Problem-Based Psychometric Testing - Essay Example

Running Head: PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING Problem Based Psychometric Testing Name Course Tutor Date Introduction In the modern organisational world of business, human resource requirements are increasingly becoming daunting as employers seek to strengthen their workforces in a competitive environment. The issue has gone beyond skills that individuals have to their specific personalities. In this view, employers go the extra mile in determining their hiring endeavours to ensure hat only the best quality employees are hired. In the current competitive organisational environment employers seek leaner and efficient workforces. This is in a bid to maximise individual capabilities and potential. Furthermore, it becomes easier to manage and maintain a lean productive workforce. With a competitive job environment, it becomes extremely challenging for employers to select a few suitable individuals from thousands of other qualified individuals. Employers themselves compete for the best employees and spend a lot of resources in their acquisition. Employers and consultancy agencies have come up with methods of filtering the huge number of job seekers to a few who meet specific organisational requirements. Some of these methods are applied to the existing workforce to evaluate and gauge performance in comparison to expectations, performance and results. These tests and evaluations form the basis for selection and promotion to certain positions within the organisation. Examples of these methods include psychometric testing which evaluates the truthfulness of individuals in terms of honesty, truthfulness, integrity and general personality (Chamorro-Premuzic & Steinmetz, 2013). Psychometric testing in hiring The use of psychometric methods of workforce evaluation has been necessitated by the complexity of organisational requirements and the need to have qualified individuals with integrity and honesty. In the recent past, some, major companies have collapsed as a result of poor management and embezzlement of funds by those in charge. An increase in fraudulent activities within organisations has also become a major concern. It has been argued that if the true nature of such people could have been identified before hand, then such cases would have been avoided. Psychometric testing has been identified a potential solution to this problem. The number of companies using psychometric testing in hiring has been on the rise according to organisational and industrial psychologists. Many issues have been raised in the use of tis method in regards to applicability, accuracy, effectiveness and ethics. Concerns have also been raised regarding their purpose in different organisations. Those that use it argue that it is in the interest of the organisations and it increases the chances of employees succeeding in thee jobs that they are given in the organisations (Hemeda, & Sum, 2011). It has also been realised that some employers use the wrong kind of tests to test employees for the wrong positions or tasks. This has the potential of leading to hiring information that is inaccurate and misleading. Also there some compilations regarding the law and legal procedures that should be followed when applying the tests. Human resource legal requirements require some compliance rules to be followed when applying the tests. Though the test may have a positive aspect to them, it is critical to analyse all sides relating to the issues. Given the type of organisation and its specific needs at the moment, it is significant to decide whether the psychometric testing is necessary and appropriate. It is also crucial to gauge its acceptability in society and human resource expectations in a particular industry. This is in terms of accuracy and acceptability bay all stakeholders. Finally, any ethical implications that the use of the test might raise should also be carefully considered as well. In this view, the decision to use it whether for hiring or promotion in the company should be comprehensively reviewed before reaching a conclusive agreement (Jenkins, 2001). Psychometric test and applicability in the work place As mentioned earlier, psychometric tests can be a great way of determining the right employees to hire and those one to promote. However, this should be based on organisational information regarding the use of such tests. Organisations turn to psychometric tests in a bid to get the best employees to for certain specific jobs. While it is important for employers to determine hidden traits within their employees such as integrity, personality, attitudes, and beliefs, it is paramount that the use of the test is proven to be necessary for the organisation. Apart from the need to have high quality employees there should be other underlying reasons why employers should use the tests. For example, if a company has in the previous past experienced problems with organisational behaviour or resistance to change, then, it would be difficult to decide on matters such as promotion and hiring. The organisation may have experienced losses or increased costs due to employee faults and incompetence in the work place. This may be despite their experience and academic qualifications. In this regard it would be necessary to put employees to test to determine their personalities and trustworthiness (Van der Merwe, 2002). The nature of the organisation should also be a key determiner of whether psychometric tests are relevant. Some organisations are more prone to fraud and losses than others are. In this case, it is very crucial tat only people of integrity are hired. This ensures that that the likelihood of losses is reduced as the management in the organisations can rest assured that personnel are not compromised. The same case applies to sensitive positions such as accountants, auditors or personnel dealing with financial matters. This may necessitate tests to be carried for certain positions only. In organisational settings, there are positions that affect directly on the overall reputation and performance of an organisation. Psychometric tests can be used as the determining factor as to whether one individual gets it and another one does not. Psychometric tests more than experiential abilities but the ability to think critically in tight situations with limited time. Higher-level employees who have critical and sensitive responsibilities should be subjected to these tests in a more vigorous approach compared to lower level or entry employees. Entry level employees can be given these tests in a milder way and later employers can consider more comprehensive ones when they seek promotions. Therefore, organisations should tailor their psychometric tests based on employee level, positions in question, nature of organisation and specific human resource needs. As the job market becomes more and more competitive, formal employment is becoming more and more unachievable especially among fresh graduates. The job market has flooded with graduates who always take every opportunity they get at employment. As result, thousands of employees apply for certain jobs where only a few of them are required. Psychometric testing is one way of filtering these numbers and at the same time providing an equal opportunity to all. It also guarantees organisations of quality employees Psychometric tests are increasingly gaining acceptability and usability among organisations in the world today. Huge corporations and organisations employ thousands of personnel. Due to this, the probability of having employees that are not qualified or up to tasks is higher than that of smaller companies. Large companies also do not have the time and resources to supervise individual employees in their portfolios. To avoid future incompetency among employees, they have strict hiring regulations where potential employees go through vigorous selection stages with numerous tests and evaluations. Normally, many people who are qualified for positions in such organisations show interest but only a few of them make it to the final selection stages and actually get the jobs. The tests are not only used for employment positions but for graduate recruitment programs as they seek to identify quality employees early and create a nurturing environment for them. More than 70% of multinational and national corporations use psychometric tests in their hiring endeavours (Iliescu, Ispas , & Harris, 2009). Validity, reliability and cultural sensitivity of psychometric tests Some questions have been raised abut the relevance and reliability of psychometric tests. Their ability to bring out the ‘real’ person in question has been particularly doubted. Concerns have also been raised on the reliability of the tests to provide fitting matches for specific job descriptions. Psychometric tests usually take the form of aptitude tests, interest tests and personality tests. Depending on the positions in or hiring requirements, they have different levels of vigour and intensity. First, organisations using these tests seek objectivity when hiring. This reduces incidences of personal influence on human resource practices and bias in terms of gender, race, age, nationality or ethnicity. The other reason that makes the tests to be considered as reliable is because of the clarity they provide in hiring structure and framework. A lot of considerations are made when coming up with the tests and hence the hiring and promotion process become more robust and inclusive (Bateson, Wirtz, Burke & Vaughan, 2013). Due to standardisation of the tests, employers can be assured of equal opportunities to potential employees. Employees that qualify during the selection process have a higher predictability level of their future performance. This way, employers can adequately prepare for adequate and relevant training needs that they anticipate. However, it is crucial to note that this is only possible if the right tests are carried out for the right jobs. Before coming up with psychometric tests, employers carry out research in terms of their objectives, current and future needs that relate to a specific job descriptions. When this is appropriately and comprehensively done employers can be assured that candidates are evaluated on skills that are necessary for the specific jobs. Though psychometric tests can be reliable in in determining the right employees for specific jobs, they can also be misleading if inadequately used. For example, Onetest psychometric test takes ten minutes to complete. Critics would argue that it is a very short time to gauge a person in a conclusive and comprehensive manner. This raises questions about the limit and scope of testing that psychometric testing takes. Judging a person within such a short time is regarded as a limited way to determine their capabilities and weaknesses. Thus, organisations can lose on potential employees based on this limitation. Further, when job seekers are looking to be employed, they are usually under pressure and the likelihood of misrepresenting their real character, interest and behaviour is high (Donovan, Dwight, & Schneider, 2013). Some of the psychometric tests applied could also be compromised if they were done collectively or on behalf of others especially in an online platform. In addition to reliability of psychometric tests, the issues of acceptability in organisational culture and society are also critical. Employees in an organisation may be opposed to psychometric testing when they seek promotion in the organisation. In a society or industry where the practice is not common, potential employees may opt to seek employment elsewhere where hiring requirements are not as strict. This may result in human resource gaps in a given organisation or inability to find appropriate personnel. Organisations that apply psychometric tests on their employees are regarded as strict and potentially involving to work. Where such a belief is held, it may be difficult to employees may shy away from such an organisation, hence creating a human resources crisis. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the trends of hiring personnel in the industry as well as views and perspectives held by professions in a certain field. For instance, it would be unnecessary to put a renowned CEO through such tests during a job interview. For some individuals, experience in the industry and reputations held should be guiding factors when making hiring decisions. Questions that are asked during psychometric test may be personal and may at times infringe on personal privacy. In this they should be structured in a way that ensures that the general society in the area under scrutiny can be subjected to the tests without negative perspectives being drawn. Validity of these tests depends on their accurate application and minimisation of limitations to as much as possible. Gauging of results should then enable employers to draw satisfactorily accurate conclusions in comparison to reference groups tat subjects are drawn from (Iliescu, Ispas , & Harris, 2009). Ethical issues and psychometric tests Psychometric testing raises a couple of ethical issues and ethical dilemmas. Their application in employment has been subject to criticism from and this is the reason why some organisations prefer using other human resource approaches other than psychometric testing. As mentioned earlier, questions have been raised over the social impact that the tests have on human beings. The tests aim at getting the perfect people for specific jobs, but again, people acquire skills, interests, personalities and behaviours in the learning process of life. This is shaped by their education and interaction with the environment which they are a part of. This does not mean that they are unqualified or inadequate in one inadequate. Just like other leaning process, they can behave in specific ways and maybe outperform those chosen by psychometric test. In this case, the tests lock out potential employees on grounds that are subject to limitation. Therefore psychometric tests discriminate people in terms of the learning processes and environmental orientation that shape their behaviour. Another ethical dilemma issue raised by psychometric testing is based on equality. Different people have different abilities to comprehend and answer questions. People who have physical disadvantages such as deafness, and sight problems do not get equal testing with physically able ones. This is against ethical human resources that are advocated for in a fair and just hiring environment. Though personality may affect the conduct of work in a given job description, it is not an adequate ground for dismissal if actual performances not proven. In this case, employees usually find ways to be part of organisations and at the same time handle personal issues. This does not translate to job ineffectiveness as the notion held by psychometric views. Those responsible for testing and scoring psychometric tests may use collected data for other purposes other than those disclosed to the test subjects.it may provide an opportunity for an organisation to solve other human resource issues other than those intended. This is ethical translates to unethical practices in the organisation.it also violates the right to confidentiality that all candidates should have. In the spirit of fairness, a single test would provide unequal grounds for evaluation and hence giving other candidates an unfair advantage. On the other hand numerous tests may provide a scoring and selection challenge for the human resource team. It is therefore necessary that a common ground is reached where all aspects are put into consideration, both from the candidates and human resource perspective (Barak, 2003). Conclusion Psychometric tests have the potential of solving organisational human resource predicaments to huge extents. Their clarity, objectivity and efficiency reduce hiring costs for organisations. They also have a high rating in terms of equality and fairness when applied appropriately. They give human resource control over personnel and help organisation achieve goals using the best selection of talent and capabilities. They also prepare candidates for future employment opportunities by giving them experiences of what organisations look for when hiring. This way a culture of appropriate organisational behaviour is general created. However, the tests should be carefully structured to minimise instances of unethical behaviour and practices. Employers should also ensure that the right tests are administered only when necessary and for the right job positions. This way, maximum benefits from psychometric tests can be achieved with minimal disadvantages References Barak, A. (2003). Ethical and professional issues in career assessment on the Internet. Journal of Career Assessment, 11(1), 3-21. Bateson, J., Wirtz, J., Burke, E., & Vaughan, C. (2013, 11). When hiring, first test, and then interview. Harvard Business Review, 91, 34. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.alpha2.latrobe.edu.au/docview/1444150499?accountid=12001 Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Steinmetz, C. (2013). The Perfect Hire. Scientific American Mind, 24(3), 42-47. Donovan, J. J., Dwight, S. A., & Schneider, D. (2013). The Impact of Applicant Faking on Selection Measures, Hiring Decisions, and Employee Performance. Journal of Business and Psychology, 1-15. Hemeda, Y., & Sum, J. (2011). Understanding pre-employment testing. Canadian HR Reporter, 24(20), 22. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.alpha2.latrobe.edu.au/docview/908529135?accountid=12001 Iliescu, D., Ispas , D., & Harris, M. (2009, June). International Testing Commission. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://www.intestcom.org/Publications/ORTA/Social%20implications%20and%20ethics%20of%20testing.php Jenkins, A. (2001). Companies use of psychometric testing and the changing demand for skills: A review of the literature. Centre for the Economics of Education, London School of Economics and Political Science. Van der Merwe, R. P. (2002). Psychometric testing and human resource management. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 28(2). Read More