Selection tools for recruitment jobs

With so many choices it can be difficult for recruitment agencies to fathom what to use where. Here's some considerations when choosing which tools to use and where.

Psychometrics

'Physcho' tests as they are often referred too will give you a good insight into a person's thought processes and behavioural patterns. However, although there are 1000s variants available, most UK companies seem to stick with the same few companies and well know brands. This can mean your candidate has recently taken the same test and had feedback, and may result in an adjustment of their approach. There's no real way around this other than to consider a test for what it should be, an adjunct to a face to face meeting and an additional tool to provide evidence of either hope or fears surrounding a candidate.

Verbal and Numerical Reasoning

These tests can provide you with a relatively simple comparison with a norm group, for which the levels are based on extensive use and testing over many years. The tests are relatively cheap and quick and can confirm whether the individual has the above average levels you may be looking for. Once again, these tests can be improved upon with exposure to them. In some cases you may get artificially high results from someone who has had practice at them.

Assessment Centres

One of the disadvantages of straightforward interviews is that skilled candidates can 'wear a mask' for a short meeting concealing their true identity, or at least parts of it for the purpose of gaining a job. Rather like any courtship process, people tend to show you only their good bits first!

Assessment centres can be an excellent way to overcome this problem. Unlike an interview, a candidate must take part in a variety of exercises such group exercises, presentations, in-tray exercises, role plays and panel interviews in front of a selection of people over a prolonged period. It becomes much more difficult to maintain that metaphorical mask. the best way to select suppliers is to request contact details of previous customers and see how successful the centres where in choosing good people, after the client company has had chance to road test them in the job itself.

Competency Interviews

These are the standard tool in UK industry today. Essentially you are looking for evidence of want you would like in some ones history, either directly, ie they have done it before, or indirectly, ie they have done the constituent components of the job before. For more on this the internet is awash with help and advice for competency based interviewed techniques and questions.

The internet

As one would expect in the age of the world wide web as it presently is there is a growing trend to use on line tests before people reach a face to face stage. In my opinion, this is about as fatally flawed as offering people the chance to sit their GSCEs at home. If quite simply offers too much of an opportunity to abuse, with the prospect of having help beside you as you do tests or even worse getting somebody else to do it for you.

In summary, there are many options for people looking for recruitment tools to aid with the recruitment process. Beware to place too much emphasis on tests alone and be sure to use them as an adjunct to an interview process. The winning scenario is an appointment decision made by a recruiting manager and backed up by tests. A decision based upon test results more than recruiter's decisions is likely to lead to problems.