developmental strategies, especially personality evaluations. These assessments help internal staff to focus on personal growth while also benefitting the organisation through focused employee development and upskilling.
The importance of psychometric assessments in high-volume recruitment
For high-volume recruitment campaigns, ability assessments, tests that evaluate cognitive capabilities, are particularly invaluable. These assessments effectively determine which candidates have the foundational skills required for the role. This efficiency is imperative in supporting organisations and hiring managers to target the most qualified candidates in their initial applicant pool, streamlining the following stages of the selection process.
Integrating psychometric assessments with other selection tools
It is, however, essential to integrate assessments with other candidate selection tools, such as interviews, to make comprehensive hiring decisions. While assessments can confirm that candidates have the necessary abilities to perform the role or that their personality traits and work preferences align well with the company culture, confirming these qualities with interviews provides a more holistic view of the applicant, and will ensure that the selection process is balanced and well-informed.
What are the types of psychometric tests?
Psychometric assessments offer a comprehensive way to measure an individual's cognitive capabilities and behavioural style. They provide invaluable insights into candidates’ performance potential and future career development.
Understanding the different types of psychometric assessments is crucial to effectively apply them and garner relevant insights. These assessment types include ability and personality assessments.
Ability Assessments
Ability tests are specifically designed to evaluate a candidate's cognitive and reasoning capabilities. These tests are structured to assess a range of mental faculties, including numerical, verbal, abstract, and spatial reasoning skills. By measuring these technical abilities, the tests aim to forecast how a candidate would likely perform in a specific role. These tests are popular in banking and finance, legal, and civil service industries, among others.4 They are frequently used for graduate jobs, work placements, and internships.5
Personality Assessments
Personality tests are designed to accurately discover the unique aspects of an individual’s personality traits and work-related behaviour, supporting the understanding of who they are beyond what can be gleaned in an interview. These tests can be used to evaluate candidates against essential competencies and are interpreted according to a job’s key behavioural expectations to determine an individual’s suitability for a role or company.
Are psychometric assessments the right solution for your organisation?
Psychometric assessments can be pivotal for talent attraction and retention strategies and offer numerous benefits, from improved cultural fit to targeted learning and development.
By providing an objective and scientific measure of a candidate's cognitive abilities and behavioural traits, these assessments play a pivotal role in enhancing the precision of hiring decisions and fostering personal growth for employees within organisations.
Whether streamlining high-volume recruitment campaigns or supporting focused employee development, the integration of psychometric testing, with other evaluative tools, offers organisations an in-depth and holistic approach to talent management.
As the workforce continues to evolve, the adoption of psychometric assessments will undoubtedly remain a key element in building resilient and dynamic teams.
Learn more about how psychological assessments can enhance your talent attraction and retention outcomes. Schedule a consultation with our Talent Transitions team.
References
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