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3 Most Common Recruitment Personality Tests to Select the Best Candidate

Recruitment Personality Test

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 67% of recruiters use a recruitment personality test to obtain a measurable metric to decide whether to hire a candidate or not. 

Through this test, recruiters can achieve one of the most important pieces of information to determine if a candidate fits into the organization, which is their personality and characteristics. 

This step of the recruitment process lets the company understand whether a candidate is a great fit to the relevant position that they are applying to. 

Why are Personality Tests Used by Recruiters?

Thousands of candidates register for each position offered. Personality tests can be used as a filter for recruiters to determine whether a candidate will advance in the recruitment process and this allows the process to be more efficient. 

Moreover, personality tests can be used to reduce employee attrition. Signing the employment contract with a candidate is not the end of the process. 30% of newly hired employees leave their company in the first 90 days. 

Employee attrition is costly for both the Human Resources departments and for the department where the employee is needed, and companies can reduce this by only hiring employees that are a fit for them.

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Most of the time, the abandonment is due to the fact that the candidate does not coincide with the team to which they had to join, either because of their personality or because of the tasks that they must perform. 

To solve the second reason, it is important that the wording used on the job description really represents the real tasks and responsibilities that will be performed in the organization in the short and medium-term.

It is also vital to develop a good onboarding procedure so that, from day one, the worker knows what is expected of them and has a “map” to guide them within the company.

In reference to “fitting into the company” you must bear in mind that a worker not only performs their tasks but must also interact and collaborate with their managers and the rest of the team. Hence, it is necessary to make sure that the new recruit really is the right fit to fill that vacancy.

Types of Personality Test Used by Recruiters

Personality tests in recruitment, are a standard scientific method used to measure individuals’ mental abilities and behavioral styles. In human resources, there are different personnel selection tests that attend to other areas of the personality. 

1. Terman’s test

It is known as one of the most complete and dynamic tests for the selection of executive and managerial positions as it measures the IQ of applicants through a test that is divided into 6 areas: knowledge, general intelligence, quantitative reasoning, fluid reasoning, working memory, and visual-spatial process.

Its evaluation is carried out through 10 sub-exams:

  1. General knowledge.
  2. Judgment and logical reasoning.
  3. Verbal skills.
  4. Logic tests.
  5. Arithmetic examination.
  6. Practical judgment.
  7. Analogies.
  8. Logical organization and concentration.
  9. Classification, organization, hierarchy, and discrimination.
  10. Numerical, organizational, and concentration reasoning.

With this tool, the mental coefficient on the Terman Merril scale is obtained. Thus, it seeks to collect information about the mental adaptability of candidates to the problems of the position and calculate their intellectual capacity. It should be noted that the application can last approximately 50 minutes.

Personality Profiling test for Recruitment

2. Cleaver Test

Evaluated by experts of great relevance in the field of human resources, the Cleaver test is another notable and generally accepted personality test.

Through the Cleaver psychometric test, a description of the individual’s personality is obtained, with primary focus on their social aptitude and their ability to work in a team setting.  

For assessment, the test records behaviors and skills in hypothetical scenarios. The test measures how effectively the person will perform in high pressure situations, particularly when making difficult decisions. 

The test assesses responses that measures the candidates willingness to achieve results, their persuasiveness, perseverance and commitment to projects, and adherence to certain values.

3. Moss Test

Suppose the role includes team supervision and management responsibilities. In that case, the Moss psychometric test is ideal. Consisting of 30 questions, the test evaluates the individual’s fit in a managerial position that oversees the work of multiple people. 

The areas that the test is in charge of are the following:

  • Supervisory skills.
  • Persuaviness and positive influence on staff.
  • Ability to manage interpersonal problems
  • Social relationships.
  • Common sense and tact with subordinate personnel.

The application of the test can be made individually or collectively, and its duration is between 15 and 20 minutes.

How to Choose the Right Personality Test

Although these tests are very useful, you should bear in mind that choosing a type of test is not easy. It is necessary to consider some elements to decide which type suits your organization’s needs best.

In deciding which one to choose, it is appropriate to define the skills required for the position and the team. Do you need to have leadership skills, or is it better that you encourage teamwork? Should you be a creative or analytical person?

Evolution and Other Uses of the Tests

The adoption of personality tests in the hiring process has improved the way human resources profile candidates. With the collaboration of candidate profiles and AI technology, Big Data techniques have been able to more accurately find the intended candidate for the vacant positions. 

Technology used in HR SaaS platforms such as Shortlyst uses people analytics to find the best candidate not only through the lens of their personality profile. Through Big Data Analytics, Shortlyst recommends HR recruiters the most ideal candidates based on their skills, education, experience and competitiveness against similar profiles. 

This platform is developed with the aim to reach ideal candidates in an efficient manner, and retain those talents post-recruitment. With the help of Shortlyst’s AI-based recruitment software, a recruiter can focus on other important tasks, such as recruiting the candidates itself. Plus, Shortlyst’s talent sourcing tool is a more affordable platform for most recruiters as it will only cost you $40 per account per month.

Written by

Shortlyst Team

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