The Psychometric Test and the Employee Selection Process Essay examples

The Psychometric Test and the Employee Selection Process Most employers want the ‘perfect fit’ for any position vacant for recruitment. They always tend to want the best man suitable for the job, technically and interpersonally. The common ways of recruiting an employee is by application forms, curriculum vitae, and interviewing sessions. Most candidates are polite at interviews just to put across a good impression to the interviewer. Just interviewing someone is not enough to know if you have the right person for the job. Ability can be relatively easy to assess through interviewing and skills testing. Testing interpersonal skills is another issue. To reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person, the use of psychometric testing has been adopted by more and more organisations to increase the validity and reliability of the recruitment process. Psychometrics is the application of the objective, scientific measurement and mathematics to psychology. It refers top the testing of cognitive of mental functions and personality and the analysis of result. The psychometric test covers a lot of tests used to assess a characters strength or weakness providing accurate profiles of the suitability for a position. â€Å"Psychometric† means measurement of the mind. The Psychometric test is a way of assessing an individual’s ability or personality in a measured and structured way. Also, a psychometric test could be said to be any standardized procedure for measuring sensitivity or memory, or intelligence or aptitude as well as personality. Psychometric tests are one measure by which an employer can discriminate against individuals in the selection process. The tests are often presented in a multiple guess form, either paper or electronically based. There are two types of the psychometric test. They include: . Aptitude/Skills Test- This depends on the nature of the job that has been applied for. This type of test could be numerical or verbal reasoning, spatial awareness or diagrammatic reasoning. They are often time constrained. . Personal Questionnaire- this type of test is used to access the certain personal qualities required of the candidate. Psychometric testing does have real value to add to the selection process. However, it is not limited to the recruitment phase. Many organisations have seen the benefit of psychometri... ...ers for the questions. . As the assessment is not a 100% accurate, there may be little or no correlation between the candidate’s answers and the way he carries out the job. In conclusion, Psychometric test is versatile and can be used as an aid for personnel selection and recruitment, career guidance, career development, team building and personal development. Psychometric test is used by a vast number of large and small companies who appreciate its cost effectiveness when compared to the hard soft and human cost of selection errors. Psychometric tests, although a useful selection tool to implement, have many flaws and in order to be valid must be carried out in a strict and controlled manner in order for an organisation to make the right choice when seeking to recruit an individual into an organisational role. Research now shows that, in comparison with selection by normal interviewing techniques, the use of supporting psychometric testing can significantly improve the match between the individuals and the job. The growing use of psychometric testing in selection and assessment has to some extent outpaced the level of sophistication and knowledge.