The use of psycometric tests in the recruitment and selection process.

 

Benefits of psychometric tests on recruitment and selection of employees

A major challenge faced by most organizations nowadays is selecting the right person to do the job. Hiring a suitable candidate who matches and hosts the qualifications demanded by the job description is one of the immense responsibilities of a HR department of an organization. The aim of selection is to assess the suitability of candidates by predicting the extent to which they will be able to carry out a role successfully (Armstrong,2006). Failure in proper selection will lead to devastating losses to the organization in future, hence most institutions have upgraded their HR departments accordingly  One of the critical elements in the pursuit of outstanding organisational performance, is the selection and development of the best possible staff (Merwe,2000). A selection procedure may be fairly simple or very complex, depending on the nature of the organisation, the task for which individuals are being selected, and the philosophy of the human resource management (Aiken, 1994).

In such an environment the birth and development of psychometric tests have come into light over the years. According to (Stone, 1982) Human Resource managers use several methods to choose the right candidates to a vacant post. Some well known methods are as follows;

1.     1. Interviews.

2.     2. Skills tests.

3.     3  IQ tests.

4.     4  Psychometric tests.

5.     5  Aptitude and competency based assessments.


Psychometric tests.


Even though there are numerous amount of tools, psychometric tests have become very popular in the field of human resource management pertaining to its recruitment and selection process . Psychometric tests are commonly employed as aids in occupational' decisions, including the selection and classification of human resources. From the assembly-line operator or filing clerk to top management, there is scarcely a type of job for which some kind of psychometric test has not proved helpful in such matters as hiring, job assignment, transfer, promotion, or termination (Anastasi & Urbina. 1997). Psychometric tests are standard scientific methods which helps in evaluating an individual’s capabilities and personality. According to Healy, (2008), psychometric tests have enabled employers to chose the most appropriate candidate for the job.

In a face to face interview the body languages play a major role and human emotional preferations come into play, hence whether the candidate interviewed is fit for the job description or not will be decided by being a bit bias according to the interviewer’s personal preferences. Psychometric tests are designed in such a way that they are able to measure the candidates personality and thus the suitability to a said position. Employers use the information gathered from psychometric tests to identify the hidden aspects of  candidates that are difficult to observe through face to face interviews or formal selection tools, (Bryon,2011). Therefore psychometric tests are very good tools to be used by HR departments in the process of recruiting and selecting the most suitable candidates for vacancies to any position  in any organization.

 

 

 

References list.

1. Aiken, L.R. (1994) Psychological Testing and Assessment (8th ed) Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.

2. Armstrong.M (2006), Ahandbook of Human resource management practice.10th ed, London.Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.

3. Anastasi, A. and Urbina, S. (1997) Psychological Testing (7th ed.) New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.

4. Bryon.M (2011), How to pass graduate psychometric tests ; 4th ed, Kogan Page, London

5. Healy.L (2008), psychometric tests for dummies. England; John Wiley and Sons Ltd

6. Merwe R P (2000), The application of psychometric tests in Human Resource Management, South African journal of economics management science: vol 2 pp 290.

7. Stone.T (1982), Understanding personal management ; The Dryden press series in management 01st edition, Harcourt school

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Nilushi FernandoApril 18, 2022 at 9:47 AM

    Hi Dr. Udhana, This is valuable a timely topic. The advantage of use of psychometric test is that it may provide realistic indications of the demand for skills. But carrying out these tests are costly. On the other hand, most of the research literature on psychometric testing are written by psychologists they are not focused on economic issues of skills and shortage of skills (Andrew Jenkins, 2001).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gimhani Hiroshima PereraMay 6, 2022 at 10:07 PM

    Hi Udana. You have discussed on this topic of Psychometric tests at an opportune time. Companies today understand the importance of a candidate's psychological disposition in their ability to perform well. Emotional intelligence is significantly more important in some vocations than it is in others (Mahajan, 2015).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mohamed ShamranMay 16, 2022 at 8:50 AM

    Adding to the article, Though psychometric testing is widely considered a reliable method of assessment, results may not always be accurate (Cripps, 2017). For aptitude tests, the timed conditions under which they are taken, along with the added pressure of the job application process, can lead some applicants to underperform on the day. With personality questionnaires, an applicant may provide the response they believe the employer to be looking for, creating a false image of the ideal candidate.

    ReplyDelete

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