Sitting the test of time

You've applied for a job, and the company wants to call you for an interview. Then you hear the words: "We'd just like you to sit a short test ..." So what have you let yourself in for?

It's likely you'll be asked to sit a psychometric test at some point, especially if you're being considered for a senior post. According to a survey carried out by the Institute of Directors, psychometric testing is now used by more than 700 of The Times top 1000 companies. Human resources professionals claim it's nothing to be scared of, and they are keen to reassure that it isn't about trying to trip you up, or probe the dark secrets of your psyche.

The stated aim of the tests is to provide an objective measure of your innate abilities, such as verbal reasoning or your style of working. If recruiters have done their homework properly, they will know which aptitudes and character traits are needed for someone to be successful in a particular role, and the tests aim to help them see how well you match.

Kate Griffiths-Lambeth, head of human resources and recruitment at Antfactory, a business incubator which helps ebusinesses get off the ground, said: "Psychometric tests are there to help candidates as well as companies. As long as they are used correctly, you will receive some interesting feedback which should help you to understand why you didn't get a particular role, or if you should even be considering it in the first place."

Barrie Whitaker, head of psychometrics at PricewaterhouseCoopers, agreed: "If psychometric testing is used well, not only does the employer get an employee who is good for the company, but the candidate ends up getting the most out of their job."

"You're not expected to remember anything," Whitaker added. "With cognitive reasoning tests, you're being tested on your innate skills, rather than on skills which you can improve with practice."

The real you?
Test designers know that candidates may try to manipulate test results by providing what they think are 'desirable' answers. Personality tests, therefore, are designed to spot people who present an unrealistic picture of themselves.

Rob Feltham, head of research and development at Cubiks, the recently spun-off assessment and development practice of management and IT consultancy PA Consulting, pointed out that recruiters are likely to be suspicious of candidates who appear to be perfect in every way. It's bad news for all those perfect candidates out there.

There's also a trend towards computer-based tests, the main benefit being to speed up test data collection and processing. Some companies even use the internet as a delivery mechanism. Cubiks, for example, has developed a web-based version of its personality tests, allowing companies to devise tests for specific recruitment campaigns which they post up on the web and ask candidates to complete before they come for interview. There's a downside to the computer-based processing of psychometric test data, however. It means the results are more accessible to a wider (and untrained) audience.

"Tests need to be properly devised and HR professionals need to be trained in how to use and interpret them," Whitaker warned. "Inaccurate feedback can be worse than not using testing at all," added Griffiths-Lambeth.

With hundreds, if not thousands, of psychometric tests on the market, it's essential that the right combination is used if they are to yield useful information. "Recruiters shouldn't be adopting a scatter-gun approach," said Whitaker.

However, many companies are abusing the psychometric tests at their disposal simply through lack of knowledge and understanding. Sharon Dippel, group services manager at management and IT services consultancy Calleo, said that most organisations don't even have the basics of recruitment right - such as the drawing up good job specifications - so they're in no position to make the best use of sophisticated tools such as psychometric tests.

At the same time, interpretations of the results can be at best subjective, and at worst a stab in the dark. Even so, some companies take personality tests very seriously and may be over-reliant on the results. "The tests only indicate that someone has a tendency towards particular behaviour, but that doesn't mean people will behave precisely in that way all the time," said Dippel.

Turning the tables
Given the potential for abuse, you shouldn't be afraid to challenge recruiters about the tests they are using. "You should ask companies what they're looking for, why they're using that range of selection tools and if the test publisher has data to show the test is valid," said Griffiths-Lambeth. "The candidate should be looking for the right environment just as much as the company is looking for the right employee. If companies can't justify why they're using a particular test and what they're looking for, it's an indication they're not focused on what they want from a candidate. If they do appoint you, it may not be the right job for you."

Importantly, psychometric testing is covered by the Data Protection Act. This means testing organisations must make it clear how the data will be used and who will see it. Interpreting the results of psychometric tests is a very tricky task, and Feltham believes the raw data should only be made available to staff who have been trained to interpret it. Similarly, test results should only be disseminated to others, such as line managers, when accompanied by a clear explanation of their meaning.

You should also check what the company plans to do with the psychological assessment data in the longer term. The results of psychometric testing - especially personality tests - have a shelf life, as people change through experiences and increasing maturity. "A test at one stage of your life won't be a good indicator of you at another stage of your life," said Griffiths-Lambeth. "That means employers shouldn't use information from tests carried out a long time ago."

One of the long-term uses of test data is to provide insight when putting together project teams. Calleo, for example, gives candidates a simple, 10-minute test after the first interview which highlights how individuals work with each other. "If the employees think the results are fair, when we bring together a new team we share those profiles because it helps us to understand traits in others that they might find it hard to talk about," said Dippel.

PA Consulting also uses personality assessments when putting together consultancy teams for client assignments. "We would take individuals' profiles and combine them into a team profile and then have a team discussion around the issues raised," said Feltham. "For example, if the team is low on people with a [particular] orientation, we would want to discuss strategies to cope with that early on."

Before you go ...
It's also increasingly common for companies to use psychometric testing as part of an 'exit interview'. Whitaker believes this practice should become more widespread, since it would help companies to understand why employees either didn't succeed in the company, failed professional exams which they were expected to pass as a condition of their employment, or were simply not motivated to stay.

The testers themselves have often been on the receiving end of assessment procedures, and Whitaker admits he has had both good and bad experiences. On one occasion the assessment was done in a hotel bedroom by somebody who didn't explain the tests properly and clearly didn't understand how to interpret and use the results.

"I don't enjoy tests because I am always worried that they will involve remembering things, even though they don't," he admitted. "However, I would always want to be tested so that I'm not completely at the mercy of a single interviewer."

Sample test questions can be found on Saville and Holdsworth's website www.shldirect.com. You can pay a small fee to take a practice test and receive feedback on the results. The British Psychological Society also produces a free information pack at www.bps.org.uk/publicat/public.htm.