Whether small or large, all organisations want to hire the best person for any position – from entry level right through to senior executive. The selection methods utilised vary to some degree between the position level and how big the organisation is but generally consist of some sort of screening process, such as a telephone interview followed by one or two rounds of face to face interviews and reference checks. However, where leading organisations differentiate themselves from their competition in the race for top talent is through the use of psychometric assessment. Psychometric assessments are designed to provide further objective insight into the candidate and, when utilised effectively, can make a significant impact to the performance of a business or organisation. The reasons for this are actually simpler than you might think, given that there is a great deal of uncertainty and almost a level of ‘mysticism’ around psychometric assessments.
Firstly, psychometric assessments are scientifically validated to predict a specific job outcome. This means that in the hands of a trained user there is a relative amount of certainty that the assessment will measure what it claims. Secondly, certain attributes, such as cognitive ability, cannot be measured or assessed to the same degree through an interview. Importantly, recent research has shown that cognitive ability, for example, is one of the single best predictors of job performance.
Lastly, psychometric assessments are 100% objective – this means that they are completely standardised and fair, removing any bias, unintentional or otherwise, from the selection process. With most psychometric assessments, including Revelian's range, now largely completed online and in a much shorter time (generally no longer than 30 minutes), the candidate experience is not impeded, ensuring the recruiting organisation's brand integrity is not impacted.
However, outside of the big end of town, psychometric testing is often overlooked by smaller companies. This is because of the high perceived cost and the mistaken belief that professional psychologist support is always required to interpret results. Unfortunately, this means that many smaller companies tend to rely exclusively on selection methods that do not provide the best recruitment outcomes.
In recognition of this, Sportspeople's partner Revelian has released a simple self-service online psychometric platform that makes it easier for smaller organisations to harness the power of psychometric testing and improve selection outcomes. Click here and find out more at http://www.revelian.com/sportsjobs/
RM - Sportspeople
First Published 2012.
