Psychometric Assessments – A Strong Way To Identify Strong Candidates

Daniel Braithwaite

6 Apr

min to read

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Among all of the decisions that organizations have to make, hiring is the most important one. Decisions are often made based on methods and/or information that is mostly irrelevant and hard to measure. When recruiting, it's not a good idea to rely on just your gut instinct.

Here are just a few of the biases your thought process might be subject to:

Confirmation Bias

Having an early guess about someone and looking for evidence to back it up; preferring information that agrees with our beliefs.

In an interview setting, this could mean asking questions based on what you already think about a candidate, which could lead to interviews that don't generate new information.

Halo Effect

This is a form of cognitive bias that makes you think that the job applicant has desirable traits when in fact, they don’t. The most common example is when we meet someone we think is physically attractive. We would naturally perceive them to also be smart, have good interpersonal skills, etc.

Stereotyping

Broad generalizations about a certain group of individuals, based on the premise that a particular attribute or characteristic is true for every member of the group.

For instance, research indicates that there is a negative stereotype associated with overweight individuals, and as a result, they are less likely to advance in the recruitment process.

Conclusion: Replacing gut instinct with psychometric assessment

Psychometric assessment is used to determine an individual's suitability for a position inside an organization by assessing attributes such as intelligence, values, and behaviors. Psychometric assessments are supported by scientific research, and data insights which are collected by testing candidates on things such as verbal, numerical, and logical reasoning, as well as via personality and situational judgment tests to reveal their underlying character qualities. It enables recruiters to make fact-based, rather than gut-based, judgments about a candidate's suitability.

All of this enables recruiters to avert potentially costly hiring errors.

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FAQs

What background check do I need?

This depends on the industry and type of role you are recruiting for. To determine whether you need reference checks, identity checks, bankruptcy checks, civil background checks, credit checks for employment or any of the other background checks we offer, chat to our team of dedicated account managers.

Why should employers check the background of potential employees?

Many industries have compliance-related employment check requirements. And even if your industry doesn’t, remember that your staff have access to assets and data that must be protected. When you employ a new staff member you need to be certain that they have the best interests of your business at heart. Carrying out comprehensive background checking helps mitigate risk and ensures a safer hiring decision.

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What are the benefits of a background check?

In a competitive marketplace, making the right hiring decisions is key to the success of your company. Employment background checks enables you to understand more about your candidates before making crucial decisions which can have either beneficial or catastrophic effects on your business.

What does a background check show?

Background checks not only provide useful insights into a candidate’s work history, skills and education, but they can also offer richer detail into someone’s personality and character traits. This gives you a huge advantage when considering who to hire. Background checking also ensures that candidates are legally allowed to carry out certain roles, failed criminal and credit checks could prevent them from working with vulnerable people or in a financial function.