The world of psychometric testing is vast and it can be difficult to navigate. This series of two capsules will give you the basic elements that allow you to do so. We will first analyze what a psychometric test is and then look at the risk areas associated with their use. We will finally see the strategies for success that allow us to take advantage of them.
What is a psychometric test?
According to Christine Chartrand, an author specializing in occupational psychology, “the aim of psychometrics is to better understand a person's cognitive abilities, as well as their personality and behavioral tendencies.” Although it is a test, there is no possibility of failure on the part of a candidate since there are no right or wrong answers. Above all, it is time for the candidate to answer a series of questions honestly and spontaneously without them being prepared or analyzed beforehand.
It is therefore more of a feedback that allows us to understand the personality of an individual. So there are no good or bad profiles in this type of test.
Psychometric tests are being used more and more in businesses. The reason is quite simple: these tests make it possible to see if the candidate has a personality compatible with the position or organization, or if he adheres to the corporate culture or will not create conflicts with the other members of the team. They can therefore increase the retention rate and allow you to find the right candidate, which will reduce your costs!
Psychometric tests can be grouped into 2 categories:
- Personality inventories: The personality inventory measures the main personality traits of the individual, which makes it possible to assess the person's interpersonal skills. We will be able to measure the motivations, interpersonal interactions and attitudes of the individual according to given situations.
- Personality profiles: The personality profile will instead look at the main personality traits of an individual to classify them into a personality category.
- Personality profiles should not be used in recruitment, but in the case of team building or conflict management.
- Since this type of test only categorizes the individual and does not deal with competencies, it is preferable to favor the use of the personality inventory in a recruitment process to obtain more accurate results.
Choosing the psychometric test
There are a multitude of psychometric tests on the internet and some are offered free of charge. On the other hand, you have to be careful, because many of them are not based on any scientific fact and are rather created randomly. You must therefore check the reliability of the test and determine which offers the best candidate profiles for your organization.
For the rest of our capsule: Psychometric tests Risks and strategies for success