Recruitment Psychometrics

Psychometric tests can be split into two models: A personality test that assess personality and behavioural traits and the other is an aptitude test that focuses on cognitive ability.

These tests are particularly useful in the recruitment process as the tests provide employers with extra information, allowing them to separate candidates more easily. As young job seekers continue to achieve more highly, it becomes more difficult to sort candidates by their achievements in education. It is also a useful predictor as to how a candidate will perform in the long in their career path or their typical response to pressure. This offers employers an insight into a candidate’s potential rather than just their current ability.

In recruitment processes which revolve solely around interviews, the interviewer is omnipotent, as is their unconscious bias. In the United Kingdom, it was reported that female engineers were often subject to discriminatory questioning by interviewers. In response to the demands of equal opportunity legislation, psychometric tests provide employers a simple way to reduce biased decisions and comply with the law.

Psychometric tests may also be used as part of a screening process to funnel out candidates who do not have the aptitudes or the personality type the employer desires. Logistically this is of great benefit to employers as it reduces an interviewer’s workload and saves time. The initial stages of the Barclays recruitment process are heavily based on this model – only those who succeed their personality and behavioural tests make it to the next stage

Recruitment is currently using psychometric testing to help increase inclusivity and diversity as well as help retain staff. Like with all tools there are good sides and bad but it seems there are many obvious benefits for using psychometrics in the recruitment process.

Article written by John Earls – Mindfulness
lecturer and PhD researcher into stress and
burnout.