How do you build a team? You’re likely used to evaluating candidates based on professional merits detailed on an application. These hard skills are the easiest to quantify, but soft skills are far more nuanced. How does one determine a candidate’s team compatibility within a team without witnessing their interactions firsthand? Enter Psychometric Testing.
What is Psychometric Testing?
At its core, psychometric tests, also termed evaluations, are simple quizzes designed to identify a teammate’s personality and their approach to work. What motivates them, what tasks energize them, and how they handle stress.
The term “test” betrays the spirit of the exercise. Individuals evaluate a series of adjectives, identifying which relate closest to them and which others do not. There’s no pass or fail here, rather the goal is to identify the candidate’s nature and how it may change within a work environment.
There’s a variety of providers for these tests, but all attempt to achieve the same end goal; provide a deeper understanding of what makes an employee tick.
How Can Psychometric Tests Benefit an Organisation?
At Adgen Psychometrics are an invaluable part of our recruiting process, especially when comparing results against those of the current team. We’ve found a series of benefits along the way:
1. Understand Motivators/ Demotivators
A good manager knows which teammates can best accomplish a task. A great one knows which tasks will motivate them while doing so. Psychometric tests help identify which types of tasks provide individuals with energy and which others may drain it. Applying this information can make your employee’s work feel less like a chore, while producing better quality work.
2. Inspire Confidence
Building upon existing weaknesses is a touchstone in workplace development, but what happens when you build upon their strengths instead? Forcing employees to repeatedly perform tasks they don’t excel in is a guaranteed way to deflate their professional confidence. We’ve found that focusing on their strengths unlocks something special in our employees, seen in their demeanour and eagerness to take on new projects. This confidence shines through every interaction, both internally and with our clients.
3. Save Time
Leaning into an individual’s strengths can also save your team a ton of time. A number heavy spreadsheet might take a writer three times as long to complete as a data enthusiast, and vice versa. Save time simply by assigning tasks that fit within someone’s wheelhouse instead of those which force them to consistently adapt.
4. Skill Coverage
Even the best employees can’t be good at everything. Some people are natural communicators, while others prefer to work with tech. Building a team with diverse strengths can ensure the team has full coverage no matter the task.
Differing strengths within a team can also provide peer learning opportunities. Have those tech leaders share tips to improve efficiency. Communicators can advise on how to write concise emails to reduce the number of back and fourth.
5. Reduce Conflict/ Improve Employee Retention
Big business typically shudders at the idea of emotion in the workplace, opting for bottled up responses to conflict. Psychometric evaluations can help bridge the gap between employees with different natural responses to feedback and conflict. Perhaps your employee prefers kudos to be shared in a public forum such as a weekly meeting. Maybe they respond better to consistent reinforcement through email instead. In conflict, knowing how a co-worker responds to levels of stress can help modify your approach to a mutual resolution. Adapting your own style to suit your team’s can be key in maintaining positive relationships long term.
Whether you’re looking to hire, or simply strengthen your current team, psychometric testing can be the key to unlocking your team’s potential. We’ve shared just a few of the benefits we’ve found through these tests, but we’d love to know if you’ve found any others within your organisation.
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