Navigating Talent Assessments

Psychometric testing, although relatively new and somewhat intimidating due to its complex terminology, is becoming increasingly significant in the current job market. In contrast, personality tests are more familiar to HR professionals and management teams. In fact, quite a lot of people are hesitant about using psychometric testing at first due to previous experiences with personality testing in internal and recruitment processes. What is the difference between the two and why is it so important to recognise the key differences between them?

Personality Tests

Personality tests are designed to measure various aspects of an individual’s character, temperament, and traits. These tests have been used in a professional setting to gain insights into a person’s preferences and behavioural patterns. Notable examples include the Big Five personality tests and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

While these personality tests effectively depict the characteristics of an employee or a prospective candidate, using their results for objective evaluations or professional development can induce significant errors. This is primarily because individuals often exhibit different behaviours at work compared to their personal lives. These tests also make categories and typologies often at odds with everyday situations and context, as well as do it in an oversimplifying manner and without much context given. Although personal characteristics are generally consistent within people, they tend to lack the depth to get a full picture of an individual.

Psychometric Tests

When discussing psychometric testing systems, the terminology can be confusing, which is why it is often easier to refer to them as psychology-based assessments. These tests specifically measure a person’s work-related behaviours and skills. Since they are designed from a work perspective, the results more accurately reflect an individual’s behaviour and characteristics in a professional setting.

The perspective from which the questions itself are answered is crucial when the purpose is professional development, evaluation, team-building efforts, or a recruitment process.

To make it more understandable, a prime example of a question in a personality test is the following:

When making decisions, I rely more on’

a) Logic and consistency

b) My personal values and how it affects people

A person might choose B in their personal life but opt for A in work-related behaviours. This discrepancy illustrates how relying on such questions can lead to inaccurate recruitment decisions and ineffective development strategies.

Some might associate psychometric tests solely with IQ and aptitude assessments, given that the term suggests psychology-based evaluations. While this conclusion is certainly fair, as JobMatch also has a LogiQ test used in fields where a high level of logical and numerical thinking is required, this test itself is not what psychometric testing stands for. In fact, standard psychometric tests focus not on measuring intelligence or numerical skills but on evaluating psychological attributes from a work-related perspective.

Ethical Considerations of Psychometric Testing in the Workplace

At JobMatch, we see the value in psychometric testing and truly believe it is an essential ingredient in the success of companies. However, one should not look past the ethical considerations, which are absolutely crucial in any testing of employees. While psychometric testing provides a more accurate view of a person’s behaviours and capabilities at work, people are not machines. This very reason is why these testing systems are often criticised, because humans grow, evolve, and learn within time, meaning the behaviours and responses also change and evolve.

One should not use psychometric tests as the primary basis in recruitment, promotions or succession planning, but treat it for what it is – an invaluable tool that can add the scientific data behind the decisions, but not be the entire basis for it. For that same reason, we have certified specialists who guide companies through these tests, provide feedback sessions and explain the background of these tests to avoid falsely portraying the results of a test-taker.

At JobMatch, we want you to try out the benefits firsthand. This is why you can sign up today for our demo test – completely free of charge – to understand how the test works and receive a feedback session with a specialist from our team.