Psychometric Assessments, of course.
Despite economic uncertainty among many organisations, there are still many businesses out there recruiting new people. Yours might be one of them. And, for these organisations, a weaker economy has switched the recruitment world from being candidate-driven to employer-driven.
It’s great to have more people to choose from but, like whack-a-mole, removing one problem always gives you another one. In this case, it’s how to reduce the number of applicants to allow you to develop a relevant, manageable shortlist.
And if the majority of applicants don’t have previous experience (despite the number of unemployed people, there is still a skills shortage), effectively evaluating the people for the right attitude, based solely on their CV (or LinkedIn profile or whatever) is very time-consuming and costly (impossible, to be honest).
Imagine getting 250 applicants for every role you advertise. If each one takes a minute to scan their CV, 250 applicants would take over 4 hours to undertake the most basic scan. And you could still include unsuitable people and exclude the best candidates.
Psychometric assessments are designed to eliminate much of that time, cost and inaccuracy. They are completed online with an automated process that requires little or no involvement from HR/Talent Acquisition, once they’ve been set up.
Assessments evaluate a candidate’s personality traits and cognitive abilities to predict job performance and cultural fit against a benchmark YOU design (with your provider’s help). Once you’ve set the benchmark (the level you’re looking for), the assessment system handles the rest. You’ll be able to create a 10 – 15 minute assessment that differentiates candidates from each other, based on objective criteria.
The best assessments are:
- Customisable – tailored to your exact requirement (what you measure and at what level).
- Web-based – with virtually limitless capacity to process applicants quickly
- Cost effective – providing a cheap way to filter applicants effectively so that your shortlist only includes people who can do the job
- Consistent – eliminating bias, all candidates are measured in the same way using the same measures so you really will see those candidates best suited to your vacancy.
But Buyer Beware – not all assessments are the same. Check that you can get all of these benefits before you commit to a supplier.
Here’s a summary of what you have a right to expect from the assessments you use:
1. Assessments that are Automated and Scalable
The best Psychometric Assessments are administered online, allowing companies to automatically screen a large number of applicants with minimal human involvement. Once set up, these assessments can process thousands of candidates without further manual effort from the HR/TA team, saving time and money.
2. Assessments that provide Objective Evaluation of your candidates
Psychometric Assessments offer an objective and standardised way to shortlist candidates (ie people you’ve never met before). In addition to providing improved shortlist efficiency, they help eliminate subjectivity in the selection process and ensure that decisions are based on consistent, measurable, justifiable criteria.
3. Assessments that are low cost
Traditional hiring processes require significant investment in time, people and money to screen CVs and conduct initial interviews before you can even consider a shortlist. Psychometric assessments are low-cost online resources that require little to no ongoing input once the setup is complete (usually a matter of minutes). Scalable pricing models, from some providers, allow employers to find an assessment solution that fits their budget.
4. Assessments designed for High Volume Screening
Using current technology Psychometric Tests can help quickly identify top candidates by evaluating the traits that you decide are most relevant to the role. Once everyone’s assessed, you get a ranked list from most to least suited, letting you look more closely only at the people with the greatest potential. You don’t have to look at every report – only the people you’re interested in.
5. Assessments that reduce your Time-to-Hire
Since psychometric assessments can evaluate candidates automatically, HR and TA teams can focus their efforts on looking, in more detail, at the most promising applicants. This leads to a faster hiring process, reducing time-to-hire and improving overall recruitment efficiency.
6. Assessments that reduce the level of unsuitable Candidates
In times when jobs are scarce, people are tempted to apply for roles they know they’re not suited to. The simpler the application process (and isn’t everyone trying to make it simpler?) the easier it is. An additional step that can’t be completed using AI will discourage some of these people from applying, reducing the numbers you have to deal with.
Could it discourage people who would be suited to the role? Possibly – but if someone is unwilling to spend 10 – 15 minutes extra for a job they have a chance of landing, do you really want to employ them anyway?
For companies dealing with high volumes of applicants, psychometric assessments provide a low-cost, hands-off solution to streamlining the hiring process. They help reduce bias, ensure consistency and provide insights that predict long-term job success, all while significantly reducing the time and cost associated with manual screening and interviews.
By automating the filtering process, employers can focus on engaging with candidates who have the greatest potential for success in their roles and never have the feeling they get, with a manual process, that, somehow, they’ve excluded the best people.
