No time to relax yet, but as mentioned before, if you know what to expect and are prepared, there is nothing to fear. This increasingly popular assessment method involves evaluating your psychological attributes and capabilities. You could and should look at this as an opportunity, as the process should provide you with quality feedback on your personality, what makes you tick and what roles you are most suited for – BONUS, I would say.
What should you do in anticipation of your psychometric evaluation? Should you do anything? Is there a way to increase your chances of success in getting through this gate, Gate 6? A quick Google search on the topic heralds a myriad of results on how to increase your chance or how to ‘cheat’ the evaluation. Still, the truth is, if the evaluation is worth its salt, there are checks and balances in place looking at whether you have been consistent and accurate in your answers throughout the evaluation.
The role of psychometrics in the hiring process is to evaluate various aspects of your personality, cognitive abilities, and skills. These assessments may include aptitude tests, personality questionnaires, situational judgment tests, special awareness tests and more. These insights should not be used as a stand-alone tool to allow / discount you from getting the role, as this would overlook your true capabilities or potential for growth.
We believe that when psychometrics are used in conjunction with a robust hiring process, as outlined in this blog series, psychometrics provide hiring managers with valuable insights into your potential job performance, allowing for evaluation / discussion into what makes you, you.
So are there any ‘secret tips’ to increase your chances of success in psychometric assessments? Here are some key strategies to consider:
- Unfortunately, there is no ‘silver bullet’ that will ensure you ace the psychometrics evaluation
- As the evaluation is looking at you, your mindset and how you react to situations, the type of tests and questions you will experience can vary, depending on the role you are applying for.
- What you need to do, is ensure you are well rested, free from the daily ‘grind’ worries and ensure you are ready in a quiet environment free from interruptions like phones, kids, dogs and life partners!
By way of example, one of the tools we use ourselves both internally on ourselves and externally with our candidates and clients is Cognify. This game-based psychometric assessment tool splits your results into your cognitive ability, your aptitude, your emotive intelligence, your employee personality style (what are your drivers at work), and your overall role fit for the role you have applied for. Your individual results are compared against hundreds of thousands of results from people who have undergone the assessment process for the same role as your dream job, making your results relative to your specific role.
Once started, you practice, practice, practice the examples provided before undertaking the actual evaluation. This should help you be more comfortable with the types of questions and improve your speed and accuracy.
Stay calm and focused. These kinds of evaluations are designed to put you under pressure, with the evaluations being against the clock – much like a normal deliverable deadline at work.
We believe this form of evaluation is here to stay and its use will only increase over time. It should be nothing to fear and should reaffirm what you already know about yourself, your strengths and your shortcomings. Like the medical examination undertaken at Gate 5, Gate 6 should only be a formality for you.
On the presumption that your psychometric results show that you fit the profile the recruiter / hiring manager is looking for, you should now be presented with your elusive job offer. Gate 7 is where you have received your written job offer. Even though exciting, level heads still prevail.
Phone: (07) 3075 9435
Email: enquiries@ArcTree.com.au
