 | | You've received this newsletter because you subscribed to it using our double opt-in sign-up process. To unsubscribe, just click the link at the bottom of this email. Alternatively, if you're not already a subscriber, you can sign up here. | | | Mind Tools Newsletter 159 - August 3, 2010
Making Hiring Easier!
Imagine that your boss has put you in charge of recruiting graduates for trainee management positions. As opportunities like these are increasingly rare, you receive hundreds of applications for only a handful of jobs.
On paper, it looks as though many of the candidates have exactly what it takes to succeed with your organization. But there's no way you can possibly interview all of them! So how you can you narrow down your choices, quickly and efficiently, and still end up shortlisting the best people?
One way is by using psychometric testing, and that's what we're looking at in this week's free article and in depth in the Career Excellence Club.
Recruitment, Training and Career Development
Find out how you can use psychometric tests as a recruitment tool to measure "hidden attributes" such as personality, attitude, and beliefs objectively. We also show you how you can use the tests in team building and training, and in your own career development.
This newsletter also takes a look at the Persuasion Tools Model. This model looks at your intuition and influencing ability, and matches these up with the approach that's likely to work best for you in negotiations.
Enjoy the articles!
 |  |
James Manktelow and Rachel Thompson
MindTools.com - Essential skills for an excellent career!
Featured Resources at Mind Tools
| | |  | When you're hiring, it can be difficult to assess traits such as personality, attitude, and values in an objective way. We look at how psychometric testing can help you measure these "hidden" attributes.
All Readers' Skill-Builder | |  | | Are you an effective negotiator? This model can help you improve your negotiation skills, by highlighting approaches that may be useful. All Readers' Skill-Builder | | | | ... And from the Career Excellence Club
|  | | In project management, the three constraints of budget, scope and schedule are closely linked. Find out how to deliver your projects successfully within this "iron triangle." All Members' Skill-Builder | |  | Meditation can be an effective way of dealing with stress. Learn some meditation techniques that you can use in the workplace.
All Members' Skill-Builder | |  | Coaching is great for developing people's skills and abilities. Find out what it is, and how you can use it to boost performance.
All Members' Coaching Clinic | |  | We all want to do more, with less. Discover how to improve the business processes that you and your colleagues use at work.
All Members' Bite-Sized Training™ | |  | Why do business leaders and IT leaders seem to live in different worlds? Susan Cramm shares her views on why that disconnect is so common in organizations, and tells us what people can do about it.
Premium Members' Expert Interview | |  | | This book is a comprehensive guide to becoming more captivating and more persuasive. Find out more about it here. Premium Members' Book Insight | | Editors' Choice Article
Psychometric Testing
Measuring "Hidden" Traits
Measuring attributes like height, weight, and strength is reasonably simple. These are all physical and observable traits that you can assess objectively. But what about factors that aren't so easy to measure?
Traits such as personality, intelligence, attitude, and beliefs are important characteristics to measure and assess. Whether you're hiring people, helping team members understand themselves and their relationships with others, or trying to figure out what you want to do with your life, it's useful to assess these types of "hidden" attributes. | | 
Psychometric testing can assess "hidden" traits objectively.
©iStockphoto/olm26250 |
One way to gather this information is through psychometric testing. This article looks at what psychometric tests are, what they measure, and how they can help you in both recruiting staff and developing your own career.
What Are Psychometric Tests?
Psychometric tests include personality profiles, reasoning tests, motivation questionnaires, and ability assessments. These tests try to provide objective data for otherwise subjective measurements.
For example, if you want to determine someone's attitude, you can ask the person directly, observe the person in action, or even gather observations about the person from other people. However, all of these methods take time, and can be affected by personal bias and perspective. By using a psychometric test, you make best use of interviewers' time, as well as making a more objective and impartial judgment.
Since objectivity is key to using these assessments, a good psychometric test provides fair and accurate results each time it's given. To ensure this, the test must meet these three key criteria:
- Standardization – The test must be based on results from a sample population that's truly representative of the people who'll be taking the test. You can't realistically test every working person in a country. But you can test a representative sample of that group, and then apply the results to the specific people whom you test.
Also, a standardized test is administered the same way every time to help reduce any test bias. By using a standardized test, you can compare the results with anyone whose characteristics are similar to those of the sample group.
- Reliability – The test must produce consistent results, and not be significantly influenced by outside factors. For instance, if you're feeling stressed when you take the test, the test results shouldn't be overly different from times when you were excited or relaxed.
- Validity – This is perhaps the most important quality of a test. A valid test has to measure what it's intended to measure. If a test is supposed to measure a person's interests, then it must clearly demonstrate that it does actually measure interests, and not something else that's just related to interests.
Note:
Psychometrics is the study of educational and psychological measurements. The adjective "psychometric" is used to describe psychological tests (typically those used in educational and occupational settings) that are standardized as well as proven to be reliable and valid measures of areas such as personality, ability, aptitude, and interest.
Beyond these criteria, effective psychometric tests must be relevant to the modern workplace. Before using one of these tests, make sure the test has been validated and updated recently. |
What Do Psychometric Tests Measure?
Psychometric tests can measure interests, personality, and aptitude.
- Interest tests measure how people differ in their motivation, values, and opinions in relation to their interests.
- Personality tests measure how people differ in their style or manner of doing things, and in the way they interact with their environment and other people.
- Aptitude tests measure how people differ in their ability to perform or carry out different tasks.
Advantages of Psychometric Tests
Psychometric tests can help to make personnel and career-related assessments more objective.
These tests also save a great deal of time. They're typically very easy to administer, and they can be given to a group of people easily. (Some other types of assessments must be given individually.) Psychometric tests are also easily scored, so results come back quickly and reliably.
Many of these tests are completed using software programs, and some can even be completed online. This, again, provides a time advantage, and it can reduce costs significantly compared to other methods. People can take the tests from anywhere, and the results are accurately scored each time.
Using Psychometric Tests
Psychometric tests can be used for a variety of purposes. Some of the most common uses are as follows:
- Selection of personnel - Here, tests can help recruiters and hiring managers determine candidates who best fit a position. Personality, aptitude, and knowledge tests are all very common in this type of testing situation. For a detailed discussion of these types of tests and how to use them for hiring, see our article on Using Recruitment Tests (members only).
- Individual development and training - Psychometric tests can help you determine how best to improve current skills and performance. For example, if your department is going to introduce a new type of technology, it might be helpful to assess people on their interests and motivations related to new technology. The Business Attitude Inventory and the California Measure of Mental Motivation are psychometric tests available for training and development purposes. You could also use aptitude and skills tests to determine a person's ability to perform certain tasks.
- Team building and development - This area can provide many uses for psychometric tests. The better people understand themselves and others, the better they can build and maintain positive workplace relationships. Tests like FIRO-B, DiSC, and the Hogan Development Survey are designed specifically to uncover potential sources of relationship tension (members' articles). General personality assessments, including the Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator (MBTI) and the California Personality Inventory (CPI), are also very helpful for team building and strengthening (members' articles). The Values in Action test can help you gain insights into group behaviors and dynamics that relate to people's values.
- Career development and progression - Psychometric tests can help you uncover values and interests that are fundamental to overall career satisfaction. For those starting out in their careers and those who are looking for the right career path, interest surveys like the Holland Code Assessment and Schein's Career Anchors Questionnaire (members) are also useful psychometric tests to consider.
Note:
There are costs involved in purchasing tests as well as in hiring or training someone to administer and evaluate them. It's important to consider these costs against the advantages that the tests may bring. |
Key Points
Assessing and appraising people is a highly complex and subjective process, and psychometric tests are a good way of objectively assessing people's "hidden" traits.
From recruitment to long-term career development, these tests provide a great deal of reliable information to make important personnel decisions. If you use the tests, ensure that they are appropriate for you needs, and that they've been rigorously evaluated.
| A Final Note from James
Next time your team is hiring, consider using psychometric testing. You'll be more likely to recruit the right people, and you'll save time and energy too. And remember, we've got many more recruitment, training, and career resources in the Career Excellence Club.
Keep an eye out for our next newsletter in two weeks' time. We'll be looking at the challenges behind making the move from technical expert to manager, and highlighting ways to be more patient in the workplace.
Best wishes, and have a great two weeks!
| James Manktelow
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Mind Tools
Essential Skills for an Excellent Career! |
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