Why are Psychometric Assessments beneficial?

10 Major Benefits of Psychometric Assessments

Psychometric assessments have become an ever-prominent fixture for Fortune 500 companies, to identify talent and potential, reduce risk and ensure quality in their hiring process. In this article, we discuss 10 major benefits of psychometric assessments and why these successful organisations are making use of these measures.

Eliminate doubt

The psychometric assessment process is inherently scientific in nature. The objective nature provides security to the user and eliminates doubt for those wanting to assess a series or a specific set of characteristics.

Identify Risk

Certain measures have built-in consistency models, to measure whether an individual is inflating themselves, faking good or bad, or providing unnatural exaggeration. There are integrity assessments that will directly screen for integrity behaviours, such as dependability, reliability, work ethic and sense of duty. There are also measures of potentially counterproductive work behaviours such as manipulation, rule boundedness and emotional control. These considerations may be important particularly in high-risk environments, such as security, logistics, construction, mining, and healthcare.

Competency-driven

With a well-constructed and well-developed job description, psychometric assessment results can be closely linked to the competencies required by the role. A company looking for a manager that focuses on Customer Satisfaction, can easily assess this through the “Consulting, Affiliation and Supportive” domains of the Linked Psychometric Assessment (LPA), the “Interpersonal Relationships, Social Responsibility and Flexibility” from the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) and the Interpersonal Sensitivity and Customer Service domains of a Simulation exercise. The assessments will provide an overall picture of the fit of the individual to the required or ideal characteristics.

Streamlined process

Psychometric assessments are quick to set up and easy for the candidate to complete. Some ability assessments are as short as 12 minutes long and do not require supervision. Other tools that assess personality, capability and emotional intelligence are untimed and can be completed in the individual’s own time. This approach suits both the candidates and the employers, saving time and reducing costs during the hiring process.

Embraces Diversity

South Africa, a “Rainbow Nation”, celebrates and welcomes individuals from all walks of life. Individuals from different backgrounds, upbringings and cultures come together, working for a common purpose. Similarly, Psychometric Assessments assists in highlighting and appreciating the differences between individuals. Some individuals enjoy the social “spotlight: and prefer to take the lead, while others prefer to be reserved and work independently. There are so many variations in our preferences, abilities,  and skills. The assessment landscape assists in putting the pieces together and providing a holistic understanding of the individual’s position.

Focused Interviews

The information gathered from the various psychometric assessments can be utilised as a starting point or as a guide during the interview. If used properly, the questions in the interview can be more targeted toward a specific area of functioning or characteristic.

Development Opportunities

Naturally, there will be areas of strength and areas of development that emerge during the assessment process. The purpose of the assessment is important; however, the candidate or individual has the right to understand their results and the potential developmental opportunities that have been identified regardless of the outcome of the assessments or the decision made during the hiring process.

Team Dynamics

There is plethora of data points that can be attained and used from psychometric assessments, particularly if there is a larger group of candidates or individuals within a team.

Adaptability

Each of the assessment batteries that are recommended to clients or organisations are tailor-made according to the expectations and requirements. An executive search company that deals with high-level candidates will likely opt for a comprehensive measure of capability, personality, and emotional intelligence. Conversely, another organisation, in the banking or security industry, may assess lower-level staff by utilising  skills-tests and integrity measures. There is a vast array of psychometric assessments on the market and available to users. The key is to understand the purpose of the assessments and what it is the organisations wish to achieve during the process.

Identify Potential

Although a candidate may not be ready for a promotion in the near future, it is important to identify when that shift may take place and how to keep the individual engaged during this time. Capability assessments have the value of assessing both the current level of capability as well as the future potential of the individual. These measures also indicate when that transition is likely to take place, and the developmental milestones that can be achieved in pursuit of the transition.

To find out more information about our Psychometric Assessment offering please contact us at info@bioss.com.