1. Time consuming
Some people fear that psychometric assessments will add considerable time to existing HR processes and further delay the final decision. In actual fact, the opposite is true.
Psychometric tests provide a scientific step in the process that enables more effective decisions to be made more quickly and a strong outcome achieved with more confidence. Furthermore, when psychometric tests are administered online, technology enables the psychometric tests to be administered earlier in the process on more people. This approach means that HR professionals are provided with standardised insight into more candidates that enables them to make valid comparisons and decisions more quickly.
For example, in a recruitment process that does not use psychometric tests, shortlisting decisions need to be made by either manually reviewing non standardised application information such as a resume. Anyone who has had to do this will tell you just how long this takes and how much fun the process is! By having candidates complete online psychometric assessments HR professionals can generate quality shortlists in less than a quarter of the time.
2. Expensive
There is a common misconception that psychometric testing is an expensive practice.
The actual purchase price for a psychometric test can be less than $40* per test and even lower if purchased on a licence agreement.
Compare this to the potential cost impact of not using a psychometric assessment to inform key HR decisions. The impact of a bad decision in either recruitment, employee development or restructuring can be astronomical in fixed financial terms not to mention the indirect costs of frustration and time delay.
*quoted amounts based on specific volumes of tests purchased.
3. Negative candidate experience
I often hear the argument that psychometric testing is not popular amongst candidates and that it 'leaves a bad taste in their mouth in relation to the recruitment process and our organisation.’
Research into candidate reactions has found that a variety of factors can be influenced to ensure positive perceptions of the recruitment process*. Such practices include providing relevant instructions and information regarding the test prior to commencing, adequate opportunity for communication throughout the process and feedback on completion. This degree of rigour is seen as being professional and serious about making the right selection decision.
Subsequently, in this technology driven day and age its actually more likely that candidates will have a negative perception of organisations who are not utilising best practice online tools. Why would a recent uni tech graduate want to work for an organisation still stuck in the dark ages using cumbersome manual processes?
An organisation’s recruitment process is one of the largest marketing campaigns it will run and it is important that all candidates are seen as either prospective new employees or clients. For this reason it is important that valid, relevant psychometric assessments should be applied to all recruitment processes. Doing so will add to the candidate experience and perception of the organisation.
*(Blaik, 2005)
4. Prejudice
When used appropriately, psychometric assessments offer a standardised and equitable way of comparing candidates free of personal bias. All candidates are compared scientifically on the same criteria, criteria that have been proven to predict success on the available role.
There are however, some important considerations to apply to ensure industry standards are met.
It is important when selecting a psychometric assessment for any purpose that the construct you are measuring relates to the outcome you are trying to address. For example, in recruitment, it is important that the type of assessments used predict outcomes that are related to the available role specifically. Cognitive ability has been found to be one of the best predictors of future job performance and as a result is one of the most robust tests to use in recruitment due to the direct link to job productivity.
But not only is the selection of assessment type important, but the relevance of the comparison group or normative data within the assessment is paramount. That is, when someone completes a psychometric assessment, their individual responses are compared to a group of individuals to be able to apply meaning to their score. This determines where this individual ‘sits’ in relation to the others in the group. In this way, the group that the person is being compared to needs to be relevant to the role and all associated factors such as industry and culture. It is important that normative data is regularly reviewed to ensure the data remains up to date and relevant.
Reputable psychometric testing providers will also offer the ability to create your own unique company benchmark or profile and this is actually the most valid comparison you can make. It enables you to compare a candidate to the existing employee group to ascertain their level of suitability.
5. Only appropriate for roles with large volumes of candidates
The benefits of using psychometric assessments for roles expecting large candidate numbers are obvious. However, is it still worthwhile to use assessments for roles with limited candidate numbers? Absolutely!
Regardless of the number of candidates your overall goal is the same; to recruit the best possible candidate for the role and the organisation.
In recruitment exercises with small candidate numbers it can become even more important to use psychometric assessments as you don’t have the luxury of choice but still need to be confident in your hiring decisions.
For example, if you were recruiting for a role with only three candidates, how can you be sure (without the use of psychometric assessments) whether you’ve recruited the best possible candidate or just the best available candidate at that time to fill the position? Recruiting the right person and recruiting the best available person are two very different things.
Ongoing business performance and productivity is dependent of the calibre and capability of the people that comprise it and through recruitment you are deciding who joins that team. So it is important that there are some minimum standards that apply to at least maintain, if not enhance the levels of productivity and performance of the business over time.
If you would like to discuss your businesses recruitment strategies or learn more about Onetest’s online assessment solutions, please contact us on 1300 137 937 or enquiries@onetest.com.au.
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