Psychometric Assessment: Will It Work for You?

December 12, 2014

‘Datafication’ is increasingly helping HR apply the same rigour to human potential as an organisation’s other assets. Rather than using subjective measures to select people into roles, determine talent gaps or identify and develop high potential employees, the best organisations are turning to scientifically-proven and objective psychometric assessment tools to help them meet their strategic goals.

A recent study of over one thousand HR professionals from companies throughout the world showed a significant proportion of businesses are using psychometric tests as part of the pre-hire process. For example, 62% are using personality assessments.*

validity assessment tools talentsift

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Who Watches the Watchmen? – Psychometric Testing of HR Professionals

November 17, 2014

Well-crafted psychometrics are proven effective across organisations and across roles. They can help you understand the strengths and limitations of anyone, from those new to the workplace right up to a potential Chief Executive Candidate for a major international organisation. But there is one possible blind spot that people may feel psychometric instruments may have – surely those who use and administer them on a regular basis would be able to beat them?

Although there is evidence that many HR professionals don’t always know everything about the hiring process, will HR professionals, or anyone with suitable experience understand exactly what they’re being asked? And if so, does that mean we cannot use psychometrics when recruiting for these roles?

who watches the watchmen psychometric testing of hr professionals

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A New Tool for Small Businesses in the War for Talent

November 3, 2014

Top talent is hard to find, and this is even more so for smaller firms. Small and medium sized business owners often report they struggle to find the right people as they feel they cannot beat the big boys when competing for talent.

In reality, smaller businesses offer many advantages big businesses cannot, and there are some great articles describing how they can capitalise on these to become more attractive for talented candidates. We collected experts’ advice on small businesses’ specific hiring challenges, and looked at how using psychometric testing can help small firms put this advice into practice and become more effective not only in attracting but also in identifying top talent.

new tool for small businesses in the war for talent - psychometric testing

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Choosing Psychometrics II. – Using Psychometric Tests and Reading the Results

October 9, 2014

Assuming you read the first part of the article, by now you have a general understanding of psychometric testing, and a basic idea of how to tell the cowboys from the cavalry when you want to find a trustworthy provider.

In this second part, we will discuss the benefits to look for and the pitfalls to avoid when it comes to applying psychometrics and understanding the results.

using psychometric tests and reading the results

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Choosing Psychometrics I. – Do I need psychometrics at all?

September 22, 2014

People assessment and talent intelligence is a $4 billion market, growing at a rate of 20% per year. It seems like everybody uses psychometric testing already: 80% of Fortune 500 and 75% of the Times Top 100 companies, UK schools, hospitals and universities all use psychometric tests.

And these are impressive numbers indeed. Yet, they do not really answer the question you are asking: Should I use them? Can they bring real added value to my organization?

digital brain 4

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A Tech Startup’s First Steps in Selecting with Psychometric Testing – A Case Study

September 11, 2014

Read our latest case study in which we follow Oriana, a rising enterprise software solutions provider, finding their new Business Development Manager.

The study walks the reader through the process how a medium-sized tech company effectively implemented psychometric testing in their selection method for the first time. It describes the different aspects of the cooperation between an external psychometric tests provider and a client from the SME sector from the first steps of selecting the ideal test suit, till the final reporting phase and the follow up of the successful candidate’s later work performance.

This study is intended to be an introductory material, an example case for enterprises using psychometric testing for the first time.

If you would like to dig deeper in the subject matter, you might also want to read about the financial aspects of introducing psychometric testing into your recruitment process, or our experts’ tips on what to consider when choosing your test provider.

Click to get the study in pdf!

Can Personality Questionnaires assess who will make a successful startupper?

May 8, 2014

When talking to venture capital firms about online selection tools they often ask if there are some common personality traits shared by successful founders. If there was a “successful startupper personality”, one could easily sift out people less likely to thrive and, so, radically improve the effectiveness of investment decisions – goes the rationale.

As it transpires, there is no universal “startupper profile” that founders would need to live up to or otherwise be doomed to failure. Each project and each team is different, therefore so are the competencies/ personalities required by them.


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4 Tips on How to Get Your Recruitment Communication Right

February 19, 2014

In this article, we share some key tips how to ensure that your candidates are well-informed in each stage of the recruitment cycle. Providing detailed information on what the job would look like may lead to more thought-out and higher quality applications, while timely responses and quality feedback can positively influence both the candidate experience and your reputation as an employer.
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How can Psychometric Tests improve your recruitment process?

February 5, 2014

The use of psychometric tests to support the selection process is widespread and there are good reasons for this.

These tests allow accurate measurement of the applicants’ abilities in areas such as verbal, numerical and conceptual thinking and thus help to match people’s skills to role requirements. Assessing whether a candidate fits the organisation is not only beneficial for the business in terms of higher productivity, long term retention and reduced rates of employee turnover, but is also important in relation to job satisfaction and well-being of the employees.
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