Psychometric Testing: How employers can improve hiring and talent development
By Diane Silcock, Cape Business News
WITH South Africa’s high unemployment rate and an ever-widening talent pool, Human Resources professionals and recruiters are often faced with the challenge of managing large volumes of job applications. Once a shortlist has been compiled, identifying the candidate most suited to a particular role can be equally challenging, particularly when applicants have similar qualifications, skills and experience.
Psychometric testing can add significant value by assessing work-related competencies and providing employers with a broader and more objective understanding of shortlisted candidates. However, its value extends beyond recruitment, supporting employee development, talent management and succession planning.
Unless a company has a robust interview process, bias can influence recruitment decisions. Organisations can also find it difficult to differentiate between candidates with similar skills and experience.
This is according to Liesl Cloete, Director of Equip Assessment and Development Services and Independent Psychometrist, who has worked with businesses across a range of industry sectors for 26 years.
“People are generally inclined to gravitate towards those who are similar to themselves, whereas psychometric testing can provide a more objective view,” says Cloete.
“Depending on the role, assessments can provide insight into competencies such as cognitive problem-solving ability, resilience, leadership approach, trainability, work style, personality, and emotional intelligence. For technical roles, we also look at mechanical and spatial reasoning to get a sense of the technical aptitude of the person.”
Looking beyond technical performance
Cloete, who has worked extensively in the engineering space, says strong performance in a technical role does not necessarily mean an employee will succeed in a leadership/managerial position.
“Different competencies become more important when predicting success at that level,” she explains.
Context is therefore critical. The psychometrist needs to understand the role requirements, organisational cultural perspective and scope for development when selecting the appropriate assessment battery. This enables the results to be interpreted within the context of the organisation and role, helping employers identify candidates best aligned with a position, whilst providing insight into areas where development or support may be required.
Supporting development and retention
Psychometric assessments can also provide valuable insight beyond the initial hiring decision.
“Employees are more likely to remain engaged when they understand the opportunities available for their development,” says Cloete. “This is why I centre interviews around understanding a person’s motivations.”
She says ambitious employees may want to progress relatively quickly, making it important for organisations to understand their career aspirations and development opportunities.
Cloete advises against viewing assessments as merely informing a hiring decision or using results in a reductionistic way. “The information should be used going forward,” she says.
She generally includes a feedback session to both successful and unsuccessful candidates. “Providing feedback can contribute positively to a company’s reputation because it demonstrates the investment it makes in people. It can also give candidates a sense of their strengths and growth opportunities that can be used for their development and onboarding.”
For employers, psychometric testing can therefore provide insight beyond a candidate’s suitability for a current role, supporting talent mapping, employee development and succession planning.
“The main purpose of psychometrics within work environments is to increase an organisation’s ability to anticipate and make sense of behaviour as well as predict future performance and potential,” concludes Cloete.
In South Africa, Cloete advises employers to ensure that psychological tests used for recruitment and selection meet the relevant professional and legal requirements, including those relating to the administration and interpretation of assessments and the Employment Equity Act.
When used appropriately, psychometric testing can benefit both employer and candidate, supporting more informed hiring decisions while providing valuable insight into an individual’s strengths, development needs and potential.
The human touch in a digital age
By Liesl Cloete and Lyné Maritz
“The Internet is the greatest medium ever invented for conducting standardised tests. Any company, or any executive, believing in the value of testing for intellectual acuity or emotional stability or managerial potential is going to treat the Net as an irresistible opportunity to poke into people’s psyches.” (Schrage,1999, p.170)
Technological advancement, combined with a changing workforce in a digital era, has necessitated a new way of thinking about psychometrics in today’s corporate environment. The changes have resulted in great benefits in terms of time, cost and turnarounds; steering us continuously towards more ‘streamlined’ processes that meet the ever-growing demands of a world ‘fuelled’ by convenience and instant information and access.
With younger generations opting for mobile devices over laptops or desktops, traditional methods of assessment and test ‘delivery’ are increasingly being transformed into mobile-friendly designs. Utilisation of social networking sites within employee selection processes, gamification (the use of game elements in non-game contexts) as well app-based psychometrics are just some of the concepts being used.
The use of gamification has proved to be a very useful tool in talent acquisition as the assessor can obtain a more comprehensive view of the candidates’ skills and behavioural traits. It tests the candidate’s ability in a situational context which results in the assessor being able to collect more data (Schulz, 2017).
Today the Internet is ‘flooded’ with behavioural evaluations that are easily accessible, but in many instances not scientifically validated. In the South African context, the onus is on employers to ensure that the psychological tests they use are indeed classified as psychological tests by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and that those administering, interpreting and giving feedback on these tests have been trained as psychologists or psychometrists; registered with the HPCSA. Furthermore, tests should meet the standards of the Employment Equity Act for psychometric tests, if they are being used for recruitment or selection purposes.
Against this backdrop, the integrity of the field of psychometry needs to be secured so that we don’t lose sight of the main purpose of psychometrics within work environments ─ to increase an organisation’s ability to anticipate and make sense of behaviour as well as predict future performance and potential.
Online versus face-to-face assessments
The role of the psychologist and psychometrist remains central in any online testing in terms of managing the assessment process and any ethical considerations. Issues in this regard range from gaining informed consent, ensuring a controlled and standardised test environment, behavioural observation at the time of evaluation, as well as professional judgement and discretion involved in determining ‘how’ and ‘what’ information should be communicated during feedback. Despite computer systems’ ability to interpret and report on many psychological tests, it is the psychologist’s expertise, discretion and judgement that is needed to decide on the appropriate test battery which is most suitable. More importantly it is the psychologist who integrates results across tests; aligning it with behavioural observations made during the test taking process, as well as interview notes and/or information obtained from current or previous employers; providing a comprehensive and integrated interpretation of a candidate’s results in the context of specific job requirements.
Foxcroft and Roodt (2013) suggested the following advantages and disadvantages of computer-based and internet delivered testing to stimulate some thoughts on the topic of online assessments versus face-to-face assessments:
As we move forward and become more digitally oriented, the value and relevance of personal interaction cannot be discounted, nor the professional responsibility of psychometrists and psychologists in the assessment process. Sustained progress and credibility within the field of psychometrics will be greatly influenced by our ability to create a fine balance between more user and mobile friendly test designs that address clients’ needs, but at the same time do not compromise basic test principles.