Why are psychometric assessments used?
Employers and companies use psychometric assessments during the recruitment process because they provide objective information on whether a candidate’s personality and cognitive abilities match with what is required from a particular job role.
Up until relatively recently, it was thought that judging recent graduates on their performance in knowledge-based tests (e.g. university exams) was almost entirely sufficient to find the best (or at least a good enough!) person for the job. Nowadays, however, with so many eligible candidates coming from universities, employers require new ways of predicting who will be the best fit for a given job. The most effective tool that they have is looking at a candidate’s capabilities in relevant skills: psychometric assessments!
“>Not only do psychometric assessments have a proven ability to predict who is most likely to be best at a job, they can also be used to predict who is most likely to be the best ‘fit’ in that company’s culture”
Psychometric assessments can also be used to help avoid unconscious bias from recruiters and also have the advantage of helping minimise the advantages some candidates have in knowledge-based tests. Somebody might not have the opportunity to go to the best university, but they can still demonstrate their suitability for a job role in these assessments. In this way, such assessments often help level the playing field by looking at raw potential, rather than what somebody already knows.
Not only do psychometric assessments have a proven ability to predict who is most likely to be best at a job, they can also be used to predict who is most likely to be the best ‘fit’ in that company’s culture – who will get on best with the employees already there, who will add the most value to the team, and, importantly, who is most likely to enjoy themselves in the role, and thus be more likely to stay.
They have been proven to improve retention and future job performance, as well as streamline the recruitment process and reduce HR costs.