Psychometric testing, a word familiar to current job seekers. Like any test, it can get any heart beating a little faster. Psychometric tests are used to measure an individual’s intellectual capability and common behaviour. Basically, it is supposed to tell recruiters if someone will suit a role within the company.
Currently 70% of Australian companies are using psychometric testing predominately for recruitment purposes, to weed out candidates that don’t cut the mustard. Useful, right?
It makes me wonder… what are the consequences for using Psychometric tests as the primary recruitment tool?
Psychometric testing has been considered by some as a nothing more than ‘pop psychology’ proposing an underlying assumption that there is some kind of hidden, often dark and secretive side to us as human beings. This school of thought argues that these hidden characteristics can be ‘unlocked’ or ‘uncovered’ through sophisticated interviewing.
This kind of testing and grouping of people also relies on the assumption that people fit into a one-dimensional profile – extrovert or introvert. The grouping of people doesn’t account for the ways in which our environment influences our behaviour.
So, what about those who don’t test well? Some people are known to underperform in tests due to the sheer stress of it being a ‘test’. Dr Goddard our, in-house Psychologist has shared her ‘TH?NK-of-view’ on this topic…
“Testing people is following a Darwinist approach where we nourish the strong and weed out the ‘weak’. While you don’t want to hire the shy introvert to lead a team of 500, there are skills and qualities that these people provide that people of different temperaments might not have or might benefit from being exposed to”.
Employers should be screaming out for dynamic skills and qualities to promote diverse thinking which we believe leads to better decisions. When recuiters screen out those who don’t conform to the tests’ ‘type’, they are at risk of only hiring the same type of person who simply performs well in a test situation.
What do we TH?NK? When using Psychometric and Aptitude testing it’s critical for recruiters to:
1. Know what they are testing for
2. Why they need this information?
3. How it will determine next steps?
Psychometric is a handy tool to use, but it can be risky to prioritise this method over a good old fashioned chat. Your future stars will have a certain sparkle and complexity that can’t always be detected in a test.
