Shyamal Majumdar: Assessing your psyche

THE HUMAN FACTOR

Psychometric tests are increasingly being used to assess a candidate's mental preparedness.

Picture this: You are appearing for an interview for a senior position in a multinational company and have gone prepared with questions on your current job profile, your achievements and failures, and the potential employer's areas of business. But what you are asked are as follows:

You are sitting in a traffic jam. Which of the following is likely to be your strongest feeling? a) Anger b) Frustration c) Boredom

As a rule, do current preoccupations worry you more than your future plans? Say Yes or No

You tend to rely on your experience rather than on theoretical alternatives. Say Yes or No.

If the questions stump you "" more so because you are interrupted every time you try giving more-than-a-one-word answer "" relax. You are just one among many all over the world who are going through what is known as a psychometric test, a tool being increasingly used by companies to examine the mental preparedness of a candidate to the job on offer, or his ability to apply skills in unfamiliar situations. The point to note is there are no right or wrong answers to any of the above questions.

In the view of the huge number of people required even at senior positions, most top-notch companies these days want to shorten the recruitment cycle. The HR departments can easily do background checks to find out the candidate's technical skills, his academic background and so on, and hence want to utilise the interaction time with the candidate to understand his attitude and behaviour pattern "" skills such as the ability to innovate, think independently, lead and network "" and whether they match the company's profile and culture. Based on the answers to the psychometric tests, a description of the candidate ""whether he is a team worker, an observer, or an analyst "" is inferred.

An HR consultant gives the example of this bright young MBA from IIM Calcutta who was picked up by an MNC for a product manager's job. His impeccable credentials and brilliant performance in the interview made him just the right candidate. But six months later, his seniors were worried as his on-the-job performance was just not up to the mark.

When all other initiatives failed, the HR department went in for a psychometric test and discovered that the candidate found the "corporate atmosphere" stifling. A couple of counselling sessions later, the candidate left the company and took up teaching in one of the premier B-schools. "He is also doing brilliant consultancy work for the same MNC. This is just one example of why psychometric tests are becoming indispensable," the consultant says.

Going by the trend, a lot of companies like TCS, Infosys, Bharti, I-Flex, LG and so on, seem to agree with that observation. That's no surprise as empirical evidence strongly suggests that psychometrics works. A recent study in the Harvard Business Review found a high correlation between a company's psychometric rating for prospective managers and the rate of termination of those managers "" whether they quit, were laid off, or got fired.

In the most common use, companies supplement their normal hiring practices with standard tests, including the Myer Briggs personality assessment exam, published by California-based Consulting Psychologists Inc. Other major firms that offer tests and consulting services include Psychometrics Services and SHL Group. Basically, a psychometric test is designed to produce a quantitative assessment of one or more psychological attributes like reasoning ability, interests, aptitude, temperament and so on. The results are mapped on a graph, which analyses this pattern and accordingly profiles it with the company's work culture.

With about 10,000 psychometric test distributors around the world to choose from, companies are spoiled for choice. While traditional tests like Myer Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and PF16 are of a longer duration, tests like Thomas Profiling tools like human job analysis, personal profile analysis and team analysis system are considerably quicker.

The tests are being used even for jobs that do not require high skill levels "" a reason why BPOs are using it increasingly. The nature of the job is repetitive and the timings odd, and this requires a certain type of individual. The goal of the tests, however, is the same for all kinds of jobs: to establish an objective basis for the very subjective process of hiring and managing. Many companies have also introduced online psychometric tests for existing employees that are very useful for self-assessment. The MAPP test, for example, asks you a series of questions based on your work preferences, and then recommends the careers that suit your preferences.

Introducing psychometric tests can be expensive but HR experts say it's easy to justify the cost of testing when you consider the cost of replacing a senior manager is around twice their annual salary.

Some HR experts, however, feel psychometric tests are difficult to use for several reasons. Apart from the lack of trained people who can conduct these tests skillfully and draw the right conclusions, some of the tests are becoming hopelessly outdated. Attracted by its popularity, many consultants have joined the psychometric test bandwagon, resulting in many of those 10-minute quickies that claim to tell you everything you needed to know about such tests.