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What is Psychometric Profiling?
Psychometric profiles give an overview of a subject’s personal
work style, strengths and interpersonal abilities. It will generally
give some insight as to how a person will interact with others
and what their decision-making processes will be. Similarly, this
will identify strengths that may support their application for
the specific role (persuasion and tenacity for example in the case
of a Sales Person, or patience, logic and long-term strategic thinking
for a business development role) These tests generally give great
insight into the perceived strengths and possible weaknesses of
an individual which may also provoke meaningful questions for a
subsequent interview. There may also be an overview commenting
on the most appropriate environment for this character and the
contribution that they can bring to the team.
Why do Employers use Psychometric Profiling?
Employers realise that one of the most important factors in ensuring
that their company grows and is successful is the quality, calibre
and happiness of the employee’s within it. It used to be
that by simply placing an advert, reading the cv & covering
letter and interviewing the apparent “best” candidates
constituted effective recruitment, but now recruiters have realised
that this is an exceptionally time consuming and inefficient methodology.
In addition, it is universally accepted that cv’s are generally
far from accurate and fail to provide vital information that is
essential to the recruitment decision. As a result, recruiters
are increasingly using psychometric testing in addition to the
more traditional methods to ensure that the most appropriate candidates
are considered for recruitment.
How do they work?
Psychometric testing is a specialised business and there are numerous
companies and products available to the modern recruiter. Details
on where you can find out more can be found in the research section
although it would be fair to say that generally these all follow
a common theme.
The candidate is presented
with a series of statements or questions and is invited to either
agree or disagree with them or to grade
them numerically depending on whether you “strongly agree” or “strongly
disagree” with the comment. In some variations, the candidate
is invited to first answer as they see themselves before subsequently
answering a second series of statements as they believe others
see them. The answers are then processed, generally on a computer,
which produces a graph, curve or profile. This will comment on
the answers provided and it is essential that the candidate answers
as honestly as possible (this is because many of these systems
will identify if the subject is lying and besides, although you
may be a complete nutcase – you may be exactly the kind of
nutcase that the recruiter is looking for!)
What will the Recruiter get out of my Psychometric Profile?
Depending on the specific test utilised, a recruiter can discover
communication efficiency, potential problem or conflict areas
and tips on how to manage and motivate an individual, together
with an idea as to what management style this person will generally
employ. This degree of insight can significantly influence the
ability of a recruiter to get the right candidate and should
not be feared by any applicant. After all, is it really your
desire to secure an appointment for which you are unsuited or
incompatible or would you rather find meaningful employment within
a role you can succeed at?
Can I do this for myself?
Yes!
We believe that psychometric profiling is a powerful and useful
tool for the candidate as well as the recruiter, especially if
you find yourself at an unexpected ‘career crossroads’ or
have been out of the recruitment process for a while. In the same
way that recruiters can use these simple yet incisive tools to
more accurately assess a candidate, the candidate can also use
these tools to rediscover strengths and abilities that perhaps
you had forgotten you had! Similarly, preparation and planning
is vital to your success in the recruitment process and a candidate
who has completed such an exercise recently will be more aware
of what kind of questions may be asked of them during interview
and will be more conscious of how to deliver their answers for
best effect.
We have developed relationships with a number of leading suppliers
of online psychometric profiling as follows:
Peoplemaps
Anne Ellis of Peoplemaps says “I have been working with employers,
using personality tests for a long time. PeopleMaps will show you
how to "pass" personality "tests" and more
importantly, how to develop your career using this same techniques.
Most jobs you go for will involve a personality test. Get yours
before the interview and know how you will perform. Discover what
a future employer may be reading about you.
“ Want to know the toughest interview questions you will ever be
asked? - Find out the interview questions that will floor you and
how to answer them. Your PeopleMaps report includes a section of
interview questions specifically tailored to your personality.
This is the information interviewers work with.”
http://www.peoplemaps.co.uk/jobjobbed.htm
My Disc Profile
myDISCprofile will map your behavioural style and motivations to
help in job matching, CV writing and interview preparation. A
DISC profile will also help you focus on your strengths and differentiate
yourself from others.
http://jobjobbed.mydiscprofile.com.
Professional CV support
Don’t forget that
as a candidate you can also benefit from professional CV support
from our preferred partners at The Fuller
CV, Professional CV Writers with qualified HR Consultants, The
Fuller CV offer a range of career weapons designed to enhance your
career potential. Register for your free CV review and peruse the
siteSimply click http://www.thefullercv.com/partners.asp?id=24 for details.
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