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How much do you know about Psychometric or Personality Profiling? Everyone in the recruitment sector will have at least some experience of this subject, and yet the views of so many people will often be wildly different. There really is no universal understanding of Profiling.
The term psychometric profiling actually refers to a whole range of measurements of an individual’s capabilities, including literacy and numerical skills, reasoning skills, and also their personality profile. The science of Personality Profiling is long recognised, and established as a factual basis on which to consider individuals, and how they respond in certain situations and environments. Psychologists will debate the nuances of the variety of methodologies used, but have long since proven the efficacy of the discipline. Quite naturally then, Personality Profiling lends itself to the world of employment, and of course recruitment. Key to this kind of profiling is that these tests do not seek to identify the ways in which individuals are unique and different, but rather to identify commonalities, and which traits you share with other individuals with the same Personality Type. Another misperception is that a specific personality can be described as “normal” for specific job titles. Whilst this can appear to be true, it takes no account of the environment in which a person might work. For example a successful accountant in DeLoitte’s may not be a good “personality fit” as an accountant for a small manufacturer.
Most people’s experience of profiling will have been during the application process, where they will have completed a (usually) huge paper-based questionnaire administered by companies like SHL, Thomas International, or Myers Briggs, amongst others. Each test will then be scored by an accredited consultant, who will then translate the results into plain English for the employer. As you can imagine, this is laborious and expensive. Tests often cost £250 per candidate, and absorb a lot time from the employer and candidates, as well as the examiner.
As a result of these costs, in both time and money, Personality Profiling has hitherto been the preserve of recruiting for middle to senior level vacancies. It’s virtually unthinkable to spend that money when recruiting for jobs in retail, security, catering, hospitality and call-centres, where it could easily be argued that the Personality Type of the individual is crucial to their success in the job.
How much more use could we make of this vital information if the assessment cost only £25, and could be completed by candidates anywhere by mobile phone? Even better; what if the reports were generated immediately, and were already written in plain English that line managers, recruiters and HR staff could comprehend and use instantly? At that level, these detailed reports can be used with existing staff members for career development, coaching, succession planning and resource management.
I have attached my own Personality Profile from PeopleMaps, which is tailor-made for senior managers and directors. This report is considerably longer and more detailed than you might require for other roles, and contains 24 subject Topics, which are analysed in detail, along with consultant’s comments and notes for interviewers. Most PeopleMaps reports from PC Evaluate would comprise around 5 topics, specifically selected as relevant to the position being recruited for.
Download my own profile here: http://pcevaluate.com/?wpdmact=process&did=NS5ob3RsaW5r
