Any type of psychometric assessment (or behavioural profiling) contributes additional information to a selection process. Organisations use a range of methods to select candidates, such as past experience, interviews and referee checks. Decisions around shortlisting candidates and ultimately selecting a successful candidate are made based on integrating all available sources of information. The behavioural profile obtained from psychometric assessment is one of these contributing pieces of information.
When used correctly, psychometric assessment can be considered one of the fairest means to assess candidates, as it is designed to remove bias and provides an objective measure of personality and ability. It offers a ‘level playing field’, where all candidates are treated equally.
Personality questionnaires are designed to provide insights into preferences and style, such as work orientation, interpersonal skills, strengths and potential areas for development. Abilities tests provide insight into how quickly people will potentially learn and the level of complexity an individual can potentially manage.
Usually when a position is advertised there will be numerous candidates who apply. Organisations will consider candidates based on their merits and seek to select the person who they believe most closely matches the position’s requirements, and who is most likely to succeed. If not successful, it usually means that there was another candidate who more closely met the selection criteria.
In terms of personality assessment there is no way to ‘prepare’. As organisations and positions are different there is no ‘perfect’ profile and as many personality questionnaires contained sophisticated lie detectors or validity scales, any attempt to skew the results is likely to be of detriment to the outcome. When completing personality assessment, it is very important to be honest and answer accurately. It is also essential that you listen carefully to the test instructions that are provided to you and thoroughly read any preparation materials that you are sent prior to commencing the questionnaires.
In terms of abilities assessment this is more difficult to answer. One cannot prepare for the specific content of an assessment, however there may be some benefit in practicing technique. For many it may have been years since they last sat an assessment of this type, so re-familiarising oneself with question types and working under time constraints may assist to improve confidence leading into the assessment. There are a variety of free practice questions available on the internet, including those contained on the PSI website.
Yes, feedback should be obtained after committing the time and effort to complete assessments. PSI will provide feedback after the recruitment process is complete. Contact us directly to arrange this.