She says one of the biggest problems вЂ“ and (with regards to discrimination) a potentially bigger legal one for employers вЂ“ is that psychometric tests frequently contain biases that work against applicants from different cultural backgrounds, who face language barriers or even just simple anxiety about testing. 'But there are just too many false negatives, where a personвЂ™s results donвЂ™t reflect their true potential.' While some hirers would like to have one test that could meet all their recruiting needs, itвЂ™s just not realistic. 'Granted, it might have its uses in specific situations, such as when a company wants to check that an applicant has the right skills in a certain area or the personality to meet the demands of the job or the culture of the organisation. 'IвЂ™ve seen too many top-notch applicants ruled out of a job because psychometrics are used as a default barometer, with all subsequent decisions based on it,' she says. Johannesburg-based HR executive Anne Morrow goes further, arguing that the cons of psychometric testing outweigh its pros. Instead, hirers should combine test results with interviews, role-playing exercises and reference checks to select people for positions. Recruitment firm Robert Half advises that itвЂ™s best not to rely on one test or to put too much weight on a single result. In the latter instance, personality will almost certainly be secondary to ability to crunch stats, as well as an understanding of economics, law, probability, finance and risk assessment. What he means is that the personality and behavioural traits a client-facing organisation might look for in a salesperson вЂ“ an extrovert, for example, with high verbal reasoning skills and high achievement motivation вЂ“ will be quite different from what an analytical actuarial firm is looking for in an actuary. 'The key test is how the tests themselves вЂfitвЂ™ with the culture of the organisation where they are applied.' 'IвЂ™ve seen too many top-notch applicants ruled out of a job because psychometrics are used as a default barometer, with all subsequent decisions based on it,' she says. 'They are helpful aids in supplementing what we already know about employees and candidates, but no panacea for fixing recruitment or career development issues. 'IвЂ™ve used psych tests in all my HR roles, usually a combination of intelligence, aptitude, and personality profiling,' says Rob (surname withheld), a director at a financial advisory firm in London. However, hiring third-party professionals isnвЂ™t cheap, and may be beyond the means of some companies вЂ“ certainly for lower-level positions. Such psychological tests should be delivered by people trained in administering and interpreting them. IBM, Oracle and Deloitte have even acquired their very own talent management firms. One reason for this may be that Big Data is taking aptitude and behavioural assessment to a whole new level.Д«usinesses across a range of industries are starting to use a battery of sophisticated talent analytics specifically tailored to their needs by assessment companies such as CEBвЂ™s SHL, Kenexa (now part of IBM), Saville Consulting, Talent Q and Cubiks.

And 40 per cent say theyвЂ™re seeing more psychometric testing being used now compared with two years ago. And this is despite research that shows as many as three-quarters of people achieve a different personality type when tested again, as Annie Murphy Paul pointed out in her 2005 book, The Cult of Personality.ДЄccording to HudsonвЂ™s The Hiring Report: The State of Hiring in Australia 2015, 54 per cent of senior executives value psychometric testing as part of the recruitment process.

Worldwide, millions of job candidates are asked to sit the MBTI each year, so a lot of recruiters seem to have confidence in it. Psychometric testing, which measures a personвЂ™s relevant strengths and weaknesses, has been used by employers since 1962, when Isabel Briggs Myers first published the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Employers want to know everything they can about potential recruits, and are going to new lengths to make sure that information is accurate.Д¬an a psychological test really pinpoint the best candidate for a job? A lot of employers would like to think so.

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