Psychometric And Personality Profiling: How Your Business Can Work Better Together

There’s no doubt that an essential part of a HR department is drawing together the perfect team – one where individuals work well with other members and are inspired by the different nuances and talents they each bring. However, get it wrong and the clash of personalities can be disastrous. We look at how psychometric and personality profiling can help bring together the ideal combination of people to improve your business.

What are psychometric and personality profiling?

Psychometric testing and personality profiling can play an important part in the recruitment process, enabling employers to identify candidates who display the characteristics most desired within a team.

A CV plays an important initial role in the selection process by identifying a candidate’s skills, qualifications and experience, but to obtain a deeper insight into their personality, drives and ability to work effectively with existing team members, psychometric and personality profiling are a useful additional tool.

There are subtle differences between psychometric testing and personality profiling. Psychometric testing looks at a candidate’s personality characteristics, aptitude and cognitive abilities to measure their suitability for the role. Personality profiling evaluates their personal attributes such as values and life skills to understand what they will bring to the team and the work environment.

What do they measure?

The word psychometric comes from the two Greek words for ‘mental’ and ‘measurement’. Psychologists have identified what they consider to be the ‘big 5’ of personality traits. These are extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience. Most psychometric and personality tests are based around these five personality traits and measure a candidate’s response to subtle facets of each of these qualities. Some also include tests for Honesty, Integrity, Stress and Anger.

Why use psychometric and personality profiling?

These two sorts of tests are now commonly used in many companies across the UK and provide employers with a reliable method of selecting the most suitable candidate for a specific role. However, psychometric testing and personality profiling can also be an invaluable resource for the individual as well as providing employers with a better understanding into how the individuals within their teams function and interact.

By gaining more of an insight into their own personality, through analysis of what strengths and weaknesses they have, what motivates them and what their preferred working and thinking styles are, candidates are better able to understand both how others perceive them and what motivates their co-workers. The results of the tests enable individuals to understand and develop themselves. They also allow managers to understand and develop more effective teams, define responsibilities and agreed roles, and identify development opportunities within the cohort.

Psychometric testing and personality profiling can bring an insight into an individual’s personality and a greater understanding of their co-workers, leading to more effective cooperation and better business. To find out more about P3 People Management’s psychometric and personality profiling services, please get in touch with a member of the team today.