Looking to recruit? Then look to assess.

If you’re looking to hire someone, psychometric assessments can help paint a more detailed picture into the personality and capability of your candidate. As such, they’re a very useful tool that can help with candidate selection.

So what exactly are psychometric assessments?

The word ‘psychometric’ basically refers to the measure of the mind. A psychometric assessment is a reliable measure for obtaining an understanding of a person’s ability in a specific area, or their personality preferences. This provides an important insight into likely behaviour and working style.

Generally speaking, psychometric assessments for selection can be grouped into two main categories:

1. Measures of maximum performance (aptitude/ability assessments)
2. Measures of typical performance (personality assessments).

These two constructs are important to employee selection as they have been shown to predict future job performance and success. They have been shown, along with structured behavioural interviewing, to be amongst the most predictive measures of job performance.

Unlike facets such as education, experience and skills, the behavioural traits and personality of a candidate can be more difficult to assess during an interview. Assessments complement the selection process by providing a thorough, accurate and objective assessment of a candidate’s capabilities against specific job criteria.

They can support information sourced in other stages of selection, and provide additional information regarding a candidate’s likely strengths, development areas and performance potential.

So, next time you’re unsure which candidate to go with, try using psychometric assessments. They’ll provide additional insights into a candidate, boosting your chances of making the best possible hiring decision.