Selection Tests
3 March 2006
Read by 2128 persons
Never decisive in recruitment - or in very rare cases -, they are often used as tools to help with hiring…
If some recruiters argue that tests are essential in the hiring process of a young candidate, others only use them moderately or prefer other methods. It all depends, in reality, on the position, the profile sought and the company.
What are their objectives?
Tests are not practiced in a majority of companies, even if we have seen an increase in their use over the past four or five years. Indeed, companies want to professionalize their recruitment which, when it fails, costs them dearly. So, they prefer to multiply approaches: interview, tests and graphology, to refine their selection.
- Useful tools… Companies that use this type of practice have a battery of tests with various objectives. Personality tests are the ones that scare candidates the most. The latter fear being judged or revealing a part of their intimacy.
- …but never decisive! Tests are never decisive. They allow, on the one hand, to manage the recruiter's subjectivity and, on the other hand, to evaluate a profile - open-mindedness, adaptability, sociability… - in relation to a given position and company.
Preparation and interpretation
Should you prepare for selection tests? The answer varies depending on the types of tests.
For intelligence or knowledge tests, you can indeed practice or review your general knowledge. On the other hand, no preparation is desirable in the field of personality tests.
- You are evaluated in relation to others. It is important to keep all your spontaneity in choosing the answers and not to try to know what such a question seeks to determine and how to answer it in the most satisfactory way. Some psychologists or recruiters advise, however, to undergo personality tests before the job search in order to be better prepared to discuss them with the recruiter.
- Difficult to interpret! The fact remains that their analysis is the most controversial aspect of personality tests. Note that this exercise is necessarily entrusted to a certified person, a psychologist by training or trained in the art of interpretation. Finally, the profile sheet must under no circumstances be passed from hand to hand. Only the commented results, which must be returned orally, can circulate.
If some recruiters argue that tests are essential in the hiring process of a young candidate, others only use them moderately or prefer other methods. It all depends, in reality, on the position, the profile sought and the company.
What are their objectives?
Tests are not practiced in a majority of companies, even if we have seen an increase in their use over the past four or five years. Indeed, companies want to professionalize their recruitment which, when it fails, costs them dearly. So, they prefer to multiply approaches: interview, tests and graphology, to refine their selection.
- Useful tools… Companies that use this type of practice have a battery of tests with various objectives. Personality tests are the ones that scare candidates the most. The latter fear being judged or revealing a part of their intimacy.
- …but never decisive! Tests are never decisive. They allow, on the one hand, to manage the recruiter's subjectivity and, on the other hand, to evaluate a profile - open-mindedness, adaptability, sociability… - in relation to a given position and company.
Preparation and interpretation
Should you prepare for selection tests? The answer varies depending on the types of tests.
For intelligence or knowledge tests, you can indeed practice or review your general knowledge. On the other hand, no preparation is desirable in the field of personality tests.
- You are evaluated in relation to others. It is important to keep all your spontaneity in choosing the answers and not to try to know what such a question seeks to determine and how to answer it in the most satisfactory way. Some psychologists or recruiters advise, however, to undergo personality tests before the job search in order to be better prepared to discuss them with the recruiter.
- Difficult to interpret! The fact remains that their analysis is the most controversial aspect of personality tests. Note that this exercise is necessarily entrusted to a certified person, a psychologist by training or trained in the art of interpretation. Finally, the profile sheet must under no circumstances be passed from hand to hand. Only the commented results, which must be returned orally, can circulate.
