Standard in recruitment
Psychometric test procedures have been used in recruitment since the 1990s. In many companies, they are now an integral part of the application process – albeit with varying degrees of emphasis. They are often used as a basis for interviews to quickly enter an in-depth dialogue with applicants – a reasonable use case. However, I consider them unsuitable for the actual selection of personnel. The demand for a well-founded interpretation of the results is often underestimated – certification as part of a weekend seminar is unlikely to be sufficient.
Unsuitable for personal and professional assessments
While I take a critical view of personality tests in the application process – particularly because of their often-unprofessional use – I fundamentally reject them for personal and professional assessments. Self-knowledge is needed for strategic career design. Results from a non-transparent process cannot contribute to this. More suitable alternatives are storytelling and obtaining reflected external images. It would also be desirable in employee recruitment if recruiters asked their questions in such a way that they receive the information they are looking for in the job interview – with improved interview skills instead of test procedures. Finally, I am observing a growing aversion to personality tests among younger generations.
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