Among many trick questions used to help employers reveal hidden motives of job applicants, psychometric assessments are heavily rooted in science. The foundations of these pre-employment assessment tools are laid down by some of the greatest names in the history of science, such as Charles Darwin, Sir Francis Galton, and E.H. Weber.
Today psychometric assessments are widely used to help businesses hire the right job applicants. But before you are clear about why it is important to use pre-employment assessment tools for hiring, you have to find out a thing or two about this powerful psychological or behavioral measurement.
Psychometric Assessments
Before we answer what are psychometric assessments or what to expect in a pre-employment assessment tool, you should know that online psychometric tests are not like any other job interview tests that you will find out there. They are a standard and scientific method constructed to measure both the behavioral style and mental capabilities of the people. This is what makes them a tool with great potential for employers. A candidate’s behavior can be identified that matches a very specific job role and company culture.
Some of the most famous psychometric assessments out there are based on the psychometric theories validated in practice. These include:
- The Big Five Theory – Commonly used by human resources professionals to profile job candidates. The Big Five personality traits are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.
- Iceberg Model – Psychometric tests based on the Iceberg Model help employers discover the mental model, supporting structures, and the patterns of behavior in job applicants.
- Watson Glaser – A theory that made it possible to design psychometric tests to assess a job applicant’s ability to digest. Also assesses understanding of information and situations.
Raven’s Progressive Matrix – A psychometric test measuring abstract reasoning, the person’s ability to solve novel problems, independent of any previous experience and knowledge. Simply say an IQ test.
What are the Different Types of Psychometric Assessments?
By looking at the theories we have mentioned above, it becomes apparent that there are two types of psychometric assessments in the pre-employment assessment tools. One group measures personality traits and the other measures a person’s cognitive abilities during job interviews.
However, it is important to note that administering psychometric assessments on employees and candidates can help measure a person’s knowledge and skills. This is why we are going to share with you a slightly different psychometric test specification.
General Psychometric Tests
- Aptitude tests – As one of the basic pre-employment assessment tools, they are constructed to measure a candidate’s knowledge and skill level.
- Verbal reasoning tests – These present candidates with verbal arguments. Designed to measure the person’s ability to comprehend these arguments. They are vital in testing candidates for the job interview positions that require this specific type of skill.
- Numerical reasoning tests – Used to measure a person’s ability to comprehend and analyze numerical data. Candidates quite often have to perform calculations.
- Abstract reasoning tests – A way of measuring a person’s ability to solve problems when they have to work with and understand the information that is new to them. In fact, these test the candidate’s analytical and conceptual thinking.
- Knowledge tests – Again, as pre-employment assessment tools, these tests are popular in the world of human resources as they measure the candidate’s proficiency in a very specific area.
- Personality and Motivation Questionnaires – Personality questionnaires are constructed to discover candidates’ personal preferences when it comes to working environments and teams. Motivation questionnaires aim to discover and help HR officers understand what motivates a specific candidate.
Specific Psychometric Tests
Specific psychometric tests are constructed to measure personality traits and competencies or even multiple factors. The list is quite extensive and we are going to stick only with the frequently used ones:
- Big Five Profile – As mentioned above, tests based on the Big Five theory measure candidates’ five personality traits. For instance, these tests can be used to help HR officers to find out whether the candidates fit well into the existing company culture.
- IQ Tests – These tests show a candidate’s intelligence. There are many pre-employment assessment tools out there. We have already mentioned one of the popularly used ones – Raven’s progressive matrix.
- CTPI-100 – The Central Test Personality Inventory for Professionals is a test commonly used in assessing candidates for executive-level and managerial positions. It measures candidates’ competencies and personality traits directly connected with people, changes, tasks, and self-management.
Having different types of psychometric pre-employment assessment tools at your disposal is quite convenient, as you can identify a candidate’s abilities and qualities and match those required in the position they are applying for.
Depending on which test you choose, you can measure a large range of skills, such as abstract, numerical, and logical reasoning, personality traits, educational achievement, knowledge, and abilities.
These tests are handy because they help human resource experts discover hidden aspects of job applicants. And we have to agree that sincerely talking about, let alone assessing, personality traits and cognitive abilities in a face-to-face interview is borderline impossible.
Why use a Psychometric Assessment as a Pre-employment Assessment Tool?
“I believe appropriate selection testing seriously reduces the risk of having the wrong person in the wrong job. Similarly, good quality, reliable psychometric testing can quickly show the career path a person should enjoy, making planning that career an adventure instead of a chore.”Siobhan Hamilton-Phillips
Leveraging psychometric tests for pre-employment assessment tools are indispensable for better and faster hiring decisions. It is also not a new practice among employers. These tests are used for a variety of reasons.
Ability to Make Data-Driven Decisions
Thanks to these tests employers can make data-driven decisions and hire not only the best but also the right kind of talent. Hiring new people is a risky operation, especially if the organization has to invest in its training and onboarding process. As a part of pre-employment assessment tools, they help organizations minimize the risk in the hiring process by delivering actionable data.
When Time and Resources are Huge Factors
Psychometric tests are used in the early stages of the job interviewing process. They help employers quickly identify job applicants who fill the requirements of the job position in question. In other words, psychometric assessments help consistently narrow down the options employers have. This can be extremely helpful for organizations that have a lot of job applicants from day one.
They are Accurate and Unbiased
There are other benefits pre-employment assessment tools have to offer to human resources experts. They are statistically examined, which makes them very accurate tools. Besides, they are unbiased and objective to the bone. This is one of the primary reasons employers have added them to the job applicant assessment toolbox.
Effortlessly Compare Job Applicants
The data generated by psychometric assessments or pre-employment assessment tools are particularly valuable. It puts employers in a position to compare all job candidates to one another and the expectations set before the testing even began. Having access to this data can be helpful in future hiring efforts. Employers can compare how well the tests predicted the behavior and cognitive capabilities of employees.
Standardized Job Interviewing Process
As a norm, psychometric tests standardize the job interviewing process. All candidates are presented with the same instructions and same questions, which removes the possibility of bias and complaints. Since they are rooted in science, the results are very difficult to fake, which further adds to their value.
We hope that this information answers the question: “Why use a psychometric test?”
When are Psychometric Tests used?
Do you know pre-employment assessment tools like psychometric tests are mandatory for C-Suite roles as they test the EQ among many variables? However, the uses of psychometric assessments may vary. For instance, personality assessments play a major role in hiring decisions. Also, they can be used when employers want to make sure to hire only the best job applicants. Or when there are too many job applicants and the time and resources are the limiting factors. Psychometric assessments can speed up the hiring process by drastically narrowing down the options for the interviewing phase.
They are particularly useful when recruiting members for remote teams. As face-to-face interviews over Skype or similar means don’t provide enough input for human resource specialists to reach business decisions.
What does Glider AI Psychometric Assessment offer?
For starters, Glider’s pre-employment assessment tools for recruiting are based on the best practices in the industry but powered by cutting-edge technologies. If you choose to use Glider AI’s assessment platform, you will gain access to the world’s largest database of interview questions. The different types of psychometric assessment tests also make hiring even easier.
On top of that, Glider has optimized their tests, allowing you to find and use questions for every job role, like with the Psychometric Tech Assessment. Accuracy, consistency, and relevance are ensured through Glider’s continual research-oriented approach to psychometric assessment. Most importantly, it uses the latest tech and yet is a user-friendly platform.
We are also thrilled to share with you that SLH uses Glider AI psychometric tests to evaluate candidates in job interviews. SLH specializes in helping companies drive efficiency and productivity through better and deeper employee insights.
To achieve this, SLH always strives to find and implement scalable and reliable assessment tools. Glider.ai was recognized as their valuable partner. Simply because we offer exactly that with an Artificial Intelligence on top, to streamline and automate the hiring process.
Lastly, Glider AI offers powerful Reports and Analytics that human resource specialists and employers can use to stay on top of their recruitment efforts and reach accurate, data-driven business decisions. Hopefully, you know why leveraging pre-employment assessment tools result in better hiring decisions. Glider AI’s standard and scientific assessment platform make it easy to hire the right candidates faster.
