Why Should Employers Use Personality Tests While Hiring?
Finding employees which are a good fit for your company culture can be a challenging task. Merely interviewing a candidate is not enough. Of course, you can gain insights from a face to face interview also. The way a candidate talks, his body language the toning of his voice etc.
But the job doesn’t end there. Are the candidate’s overall nature, persona and calibre corresponding with your company values? How can one find it?
Personality tests come to the rescue at times when you shortlist the right candidate.
What is a personality test?
Personality tests are typically designed to test a specific ‘trait’ associated with a performance of a particular job. They are specifically charted out to reveal certain aspects of an individual’s character to streamline the process of hiring. Personality tests provide an insight into a prospective candidate’s motivation, personality and confidence.
The Big Question
You conduct an interview, the personality test; you are satisfied with the result and take the decision of hiring the candidate. But mere hiring the ‘RIGHT PERSON’ is not enough.
Conducting a personality test goes beyond the mere hiring perspective. It is only when this thought process comes into existence, only then you can understand the importance of this practice.
You should be able to identify and appoint proactive leaders which will be an asset to your company and make a difference in a positive and a big way.
If you have hired the right candidate then it’s great but if you have hired a leader then it’s amazing!
Why?
A candidate who has the ability of a leader will be a constant source of inspiration, positivity and creativity. They will lead their team with a vision and be a source of growth.
And for a much deeper understanding of the employee’s potential, personality tests are not enough. Psychometric tests are your go-to option.
Psychometric testings’ have more than one use
- Finding the right person for a specific job is just one of the tasks.
- Building effective teams is also one of the most important jobs a psychometric test does. It can be used to predict possible personality conflicts, predict how the team members will interact with each other, and create a warm environment which will support the activities and its team members.
- A psychometric test helps build an HR strategy. When linked to individual job performance data, these tests can provide lead parameters to help organizations with selection, talent management, assessing workforce capability, understanding the overall organizational culture.
We now delve a little deeper and shift our focus on different kinds of personality tests-
Leadership potential assessments are a part of psychometric testing. They are normally used for high potential assessment, change management, and career planning related assignments.
- Career planning assignments
Providing right careers to people in alignment with their innate strengths is a tough task because the results can’t be calculated by any mathematical equation. This is where psychometric tests help. Psychometric testing is a scientific and a proven way to judge what career option will be the best fit to the trait structure of a particular person.
Psychometrics is the study concerned with the technique and theory of psychological measurement. It is related to the objective measurement of skills, knowledge, abilities, aptitudes, personality traits.
Psychometric tests do not measure whether your answer is right or wrong. They only expect you to respond honestly. There are many test such as Workplace Big Five, Central Test, DISC etc. which are particularly suitable for career decision making process.
- Change Management
Change Management is the regime which guides about how we prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adapt to change in order to drive organizational success. There are psychometric tests to measure how effectively an employee can manage a change within the organization or a team. It is good measure to see where your skills stand strong and where do you need to develop your skills.
How to carry out a successful change management strategy-
- Structure the team to maximize the potential
- Set challenging and achievable targets.
- Resolve conflicts effectively
- Encourage openness
- Be Persuasive and not authoritative
- Focus on innovation and creativity.
- High Potential Assessment
What exactly is a high potential assessment?
A high potential management assessment programme is conducted with managers and senior executives in mind. It is not about only the leader but also about to test a combination of potential skills and performance. It is basically like a development programme focussed to equip an organization’s high potential talent to become the next leaders. The assessments help you access the behavioural skills, ambition level, commitment, stress tolerance, ethics and long term vision. You can develop strategic competencies, and identify intellectual aptitude.
Some questions for high potential assessment-
- How would you define team work?
- How will you manage multiple long term projects?
- When do you expect a promotion? ( a rather tricky one)
- How do you make decisions?
Psychometric testing provides objectivity, validity and cost. A well-developed psychometric test gives the company a ‘criteria for correctness’ and a scale to improve. It is best to think of this test as a scientific measurement for analysis, along with finding the right client.