The use of testing has been well established in larger organisations for some years but generally disregarded in smaller ones as expensive, meaningless or quirky. In reality they can be very useful in all organisations as part of the recruitment and development process and problems are only generally encountered where the wrong tests are used for the wrong purposes. Unfortunately this is quite often the case as tests are selected for spurious reasons by people with little knowledge of them. To use tests successfully you need to be very clear of what you are using and why.

Appointing the wrong person or not recognising the right development need can be extremely expensive so by using the right tests your risk can be reduced and ultimately recruitment and retention costs minimised.

Testing tends to cost between £50 and £200 per candidate depending on the test type, numbers to be tested and feedback level. What you are paying for is the specialist analysis, feedback and reporting which is required to give you useful information that is fit for your purpose. If you are tempted by a cheap offering you will almost certainly waste your money and become another sceptic with ongoing unnecessary recruitment and retention difficulties.

Tests for supporting the recruitment and development process come in two main types.

These tests should only be carried out by a qualified person who has a Level A qualification with the British Psychological Society for Aptitude tests and Level B for Personality/Behavioral Tests and should be on the British Psychological Society register.

There are many tests available from many different test publishers, the most commonly known  probably being the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator which has been around a long time (originated in 1921) but is not always particularly helpful for recruitment in the modern world. It looks to measure in an individual the degree of Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling and Judging/Perception. Although it still has merit in some situations it is widely used inappropriately.

We recommend and administer recently developed tests published by the Criterion Partnership because they are extremely adaptable, can be done in paper form or on line for the more popular tests and will tell you something valuable about your subject. So finding something out about your ‘too good to be true’ candidate in Australia is a real possibility.

Of particular value in our opinion is the standard management questionnaire:

Target population: Managers (all levels); Team Leaders; Professionals; Project Managers; Supervisors. Designed to assess the style and personality of individuals for a wide range of purposes such as managerial selection and development. Particularly useful is a process which enables the right profile type to be developed before any testing is done which is invaluable for writing the person specification, short listing and interviewing.

The test considers a number of domains including:

Each domain is broken down into a number of easily understood areas about which the individual response is measured and can be compared with an ideal profile or other candidates.

Again there are many tests available from many different test publishers and in reality there is little to choose between them. They measure how the individual will perform real tasks in the workplace.

We recommend and administer tests published by the Criterion Partnership because they are comprehensive, fit for purpose and the main ones can be done in paper form or on line.

Of particular value in our opinion are three of the tests from their Business Challenges (B2C) group which are designed to cover a broad ability range for the assessment of Junior Managers, Call Centre Staff, Sales Staff, Retail Staff, Customer Service Staff, Administrators, Office Staff, Secretaries, and School-leavers.

Candidates read verbal reference material which takes the form of a proposal for a bank loan to finance a music shop's refurbishment, marketing, and purchase of new stock. They refer to this information throughout the test in order to evaluate whether given statements are true or false, or whether it is impossible to say. This test measures comprehension and basic verbal critical reasoning.

Candidates refer to numerical information which relates to a music shop. This includes prices of different products, cost prices, volumes sold, discounts and revenue projections. They are required to answer numerical questions by indicating which answer is correct from a multiple-choice format. Candidates may use a pocket calculator during the test. This test measures middle range numerical understanding and reasoning requiring candidates to perform numerical analyses and manipulations.

Candidates are presented with information relating to the stock held within a music shop. This information is in two formats: handwritten cards and computer printouts. Candidates are required to identify any discrepancies between the two formats. This involves checking words, financial sums, references and codes. This test measures precise and sustained attention to detail.

There is an enormous amount of material available on different tests. We have only presented here a synopsis of some up to date material which we believe works. If you are interested in having a look at other tests or finding more information about the ones above call us or have a look at:

                                       www.criterionpartnership.co.uk