Psychometric testing in the workplace

Psychometric testing is a tool used by employers to gauge the mental capabilities and inclinations of potential candidates and employees. There are various tests to measure a candidate’s suitability including verbal, logical and numerical reasoning and situational judgement. How important are they and are you missing a trick by not using them in your workplace?

How effective is psychometric testing for recruitment?

Psychometric testing is used across many industries; banking and finance, legal, civil service and the armed forces to name but a few. It’s widely believed that many Fortune 500 companies use the tests for either recruitment or staff development. Big hitters Ford Motor, Procter & Gamble, Citigroup and Deloitte all use psychometric testing in their recruitment.

Gaining an understanding of how someone thinks can help you see how they would fit into your team and where they are likely to be most effective.

How are psychometric tests used in the recruitment process?

Psychometric tests, alongside traditional recruitment methods can be a great way to narrow down large numbers of applications. This allows the employer to limit the number of interviews which are costly and have an impact on resource.

 Traditionally the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test was used to assess candidates. However, when used on its own it can be somewhat limited, whereas a wide variety of psychometric tests provide companies with a more comprehensive result.

Psychometric testing for team development

Aside from recruitment, psychometric testing can be used to assess existing members of your team. Friction between employees is often caused by misunderstandings and clashes of personalities. The sharing of psychometric test results can help build mutual understanding of others and develop trust within teams; thereby improving teamwork. It can also help leaders manage more effectively and make conflict more productive, creating a collaborative working culture.

A common team building test is DISC which categorises individuals into four personality types:

• People with D personalities are confident, goal-orientated and focus on results
• People with I personalities are people focused and put an emphasis on building relationships and good teamwork.
• People with S personalities are dependable, cooperative and sincere.
• People with C personalities aim for quality, accurate work and tend to focus on competency.

Psychometric tests are versatile tools that can be used for recruitment and to gain understanding of your workforce. With most available online, they are easy to set up and monitor if you have a remote workforce.