A ‘Crystal Ball’ for Hiring and Retaining

Posted 20th Sep 2023

The complexities of the human brain...time and again, behavioural science has gently nudged us, saying, "hey, you might think you're being objective, but you're really just playing favourites!"…bless our intuitive hearts, we love the familiar comfort of ‘going with our gut’. Why? Probably because our internal clocks insist that we’re perpetually running on borrowed time and so need to move on to the next thing.

This hurried judgment often leads hiring managers to emphasize "fit", which sometimes translates to "Hey, you remind me of... well, me!" before we even realise it. While it’s endearing to think we're all unknowingly on the lookout for our professional doppelgängers, it does make one wonder about the richness of diversity. After all, hiring based on non-relevant similarities is a tad counterproductive, isn't it?

Now, wouldn’t it be fantastic if hiring managers had a shiny crystal ball at their disposal and were able to foresee if John from accounting would thrive or merely survive? Unfortunately, these only exist in the movies, but fret not! We’ve got the next best thing: psychometric profiling. Supported by tools that should be validated and accredited (by the British Psychological Society (BPS) for example), this method digs deep into the world of personality quirks, cognitive wizardry, and those mysterious motivations. Thus, enabling recruiters to avoid the “mini-me” syndrome and make sharper, more enlightened hiring decisions.

Traditional hiring practices do have limitations…

As addressed in a previous blog, traditional hiring methods alone, such as the CV review and subsequent interview most definitely still have their merits but are generally very subjective and open to bias. Even the most experienced hiring managers and recruiters can misjudge a candidate based on gut feelings or first impressions. These judgments usually fail to provide a comprehensive view of how an applicant will perform in a role or fit into a corporate culture and this can go on to negatively impact team dynamic, morale and of course desired tenure for all concerned.

Unveiling the invisible…

Psychometric profiling, however, delves deeper into the mental and emotional aspects of a person. By quantifying traits that are not immediately visible, employers gain insights into how candidates will likely behave in various work scenarios, interact with teammates, and deal with challenges, even specifically regarding a particular business and the nuances of working there as averse to elsewhere. This "crystal ball" is particularly effective because it goes beyond observable behaviour to reveal latent qualities that can significantly impact performance.

Mitigating human bias…

Another advantage is the mitigation of human bias in hiring decisions. While interviews are subjective experiences influenced by the interviewer's perceptions and beliefs, psychometric tests offer an objective evaluation that can complement the more traditional forms of assessment by providing ‘guided’ questioning.

Predictive value…

The predictive validity of psychometric assessments has been widely supported by scientific research. These tests can forecast job performance, job satisfaction, and even employee retention more effectively than many other evaluation methods. By using psychometric profiling in the initial stages of the hiring process, companies can narrow down a large pool of applicants to those who are most likely to succeed in each role, thus saving time and resources in the long run.

A balanced approach…

It’s important to note that psychometric profiling should not of course be the sole criterion for hiring decisions. Rather, it serves best as a complementary tool alongside interviews, skills tests, and other evaluative methods. It provides the ‘best questions’ to ask and ultimately breeds far more objectivity when making the all-important hiring decision.

Conclusion…

So, while your office might not have a psychic orb at the ready, psychometric profiling is your very own recruitment sorcerer, offering highly reliable, data-driven insight into future job performance and organisational fit. As companies continue to seek ways to improve the hiring process and subsequent retention, psychometric profiling will become an increasingly indispensable tool in the recruiter's arsenal.

By merging the mojo of science with age-old methods, we're pretty much getting our own 'Marauder's Map' of an applicant's potential. Who needs a crystal ball when you've got science doing the magic trick.

 

Gavin Ibell

gavin.ibell@ibellrecruitmentandstaffing.co.uk

01908 929042

07786 175589

Image by Gantas Vaičiulėnas at Pexels