A job has become available, and hundreds of individuals have applied to take up the position. To save time, and reach the right candidate, HR managers need to go through pre-employment assessment criteria that narrow down the applicant pool. Making use of personality assessment for hiring is an excellent way to get the best candidates. Personality tests have more reach than ever before, as psychological tests are included alongside them. These assessments enable HR managers to set the criteria that they are looking for and find individuals that fit into the corporate culture. With hundreds of tests available, it is essential to narrow down the most popular tests and use them.

Types of Psychological Testing

Three main psychological tests can be used in the workplace. These tests capture behaviour, personality, and career progression. These include the following: –

• Myers Briggs

This is likely the most popular of all the psychological tests that employers use. It is primarily a personality test seeking to understand various traits of the potential hire. These include introversion vs. extroversion, judging vs. perceiving, and more. In total, the results reveal which one of 16 personality options that the potential hire fits within.

• Disc Behaviour Inventory

The Disc Behaviour Inventory (DISC) is a behaviour-based assessment that seeks to classify potential workers into four different groups based on how they answer questions about workplace behaviour. These groups are control, influence, dominance, and support. Results from these tests can help with the creation of cohesive teams.

• Holland Code Career Test

With this test, it becomes easier to select the position that an employee should hold within an organisation. It is ideal for both new hires and existing staff with a goal of elevated productivity in mind. It can measure levels of interest in a different role, and share which tasks an applicant is best suited to execute.

With these tests, it becomes possible for employers to carry out quick assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of people seeking to join organisations. Rather than eliminating individuals who may not fit within one position, the results can be used to fit a good candidate in another part of the business.

Other Psychological Tests

Although behavioural assessments for employment testing are used often, other psychological testing includes clinical interviews and intellectual functioning tests. For some positions, employers may feel it necessary for mental health professionals to be a part of the interview process by carrying out a clinical interview. This is common in certain industries including health care, social workers and more. With these interviews, it becomes easier to understand the life stage of the potential hire and assess how they react to certain situations.

The intellectual functioning tests seek to review intelligence or IQ. Also, it can determine what strengths and weaknesses a person have at a cognitive level. With intellectual functioning tests, the WAIS-IV, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition, is the most used test. This test can assess verbal comprehension, working memory, perpetual reasoning, and processing speed scales.

Psychological tests ensure that key attributes and features do not slip through the cracks during the recruitment process.