There was one client company where the vice president of personnel was a psychologist. He designed his own psychological test battery, which took approximately two hours to administer. Every candidate considered for any position, whether there for a potential vice president's job or the lowest hourly worker, had to complete the test. What was bad was that the test had to be taken before anyone was interviewed. This would frequently alienate potentially good employees. Many people are not keen on taking these tests, and would prefer to know more about the position before they "submit to the grind." It would make more sense to administer the same test after the candidate has had an opportunity to be sold somewhat on the company. It is a little like "putting the cart before the horse." In many instances a lot of valuable time could be saved by testing after the interview.
Many company clients say that they really believe in psychological testing. These companies believe that their own tests are valid, and that high scores on them equates to high probable success on the job.
Other company clients have used psychological tests, but dropped them after a period of time. They did not feel that they were worth the effort. These companies felt that there was very little validity in the results of the tests and corresponding results on the job.
Psychological testing, if used properly, can be a definite positive tool in the hiring process. What is so important is the kind of written tests used, how they are interpreted, and that there are personal follow-up sessions with the industrial psychologist included. To have just a battery of written questions, with the answers simply added up by a clerk, the score graphed and forwarded to the executive making the hiring decision—this is only doing a partial job.
Believe it or not, there are definite benefits to be gained by the individual candidate who is subjected to a first class psychological testing session.
Company insight can also be gained through an industrial psychologist. The working environment at various companies is as unique as the people who work for them. For some companies, to work overtime is truly a rarity. For others, overtime is the norm. Some companies manage by objective, others by aggression! Maybe your personality will or will not mesh with the prospective employer. Without forgetting that the industrial psychologist is being paid by the company—and so not getting too carried away—discuss some characteristics of the prospective employer's style of management. Do people stay long? If not, why not? Does top management delegate authority with responsibility? Probing questions and answers are even more important where one or two individuals truly dominate a company.
If the meeting with the industrial psychologist is done right, you might find out some valuable information about the company—even while the psychologist is appraising you.
Taking psychological tests can be tricky. Assume they are administered, written, and evaluated by experts, and the best approach is good judgement and common sense. Many questions are asked in several different ways and at different times. You probably won't realize that this is happening.
The general advice for taking psychological tests is to get a good night's sleep the night before, and just be yourself. Trying to be too clever will most likely just get you into trouble. A good industrial psychologist can spot a phony right away. Be candid, sincere, and respectful. If you do not believe in psychological testing, it is all right to be candid and sincere—but do not be stupid and relay all these great thoughts to the psychologist—he, too, probably has a wife, kids, and a mortgage.
Do not be afraid to discuss your written test results with the psychologist. If the test was important enough to take—then it might be interesting to know the results. Most psychologists should be happy to discuss your results upon request. They may not tell you everything. After all, some of their analysis might be considered privileged information, but if they are going to recommend you for hire, they should want to maintain goodwill by at least giving you a basic idea of your strengths and weaknesses.
Psychological testing is a "tool" and most companies regard it as such. Some companies go overboard and place too much weight on the results, while others totally ignore them. There have been cases where candidates were strongly not recommended for hire, and were hired anyway.
Industrial psychologists become valuable when the employer is "sitting on the fence" concerning the hiring of a candidate. His input could easily push the decision either way.
Written tests are sometimes administered right away, but the personal interview with the industrial psychologist usually comes towards the end of the hiring process. If the company is not at least mildly interested, then they will not spend the several hundred dollars it costs for testing. When the candidate is sent to the industrial psychologist, he has usually approached the "home stretch." Many companies will only send one candidate at a time to the industrial psychologist. If he passes, then they proceed to the physical exam, more references if required, and, hopefully, on to the offer!
