JOBS Radio is a new internet radio station offering job seekers a new way to access job search advice and information about job vacancies. It was founded by Mike Taylor, Managing Director of Web Based Recruitment who mixes interviews with industry experts and authors as well as having featured shows with employers and recruitment agencies. I was lucky enough to appear on the show last week as one of his first guests. As the audience is jobseekers I spoke about how psychometric and aptitude testing is used in the hiring process
These is a narrative of some of the questions I covered:
What’s the difference between psychometric and aptitude testing
Psychometric assessment is the objective measurement of attitudes and personality traits. You might look at elements such as insight, engagement and leadership traits. Aptitude testing is the evaluation of knowledge and abilities – such as verbal or numerical aptitude.
You often hear people say “there’s no right or wrong answers” with a personality test – but surely that’s not right
Well, in the ones I’ve used you don’t get a score out of 100 that’s for sure. However, of course a company is looking for a particular set of personality traits. If it’s a marketing role and you don’t enjoy innovation or being creative then you probably aren’t the right person for the job. Assuming it’s used correctly the employer will know what type of person they want and be hoping to find a good match.
What’s to stop job seekers lying about their personality?
In some of the basic assessments, ones which only ask a few questions or use one questioning style, you could probably get away with lying. However, most of established assessments have a built in “lie detector”. You’ll notice you are asked the same question in a number of ways and, maybe even, that you are probed in detail in a certain area. Honestly it’s not worth lying when completing a personality questionnaire – why would you want to get a job to which you aren’t suited?
Coming back to aptitude tests can job seekers practice?
Yes, they can and really you’ll benefit from doing so. Nearly all tests will have a quick practice before you do the real, timed, assessment. However, you’ll also be able to find additional test papers online. Once you know what the test is you’re being asked to do simply google for a practice test. The reason lots of people struggle with these types of test is because quite frankly when was the last time you had to do a timed test? If you can get a bit of practice of working against the clock – remembering how to do percentages and fractions again – then you’ll find the actual test a lot easier. Also, with most tests you are not penalised for questions you get wrong or don’t finish. So focus on the ones you can answer first and then give your best guess for the others.
Finally, do you have any top tips for ace-ing that personality questionnaire?
There is a really great article about this on the Assessment Day website. However, in summary these are the tips I give to job seekers when I am conducting personality questionnaires with them:
A) Don’t panic – any decent company will not make a decision based purely on the results of the assessment; they’ll also be looking at your career history, any interviews you’ve done with them, other tests and references
B) Be consistent in your responses – I mentioned the “lie detector” earlier but sometimes asking the same question more than once in a slightly different way is done to measure how strongly you feel about something. if you answer honestly and on gut reaction it’s a lot easier to be consistent.
C) Tricky one this but you don’t answer “neither agree or disagree” to too many questions. I’ve had candidates who have looked passive and lacking conviction due to this middle of the road response. It’s tricky for an employer to get excited by someone “bland” like this. However, answering each question in the extreme can also be a warning sign.
D) I touched on this above – make sure you complete the questionnaire as honestly as possible. They want to get the right person for the job but you also want to ensure you are happy in the role. If they are looking for a match then you want to have honestly represented yourself.
So, go into them being as honest as you, thinking in a work context, and don’t be scared of them.
