The Tribune

By IAN FERGUSON

Business owners all agree that Russian roulette is not the game we play when selecting, recruiting, developing and retaining our employees. The process of identifying talent for our companies is crucial if we are truly to be successful. Sadly, many companies have stunted their own growth potential by blindly, and carelessly, selecting the wrong bodies to fill critical roles.

This article is to remind the business community that it has to make a calculated and informed decision when investing in new team members and promoting old ones.

Pychometric tests are impersonal, standardised and objective instruments that level the playing field in the workplace. Employers value them because they are a fair way of comparing different candidates’ strengths, regardless of educational background.

Psychometric tests may be used at different stages of the selection process, but they are usually best as the first tool for determining whether the company should continue to pursue the individual.

There are any number of psychometric tests used to determine ability, aptitude and personality. Ability tests measure either general or particular skills, capability and acumen. This category of test can include:

• Numerical tests: Assess how well you interpret data, graphs, charts or statistics, but can also test basic arithmetic.

• Verbal reasoning tests: Assess how you well you understand written information and evaluate arguments and statements.

• Non-verbal reasoning tests: Assess how well you follow diagrammatic information or spot patterns. Can check spatial awareness. Diagrammatic or abstract reasoning tests are sometimes described as inductive reasoning tests.

• Logical reasoning tests: Assess how well you follow through to a conclusion given basic information, or using your current knowledge or experience. These include deductive reasoning tests, in which you are given information or rules to apply in order to arrive at an answer.

• Aptitude tests examine your potential to learn a new skill that is needed to do the job you have applied for.

• Personality tests assess your typical behaviour when presented with different situations, and your preferred way of going about things.

They examine how likely you are to fit into the role and company culture. Assessors may match your responses with those of a sample of successful managers or graduate recruits. Employers look for people with certain characteristics for particular jobs.

Companies are increasingly using psychometric tests to aid the employee selection process, so they can get the ‘right’ person. The use of psychometric testing gives large and small companies a competitive edge.

Despite the accessibility of these instruments to the wider business community, most companies have opted to go in the other direction with ‘feel good’ interviewing strategies; referrals from friends and family; or social and political appointees, even in critical positions of leadership and management. These practices have yielded the results we see today in business, where productivity and efficiency are at an all-time low.

Paying close attention to the advice given in this article is certainly a step in the right direction to eradicating inefficiency in the workplace.

• NB: Ian R. Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organsations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@coralwave.com.