There have been a number of commentators and surveys in the past few weeks that, in one way or another, suggest more businesses will be looking to hire staff in 2013. Although growth is likely to be slow, The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) reports that employers are feeling optimistic about their hiring process and KPMG cautiously hint that the “war for talent” may be returning for sectors with skills shortages.
Salaries will be your biggest cost dependent on the size of the business and to some extent the sector you operate in. This is why so many companies quote that often used cliché that “people are our greatest asset”. The fact of the matter is that recruiting and retaining good people is one of the fundamentals to business success; make a bad hire and you’ll soon hear about it through your customers and staff.
Clearly then it’s important to get it right and yet so many businesses make a basic error by not including relevant psychometric assessments as part of the hiring process to inform their decision making about who to recruit. Put simply, psychometrics are formal, structured exercises designed to measure qualities such as verbal, numerical or reasoning ability and personality factors. Well designed assessments are tested to ensure they are fair, reliable and valid and there will be a test that is relevant for whichever role you could recruit for.
Having been a manager who has recruited people for a variety of roles and worked with many organisations to advise on the most effective recruitment and development processes, I know how critical this is. What you want is to hire people who don’t just have the technical skills to do the job (that’s the easy bit because you can get most of this from a CV and an interview) but what I call the right “motivational” fit for the business – that is the more elusive.
I’m sure that every manager will at some point have come across individuals who sounded great on paper and interviewed well enough but turned out not to be quite right for the business – unfortunately, when they’ve already been hired this becomes a more problematic and costly issue to resolve! The fact is that if psychometric assessment had been used then this would have been highlighted before an offer had been made.
There are many myths that exist about psychometric assessment and in my experience the three most common misconceptions clients have are that: 1/ it’s expensive; 2/ they can’t see the value of using it – why pay for something when ‘gut feel’ has always worked for them in the past; or 3/ they think using psychometric assessment will make the process even longer and they need someone in post right now!
The facts are that, dependent on the level of role and type of assessment used, the cost can be tens rather than hundreds of pounds – the real question should be how much it will cost you if you make the wrong decision for your business.
While ‘gut feel’ may have a part to play as part of the overall process, it will never aid decision making in an objective and impartial way; this is where some managers can fall into the trap of recruiting clones of themselves and demonstrate unconscious bias (judging someone according to a stereotype, positive or negative, that we are familiar with), rather than what the business needs.
With regards to the time it takes, most psychometric assessments can be completed online and so the turnaround from completion by the individual through to analysis and feedback given by a qualified practitioner to the manager could be done in as little as a day or two rather than taking weeks.
So if you are looking to hire new people talk to a qualified and experienced assessment practitioner and involve them from the word go. They will be able to advise you on the key skills you should be focusing on and the most appropriate psychometric assessment tools for the role and level you are looking to recruit to.
Here are some things you need to think about:
1. Be clear in your own mind as to the knowledge, ability and technical skills required to do the job – which is essential and which is desirable. Be realistic with this as it will give you clarity on what’s really important and what you will assess applications on.
2. Really think about the type of person who will succeed within your organisation – remember, someone who thrives in a creative and fluid environment may not function effectively in a highly regulated, procedure-driven organisation.
3. Provide honest information about what the company is like and what you expect of your people from the very start of the process – give people the opportunity to sift themselves out before they make an application – this avoids disappointment by both parties at interview stage.
4. Incorporate these elements into a role profile and use this as the basis for all job advertisements and communication about the role/s and state that applicants will be expected to complete a psychometric assessment as part of the process.
5. Ask candidates to complete the relevant psychometric assessment beforethey are interviewed, or if you’re recruiting a high volume for a particular role (eg customer service or graduate level), at the start of the process so it helps you to sift early on.
This will give you an opportunity to probe any areas that have been highlighted. Specific questions can then be incorporated as part of the interview process and allows for a two-way discussion.
Follow these tips and you should have a fit-for-purpose and less stressful process whether you’re recruiting one person or several.
To find out more, download our white paper 'The business value of psychometric assessment: dispelling some myths and misconceptions'
If you would like to know more about how to improve your recruitment or development processes, then please get in touch at naheed@ipsoconsulting.com or via Twitter @NaheedMirza