What is Psychometric TestEmployers use pre-employment testing as part of the selection process. These tests are believed to offer greater objectivity, reliability, and validity than interviews. These tests aim to measure your ability to do certain types of tasks. They rely on your natural ability or aptitude rather than knowledge or experience. These are designed to provide insight into how you may behave in certain situations; such as the way you approach and solve problems. These tests help assess the fit between you and their organisation. There are no right answers, but psychologists use your individual responses to develop a profile to compare to that of the employer's ideal candidate.
Most psychometric testing is completed online, though some paper questionnaires remain. Most tests are timed, but some can be completed in multiple sittings. |
Why Psychometric Testing
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Psychometric Testing Australia
Connect Testing is Australia’s foremost distributor of personality profiles, holding a license to conduct the very suite of psychometric testing used by the premier assessment and talent management companies in the U.S. These tests include the original research of psychologist J.L. Holland.
Having carried out thousands of psychometric tests in Australia across a wide range of industries, we combine our experience with insight gained as recruiters, business owners, employers and parents to provide advice that is equally actionable for companies, jobseekers, students and graduates.
Having carried out thousands of psychometric tests in Australia across a wide range of industries, we combine our experience with insight gained as recruiters, business owners, employers and parents to provide advice that is equally actionable for companies, jobseekers, students and graduates.
- The superior performance of a perfect candidate will quickly recoup the cost of personality profiling – not to mention avoid staff turnover costs.
- Based on your particular job requirements, Connect Testing will advise which standard test you should use or tailor one to fit your unique needs.
- A Connect Testing expert with experience from thousands of tests will analyse your profile and provide detailed individualised advice.
Types of psychometric testsThere are two main types: personality tests and aptitude tests.
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Prepare for a testPsychometric Tests are not like any other test you've ever taken. All too often job seekers assume that if they are good at maths or can speed read in English or have just finished uni, they will blitz the Psychometric Test. This is a wrong assumption. Psychometric Tests aim to measure your abstract, verbal, numerical reasoning skills and behaviour.
On the day of the test:
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Free practice tests online
The best way to approach graduate psychometric tests is to practise so that you become familiar with the typical formats they take and the way questions are asked. It will also help you to improve on speed and accuracy and identify areas in your ability tests that need work. Just make sure you don’t get over-confident. Doing practice tests can improve your performance to some degree, but each employer’s tests will be slightly different.
Tips for Employees: Top 10 Behaviours for Every Job Success
Achievement Drive
Measures the willingness of an individual to accomplish the task at hand in a professional and proficient manner. This is a necessary and useful skill to utilise when working in sales and in a competitive atmosphere. In general, the presence of one’s achievement drive will determine whether or not they are consistently able to reach and accomplish their goals.
Assertiveness
Determines the ability and willingness of an individual to speak their mind, take control of a situation, especially when there are many people present, say what they are thinking and act swiftly in a given situation. This skill is helpful in managerial positions and when leadership is necessary.
Flexibility
Measures the degree to which an individual is likely and able to analyze as well as adapt to unexpected circumstances while remaining open-minded rather than stubborn. A flexible person can think on their toes and remain calm in the face of chaotic circumstances. Improvisation is one of their greatest learned skills. This skill is helpful for those working in fast-paced jobs.
Helping Disposition
Measures the (usually) inherent desire of a person to go out of his or her way to help someone in need. A person with a relatively high helping disposition will naturally notice and tend to the needs of others just as they would address their own needs. This skill is helpful in most, if not all, jobs.
Leadership
Measures the interest and necessary disposition of a person to assert themselves and take control of a situation. Leadership is essential in jobs that require management and collaboration. Supervisors, managers, group leaders and self-motivated persons need leadership skills to be successful.
Reliability
Determines the ability of a person to be dependable, consistent, and conscious about the quality and content of their work. Persons with reliability consistently complete their work on time, act with integrity, and maintain the trust of their co-workers. Reliability is a key factor for obtaining job success.
Rules Compliance
Measures the degree to which an individual is likely to adhere to and follow company policies, rules and procedures as established by management. Rules compliance is especially important for jobs requiring a great deal of trust, such as government positions, those dealing with cash flow, and positions of authority.
Self Confidence
Measures the ability and self-esteem of an individual to carry themselves with dignity and courage. Persons who are self-confident acknowledge what others think of them but are not overly affected by what they are hearing; they are able to speak their mind, act on their decisions, and assert themselves boldly in situations.
Team Player
Determines one’s ability to effectively work alongside and in unison with others in a collaborative environment. A team player will listen to and utilise the ideas of others just as they would their own; he or she works with others to achieve a common goal. This skill is necessary for nearly all working environments.
Trustworthiness
Measures a person’s ability to maintain integrity and conduct themselves in an honorable manner both inside and outside of the workplace. A trustworthy person brings unity and a sense of cohesiveness to a working environment. This is a commendable and necessary skill in all working environments.
Measures the willingness of an individual to accomplish the task at hand in a professional and proficient manner. This is a necessary and useful skill to utilise when working in sales and in a competitive atmosphere. In general, the presence of one’s achievement drive will determine whether or not they are consistently able to reach and accomplish their goals.
Assertiveness
Determines the ability and willingness of an individual to speak their mind, take control of a situation, especially when there are many people present, say what they are thinking and act swiftly in a given situation. This skill is helpful in managerial positions and when leadership is necessary.
Flexibility
Measures the degree to which an individual is likely and able to analyze as well as adapt to unexpected circumstances while remaining open-minded rather than stubborn. A flexible person can think on their toes and remain calm in the face of chaotic circumstances. Improvisation is one of their greatest learned skills. This skill is helpful for those working in fast-paced jobs.
Helping Disposition
Measures the (usually) inherent desire of a person to go out of his or her way to help someone in need. A person with a relatively high helping disposition will naturally notice and tend to the needs of others just as they would address their own needs. This skill is helpful in most, if not all, jobs.
Leadership
Measures the interest and necessary disposition of a person to assert themselves and take control of a situation. Leadership is essential in jobs that require management and collaboration. Supervisors, managers, group leaders and self-motivated persons need leadership skills to be successful.
Reliability
Determines the ability of a person to be dependable, consistent, and conscious about the quality and content of their work. Persons with reliability consistently complete their work on time, act with integrity, and maintain the trust of their co-workers. Reliability is a key factor for obtaining job success.
Rules Compliance
Measures the degree to which an individual is likely to adhere to and follow company policies, rules and procedures as established by management. Rules compliance is especially important for jobs requiring a great deal of trust, such as government positions, those dealing with cash flow, and positions of authority.
Self Confidence
Measures the ability and self-esteem of an individual to carry themselves with dignity and courage. Persons who are self-confident acknowledge what others think of them but are not overly affected by what they are hearing; they are able to speak their mind, act on their decisions, and assert themselves boldly in situations.
Team Player
Determines one’s ability to effectively work alongside and in unison with others in a collaborative environment. A team player will listen to and utilise the ideas of others just as they would their own; he or she works with others to achieve a common goal. This skill is necessary for nearly all working environments.
Trustworthiness
Measures a person’s ability to maintain integrity and conduct themselves in an honorable manner both inside and outside of the workplace. A trustworthy person brings unity and a sense of cohesiveness to a working environment. This is a commendable and necessary skill in all working environments.
Tips for Employer: Avoid Most Common Hiring Mistakes
One of the factors that determine the success of an organization is the kind of employees that it has. Choosing the most suitable people to work for you can be quite challenging. Inasmuch as it might seem difficult, it is worthwhile in the long run. This is the most important decision as far as running a successful business is concerned. Hiring the correct employees remains a challenge to many human resource managers. The process needs to be carried out in an effective manner to lower the chances of staff turnover in future.
1. Failure to have a Diverse Slate of Applicants
Failing to conduct an expansive search when hiring employees is a major mistake that continues to bedevil many human resource teams. You should not constrict your search to specific candidates because there is strength in diversity. In retrospect, the diversity of age, work experience, background, gender and race helps bring new and diverse ideas to your organization. Successful organizations have progressed due to staff diversity.
Solution
Research shows that a diversified workforce attracts top talent to a firm. Diversification also helps you adhere to ethical business practices such as fair employment. Firms that have a diversified workforce also tend to have a good reputation. When hiring new staff, you should avoid looking for applicants whose interests are similar to employees that you already have on board. Focus your attention on applicants who are likely to challenge the status quo, or those who have an outside perception about your operations. This will help you pinpoint your flaws.
2. Failure to Understand What You Want
When rolling out an employee recruitment process, you must have a clear picture of what you want them to achieve. The process can be flawed if you do not know what you want from the employees once they are hired. When advertising a job vacancy, many HR managers and business owners post potentially misleading information about the job specification. This is an issue of concern because you might end up with staff members whose abilities are not useful to your firm.
Solution
You should only advertise for a job once you notice that a specific area needs reinforcement. In the advertisement, ensure that you exhaustively detail the specific requirements of that particular job. Besides this, you should list down the personal characteristics that you want the prospective employees to possess. In addition, you need to outline each job separately, and the corresponding skills, experience and knowledge that you want applicants to possess. This will ultimately help you determine areas that need to be strengthened within your organization. Once you are armed with this knowledge, you will find it easier to find candidates who are best suited to fill the vacant positions.
3. Having a Flawed Recruitment Policy
One of the most common problems that bedevil HR managers is lack of a clearly defined hiring policy. Starting a recruitment drive without any guiding policy means you might end up with employees who do not fit the bill. The policy that you implement must be fair and clear. A sketchy policy can be a source of miscommunication once the recruitment drive sets off.
Solution
A good hiring policy should state the terms of employment to avoid legal issues later on. For instance, it should state whether the job that you are offering is permanent and pensionable, or temporary. Having an employee handbook helps you pinpoint pitfalls early enough. When drawing up an employment policy, you should ensure that it favors the growth of your business, and staff development. It should similarly lay ground for the development of a positive workplace environment.
1. Failure to have a Diverse Slate of Applicants
Failing to conduct an expansive search when hiring employees is a major mistake that continues to bedevil many human resource teams. You should not constrict your search to specific candidates because there is strength in diversity. In retrospect, the diversity of age, work experience, background, gender and race helps bring new and diverse ideas to your organization. Successful organizations have progressed due to staff diversity.
Solution
Research shows that a diversified workforce attracts top talent to a firm. Diversification also helps you adhere to ethical business practices such as fair employment. Firms that have a diversified workforce also tend to have a good reputation. When hiring new staff, you should avoid looking for applicants whose interests are similar to employees that you already have on board. Focus your attention on applicants who are likely to challenge the status quo, or those who have an outside perception about your operations. This will help you pinpoint your flaws.
2. Failure to Understand What You Want
When rolling out an employee recruitment process, you must have a clear picture of what you want them to achieve. The process can be flawed if you do not know what you want from the employees once they are hired. When advertising a job vacancy, many HR managers and business owners post potentially misleading information about the job specification. This is an issue of concern because you might end up with staff members whose abilities are not useful to your firm.
Solution
You should only advertise for a job once you notice that a specific area needs reinforcement. In the advertisement, ensure that you exhaustively detail the specific requirements of that particular job. Besides this, you should list down the personal characteristics that you want the prospective employees to possess. In addition, you need to outline each job separately, and the corresponding skills, experience and knowledge that you want applicants to possess. This will ultimately help you determine areas that need to be strengthened within your organization. Once you are armed with this knowledge, you will find it easier to find candidates who are best suited to fill the vacant positions.
3. Having a Flawed Recruitment Policy
One of the most common problems that bedevil HR managers is lack of a clearly defined hiring policy. Starting a recruitment drive without any guiding policy means you might end up with employees who do not fit the bill. The policy that you implement must be fair and clear. A sketchy policy can be a source of miscommunication once the recruitment drive sets off.
Solution
A good hiring policy should state the terms of employment to avoid legal issues later on. For instance, it should state whether the job that you are offering is permanent and pensionable, or temporary. Having an employee handbook helps you pinpoint pitfalls early enough. When drawing up an employment policy, you should ensure that it favors the growth of your business, and staff development. It should similarly lay ground for the development of a positive workplace environment.
