Psychometric Testing Issues - Essay Example

Psychometric testing Name: Professor: Unit: Date of submission: “Using psychometric testing for selecting employees for an entry level job is not a waste of time and effort” Psychometric testing is referred to as mental measurement. The test history and development can be traced back to 400 BC during the time when Hippocrates wanted to elaborate temperament types which were phlegmatic, choleric, melancholic and sanguine. Sir Francis Galton during the 19th Century tried to differentiate scientifically mental ability differences from others; a method commonly practiced today (Healy 2008). Human abilities and characteristics testing began in ancient China at the Chan dynasty at a time when civil servants promotion was ordered by the emperor (Wainer,2000). The inventors’ of the test are as follows; Galton Francis, Karl Pearson, Charles Spearman and James McKeen Cattell. They formed the backbone of psychometric process using statistical correlation technique. ‘Fitting the person to the job’ was invented by Prof.Alec Rodger in the 19th Century generation which gives an account of a psychometric test. Managers have restructured the interview process by including different methods of candidates’ selection in order to achieve their goal of recruiting the best out of the process. (Stevens 2000). As a means of improving the recruitment and selection process for better validity following interview, psychometric tests have been introduced as a supplement by many Organizations. Over 70% of the best performing Companies worldwide are today using psychometric testing as one of the methods for recruitment and selection of employees among other methods like interview. The tests critically and objectively analyze the personality and mental ability of an individual ensuring that there is no bias during the recruitment process. This method of testing aims at ensuring the best candidate is selected for the vacant or advertised position especially for the senior most positions (Flynn et al 2000). The recruitment team objective is usually to identify the personality traits, intelligence and aptitude of the candidate. People have different character traits and behavior which can easily be identified using such a test depending on how well the questionnaire has been set. Organizations today have set targets to achieve and employees work under stress. It is therefore necessary to identify whether the candidate can handle and cope with positive and negative stress (Edwin 2000). There are two methods of psychometric testing namely personality and interest test and two aptitude and ability tests. Ability tests are used to measure whether a candidate can multitask while personality tests measure how well the candidate adapts into a new organization as well as interact with the existing staff in relation to behavior and feelings. Ability tests were initially approved to identify the talent of a person (Eugene 2000). The thinking performance of an individual can be determined by use of aptitude and ability tests. Multiple choice questions of utmost 30 minutes are given to the candidates who sit just like in an examination centre. The aptitude tests questionnaire may consist of questions that help identify the basic arithmetic ability, language interpretation using instructions, ability to solve problems, physical and mechanical knowledge and the ability to think big. The personality traits of people are usually different and it’s important to validate how they react to different Organization set ups and pressures (Salvatore, 2009). The recruitment agencies and Companies normally award approximately 15% of the marks to the tests depending on how well the questions are tailor made. Many Organizations are however using the test further to analyze team work effectiveness and configure how to restructure their Organization structure. It has thus been found to be an effective way that enables people to work faster and interact well with the co-workers (Computer weekly, 2000). Like any other mode of selection Psychometric testing however well developed has pros and cons some of which are that it’s a very convenient way which is cost effective. It can take months to identify the character and traits of a person but using the test requires a shorter duration of time. The validity of the tests is proved to be more reliable than other recruitment methods (psychometric testing 2010). The assessment if conducted on the development of existing staff expense is much less expensive in comparison to less performing staff and staff turnover. In essence the cost benefits are appreciated in the long term. The drawbacks of using this method are that there are so many people trying to market their questionnaires yet they are untrained and it’s difficult for Managers to differentiate the good and poor tests. A person may score highly on leadership skills yet he may not be a good leader and therefore the judgment may be inappropriate. Considerable experience and training is required for the interpretation of questionnaires which is lacking in majority of Organizations resulting to misinterpretation of the answers. Psychologists are concerned on the misuse of the tests and are of the opinion that assessing the personality of an individual should not be conducted by untrained people because they cannot differentiate between bad and good behavior character traits (Price, 2000). Companies are today looking for ways on how to satisfy their customers and increase their market share and therefore team work and improvement of Organization performance is the key objective. Thus they now apply psychometric tests as a measure to counter poor performance (Cripps & Spry 2007). The way an individual responds and reacts to other people as well as situations explains his or her personality. Hence, psychometric tests in general portray what our weaknesses and strengths are at our work stations. The management can use the assessment test to match people according to their best job designation. This allows the employees to enjoy their roles and responsibilities thus the Organization benefits from improved job performance and productivity. Organizations that have for years been using this process for instance are Banks. Majority of bankers and salespeople have to undergo psychometric testing during interview. Banks often require people who can make decisions fast and are focused. Their behavior and personality is also very important because they rely on honesty of the staff when it comes to the banks security system. As for salespeople they interact with different kinds of customers, some of whom are harsh, arrogant and rude. They therefore need to be composed and have the ability to deal with different characters and behavior of customer without getting agitated by rejection (sales team focus ltd, 2002). It is however known that majority of Companies are business oriented and customer focused. Therefore, productivity can only result following team work. Companies that use the psychometric testing employ very qualified staffs who do fit well to their job designations increasing the output and hence profitability. Management of employees becomes very easy as a result of the staff possessing relevant and similar character traits. In addition Companies end up saving plenty of money which can be channeled to other useful projects. This method further saves time and energy because the test can be conducted online. Though the Management of Companies operate differently its highly recommended that benchmarking with the top performing Companies might reveal loop holes or new methods that may improve Management aspect. The success rate of Organizations projects depend entirely on the culture that is practiced and the structure of the Organization. The difference in productivity output and management of projects may be traced back to the recruitment process and training of staff. An organization that is able to identify weaknesses and strengths of its staff through the application of psychometric tests will definitely ensure that the staffs undergo training and develop a career development ladder. This will ensure that their skills and knowledge are upgraded with the objective of delivering outstanding performance (Ray et al 2011). The other factor that affects the productivity and success rate of assigned projects is Organization Culture. “How we do things around here is generally referred to us culture” (Ray et al 2011). New recruits when employed have to undergo orientation to learn how things are run in the Company and they are expected to abide by the rules. The assessment test can incorporate the questions regarding how an individual reacts to the organization culture. This will ensure that consistency in recruitment of people who can adapt to different organization setups and at the same time who are flexible (Barry &Cripps 2007). Though many organizations processes are not followed by all the employees the management should ensure that the right candidates are matched to their jobs. In simplistic terms, the management should engage all the staff already working in the organization to a psychometric test to make sure that the right people are doing the right job that they’re supposed to do. Typically, if the management style of operation is haphazard then employees have no sense of direction regarding their responsibilities and therefore it’s very important for the senior managers to also be recruited using the assessment test (Tech Republic 2010). The benefits of the test surely outweigh the drawbacks of using the test and hence improvement of the questions is only what would be required to add value and validity. In today’s volatile and fast moving economy, time and finances should be economized to achieve maximum objectives for any Organization set up and if use of Psychometric testing is the best method currently, then even the small enterprising Companies should implement the method as a supplement of recruitment. In conclusion, it is clear from the above discussion that Psychometric testing began early enough and it has been a constant method that is always applied by Companies regardless of the criticism. The results can be used as evidence of how well a candidate passed his test protecting the recruiters from being accused of malice and bias. Though the test cannot be used as the only method of recruitment it acts as a catalyst and helps identify what the recruitment team is not capable to see through first impression. In addition it makes it easier for the agencies or recruitment team to sieve the best applicant as the validity and reliability of the assessment is outstanding. Thus conducting the psychometric test is not a waste of time but a very vital process that should be emphasized during recruitment. References Alice P (2000) Human Resource Management Guide in a Business Context, 3rd Edition: London Computer weekly .com (2011) you can't beat psychometric testing Retrieved on 29th April 2011 from http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2000/05/11/177698/You-can39t-beat-psychometric-testing.htm Cripps B & Spry D (2007) Psychometric Testing Pocketbook Retrieved on 30th April from http://www.pocketbook.co.uk/pdf/9781903776438.pdf  Edwin A. L (2000). The Blackwell handbook of principles of organizational behavior, 1st Edition: London, Blackwell publishers Eugene F. M (2000). Business psychology and organizational behavior Retrieved on 30th April from http://portals.dmst.aueb.gr/hrm/books.html Flynn M, Ritchie C & Roberts A (2000), Public house and beverage management: key principles and issues Retrieved on 30th April from http://www.flipkart.com/public-house-beverage-management-michael-book-0750646780 Ray F, Rayners C, Rees G & Sally Rumbles (2011) Organizational Behaviour, 2nd Edition: USA Retrieved on 30th April from http://books.google.com/books?id=pONh39DERCsC&pg=PA51&dq=Ray+F,+Rayners+C,+Rees+G+%26+Sally+Rumbles+%282011%29.++Organizational+Behaviour&hl=en&ei=iUq8TaHHKY_DswbT3PiQBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=true Psychometric Testing (2010) Retrieved on 29th April 2011 from http://psychometrictesting2.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-psychome Tech Republic (2010) Retrieved on 29th April 2011 from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/organizational-culture-and-structure-influence-project-management-more-than-you-realize/5035216 Sales Focus Team (2002) Common examples of test abuse Retrieved on 29th April 2011 from http://www.salesteamfocus.com/downloads/article6.php   Read More