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Job Interview Tips

Coping With Job Interviews

Tough Interview Questions

Assessment Centres - How to Succeed

Presentations

Body Language

Psychometric Testing

Behaviour Interviews

Telephone Interviews

Psychometric Testing

Psychometric tests are commonly used by employers to determine a candidate’s suitability for a specific role by assessing their individual character and abilities. They are particularly useful for reducing a large number of applicants in the initial stages of the selection process or for finalising a decision after the interview stage. Psychometric tests can be general or tailored towards assessing traits relevant to a particular position; a sales person, for example, would be assessed on their communication and negotiation skills as well as their ability to influence others.

Types of tests

A DISC Profile is frequently used by recruiters and involves the completion of a simple questionnaire which can provide an insight into a person’s approach to work, motivation, strengths and weaknesses. The responses given can be used to ascertain how an individual will respond to a given scenario.

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator determines an individual’s personality type based on their differing preference levels of the following factors:

• Introversion and Extroversion
• Intuition and Sensing
• Feeling and Thinking
• Judging and Perceiving

16 personality types can be determined using this method and different employers will look for specific personalities according to the criteria for the position.

Many schools and colleges also ask students to perform a Morrisby Profile, a psychometric test designed to help determine the most appropriate career path based on an individual’s abilities, work style and talents.

Aptitude tests

Psychometric tests normally consist of aptitude tests and personality questionnaires, the former of which are used to assess your potential to undertake certain tasks. Put simply, an employer can use an aptitude test to decide if you are able to do the job or not! 

Aptitude tests can assess numerical reasoning by testing your ability to perform basic calculations, identify sequences and think logically. It is easy to prepare for such tests by practising simple sums and completing number puzzles without using a calculator.

Verbal tests assess your spelling, grammar and language comprehension, and often involve recognising synonyms and analogies or finding the missing word required to complete a sentence. Again, you can prepare by completing word games or puzzles such as crosswords.

Personality questionnaires

While aptitude tests ascertain your capability to perform a particular role, a personality questionnaire determines whether you as a person are suited to the position. Employers will want to avoid any potential conflict situations and will therefore be looking for people with personality traits similar to those already present among their employees.

It is absolutely imperative that you provide honest answers to the questions rather than trying to give the answers that you think the employer wants to see. You have to be sure that if called for interview you are able to demonstrate the characteristics that you claimed to possess in the personality questionnaire. It is also to your advantage to be honest because you run the risk of being accepted for a job that you are really not suited to.

Top tips

Psychometric tests are really nothing to be afraid of and if you approach them calmly they should not pose any significant problems. Because there are no right or wrong answers, the first response that comes into your head is always the right one.

You can improve your chances of getting through the tests without incident by having a good sleep the night before and eating a healthy breakfast, while avoiding coffee as this can impair your responses.

Make sure that you read each question carefully – although no trick questions are used, you don’t want to make any careless mistakes.

Other candidates for the job will have to undertake exactly the same test in the same circumstances so you are at no particular advantage or disadvantage – whether or not you get the job is simply a question of whether you are the right person according to the criteria for the position.