Why personality test should be part of your hiring process

Author

My Pham

Marketing & Communication Executive

In this article...

    Just take a look at the high rates of employee turnover and the expenses of poor recruiting to see how the fight for talent is clearly implying the necessity of improved hiring:

    It is obvious that there is very little space for error in hiring!

    There has always been screening of applicants
    True, but a well-crafted CV does not necessarily reveal the whole story. There is more to a candidate than just where he or she has studied and worked; education and experience levels do not provide the full picture. Predicting future success probabilities is necessary for effective recruiting.

    Testing is frequently promoted as a way to better accomplish this particular goal. However, frequently, candidates breeze through the interview process with the job offer in sight but trip up as soon as a test is involved.

    Do more testing need to be performed?
    Testing is still a legitimate, fair way to thoroughly screen applicants before hiring them. Many interviews include tests tailored to a particular position, but the newest addition—personality assessments—provide focused information about a candidate's conduct, personality, and talents.

    The use of personality assessments to determine intellect has its roots in the early 20th century. IQ tests were created as a result because it was the culmination of the desire to utilize statistics to quantify and explain complicated ideas. Personality testing gained popularity during World War I as a way to identify soldiers with leadership potential or those who are prone to experiencing nervous breakdowns when under siege.

    Personality evaluation satisfies the demand for an evidence-based strategy of talent acquisition for organizations. It is a cutting-edge method of choosing, evaluating, and screening candidates so that the business may choose the best one for the position at hand.

    A candidate's personality is a reliable predictor of their suitability
    A candidate's personality may be used to forecast their success on the job and anticipate how they would act in the workplace, according to scientific research. Utilizing personality tests throughout the recruiting process enables recruiters to assess the chance that a candidate will excel in their position and fit well with the corporate culture.

    Personality tests outperform more conventional techniques of data collection by providing unbiased insights that improve candidate selection. They aid in assessing the expected impact of a candidate's personality on their work behavior, interactions with others, method of problem-solving, and emotional state.

    Employers confirm! US employers, according to the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology,

    Why are personality tests still utilized in the workplace today?
    The typical length of time an employee remains with a firm is 4.2 years, which is not too lengthy. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the organization to determine if the applicant is a good match and will remain for a sufficient amount of time. It is obvious that filling such position would be expensive and not in the company's best interests.

    The following are the main justifications for using personality testing in hiring:

    - Recognize fit with corporate culture: Employers want to know how well a candidate fits with the firm's culture. While strict business environments may discourage laid-back personalities, laid-back employment environments may not be appropriate for people with serious dispositions.

    - Understand fit with team and job role: The evaluation aids in determining whether the attitude is appropriate for the position and potential coworkers. Certain professions come with a lot of pressure and need for rapid thinking, skills that are not universally possessed yet are essential for the job at hand. Different positions benefit more from having particular abilities and characteristics, and the applicant may be staffed appropriately.

    - Identify the candidate's communication style: In management or customer-facing positions, communication is especially crucial. Hiring managers can learn more about a candidate's interpersonal skills by conducting a personality test on them.

    Personality testing is a very effective tool! Test the predictive power of the following factors for job performance:

    Numerous advantages come from personality assessments
    Clearly, personality testing is a useful tool for recruiters to locate the ideal applicant. Why is this:

    - Improved recruiting with data-driven recruitment: Predicting on-the-job performance, behavior, and corporate fit is made possible by objective data and standardized, practical insights.
    - An improved applicant screening process at the top of the funnel: Early personality screening of candidates enhances the selection process and enables well-informed hiring decisions.
    - Evaluation of personality compatibility with several career categories: Different personality characteristics can then be evaluated for applicability to various employment tasks and levels.
    - Greater quality and retention of employees: Effective hiring practices increase the likelihood that new hires will be of the highest caliber and work for the firm for a longer period of time.
    - Higher legal defensibility: Based on objective, scientifically-valid job performance indicators, an evaluation procedure that is trustworthy and well-designed becomes legally defensible.

    There are several things to keep an eye on
    Although personality testing before hiring is undoubtedly a good idea, there are a few things to be aware of. Prospective employees might not want to wait that long because evaluations might take some time. They increase the cost of employment and fall short of their goal in several respects. Additionally, they might not be very trustworthy given that people prefer to respond in ways that are wanted.

    How can you examine various personality evaluation techniques?
    The decision becomes crucial given the wide variety of personality test types available, many of which claim to improve hiring. The factors to think about are as follows:

    - Focus of the assessment: Some evaluations speak more about their technological foundation than their theoretical underpinning, and a greater emphasis on the former might be cause for alarm.
    - Results interpretation: Results that are too simple to comprehend are unlikely to be particularly useful given the intricacy of personality analysis. Look for skilled individuals and technical documentation.
    - How findings are verified: Ensure that the assessment's top achievers exhibit the qualities it values.
    - Pricing: Verify that cost structures and levels are in line with the corporate budget, and take into account how this compares to the estimated cost of a poor hiring.

    The final word
    The market value of personality tests has increased over the previous century to USD 2 billion simply in the US! Given its scientific, data-driven foundation and how they assist to assess the fit with the work and the culture, the use of personality tests in recruiting is a helpful alternative when it comes to creatively identifying the applicant best suitable for a certain role. They are a fantastic approach to increase collaboration, productivity, and cooperation, which will eventually increase customer satisfaction and revenue!

    Source: tmi.org

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