Matthew Gallagher
May 27, 2021

In our last piece we shared the answer to “Why Use Psychometric Assessment?” but of course that doesn’t tell you what to assess.


Selecting the right people is critical for organisational success. Employees can be a complex resource to manage; they provide the crucial source of knowledge, skills and abilities for the organisation to operate successfully, and often constitute the largest cost.


So what are the critical or fundamental attributes you should assess when hiring new employees or making people decisions?


What to Assess?

1)     Cognitive Ability - A linear predictor of performance; the quicker an employee can learn, analyse, and use information, the better they will be, regardless of the job or task.


The greatest predictor of job performance is abstract reasoning and problem-solving ability therefore Chandler Macleod recommends assessing this cognitive ability regardless of the job role. Depending upon the nature of the role, other elements of cognitive ability that may impact job performance may include:


  • Verbal Reasoning Ability
  • Numerical Reasoning Ability
  • Technical Abilities such as Spatial, Mechanical or Diagrammatic Reasoning
  • Specific skills such as IT Skills

2)     Personality - Performance is not only defined in terms of what we can do, but also how we do it.


Hiring manager judgements are impacted by bias and opinion whilst personality assessments provide a reliable, cost effective method to measure employee potential for different tasks or competencies at work.


Directly relating to the degree of enjoyment we take from certain elements of work, our personality predicts our enjoyment, motivation and skill to deliver the work required.

3)     Emotional Intelligence – How we think, relate to others and manage ourselves is intimately connected to how we manage our emotions at work


Effective use of emotions at work can help navigate complex relationships, ambiguous roles, and pressured environments. Leaders with greater emotional intelligence have been shown to increase employee engagement and lead more effective teams; emotional intelligence is also related to increased sales performance.


A Holistic Approach to Candidate or Employee Assessment

Chandler Macleod People Insights delivers scalable assessment solutions supported by expert consulting advice. Our consultative approach maximises candidate insights beyond the selection phase, enabling use of data to understand both the strengths and areas for development for your employees, teams and the whole organisation.


Chandler Macleod People Insights promotes and designs holistic recruitment processes that focuses on:


  • Employee Potential using psychometric assessment
  • Demonstrated Experience through effective interviewing
  • Demonstrated Skills through simulated activities or reference checking


We draw upon over 200 assessments from 15+ suppliers to deliver one candidate experience via our Assessment Gateway.


If predicting future employee performance while making better, faster recruitment decisions would make a difference to your organisation reach out to understand more on 1300 664 305 or at cmpienquiries@chandlermacleod.com

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