WHITE PAPER ON

PSYCHOMETRIC
ASSESSMENTS
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HR ASSESSMENTS

SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................

1. WHAT IS PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENT?..................................

1.1 What is a psychometric test? .......................................

1.2 When is a psychometric test considered to be valid?...................
1.3 How does one choose the right assessment tool?.......................
1.4 Which ethical codes should be followed?.....................................

4
6
7
8

2. AN OVERVIEW OF PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING ............................

2.1 Personality tests ........................................................................... 10

The five-factor model .................................................................................................
The main personality assessments.............................................................................
Personality and performance at work: a winning combination....................................
Is leadership a matter of personality?.........................................................................

11
12
13
14

2.2 Aptitude tests................................................................................. 15

The main aptitude tests .............................................................................................
Exploring faculties beyond the IQ ..............................................................................
Emotional intelligence: an asset in the workplace......................................................

16
17
18

2.3 Occupational interest tests ...........................................................

19

Motivation in the workplace .......................................................................................

The main occupational interest tests .........................................................................
The importance of occupational interest tests in internal mobility...............................
Occupational Interest Inventory: the test of choice for University students ...............

20
21
22
24

3. THE USE OF PSYCHOMETRIC TOOLS IN HR

DEPARTMENTS.................................................................................. 25
3.1 Recruitment and internal mobility .................................................

26

What are the 5 cognitive biases that recruiters should avoid?...................................

How should psychometric tests be used in recruitment?...........................................
Internal mobility: 5 HR syndromes to avoid ...............................................................

26
28
30

3.2 Talent management .....................................................................

32

How does one identify and hold on to talented staff?.................................................

How does one recognize a candidates sales potential?............................................
Integrity: can it really be evaluated?...........................................................................
The 3 best reasons for using psychometric tests ......................................................

32
33
34
36

CONCLUSION .......................................................................................

38

INTRODUCTION
In order to keep up with the evolving labour market and remain competitive, it is vital for any company
to be at the forefront of its field. Maintaining this position involves not only renewing equipment and
improving infrastructure, but also enriching and developing human capital.
Human Resources departments have to commit to the highest standards in order to contribute to
company performance.
Now more than ever before, professional skills need to be regularly updated and developed. If this
does not happen, companies cannot deal effectively with the demands of the working world.
Whether the objective is to detect potential, identify skills or develop a talent pool, psychometric
testing can provide key indicators to assist you in decision-making, in ways that are objective and
non-discriminatory.
Psychometric tests will help you to assess human behaviour and to better estimate an individuals
chances of success in a particular role.
Whether you are a recruiter, a trainer, an HR professional or a manager, this white paper will provide
you with everything you need to find your bearings within the psychometric testing world and thus
become proficient in all the assessment processes you use.

Central Test 2014

WHAT IS
PSYCHOMETRIC
ASSESSMENT?

BACKGROUND

The term psychometrics, derived from the Greek

The aim of differential psychology is to study the psychological

differences between individuals from a behavioural point of
view as well as an intellectual one.
Its methodology and examining style form the basis of
psychometrics and of quantitative psychology and thus allow
psychology to be considered a rational science.

psyche (mind) and metron (measurement),

literally means: the measurement of psychological
traits. The resulting psychometric assessment is
mainly carried out through standardized tests.

WHY ARE PSYCHOMETRICS

IMPORTANT?

Sir Francis Galton, considered as the father of

differential psychology, was the first person to
approach personality differences from a lexical
standpoint. He made it possible to comprehensively
classify human personality traits using a lexical
hypothesis.
From the data he collected, Raymond Cattell then
formulated a test which measured 16 personality
factors. A dozen items were designated for the
measurement of each separate factor. Later, in 1905,
Alfred Binet, working with Thodore Simon, created
the first intelligence test. This test, designed for the
early detection in children of the need for special
assistance, was named the Metric Intelligence
Scale. During World War II, the American Army also
experimented on intelligence tests and came up
with the Army Alpha and Beta Test, whose objective
was to distinguish between soldiers and determine
the position or role in the army to which they would
best be suited.
Thereafter, David Weschler developed the Weschler
Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) for measuring
intelligence.
Today, in the 21st century business world, other
tests based on these intelligence and personality
theories are used in order to measure individuals
potential and capacities within the contexts of
recruitment, internal mobility and training.

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Unlike assessments based on subjective observations,

psychometrics use standardized questionnaires based on
a statistical approach and make it possible to highlight the
differences between individuals or between groups sharing
the same characteristics.
Such differences are likely to be:
Inter-individual differences or differences between
individuals belonging to the same group, e.g. the
differences in IQ in a group of men.
Intra-individual differences or differences which can
be seen in one individual, e.g. variations in a subjects
degree of motivation depending on changes in context or
on the subjects psychological state.
Inter-group differences or differences between different
groups of people, e.g. divergent personality traits between
those who work in sales and those who do not (sales
people might be more likely to show fighting spirit or an
aptitude for closing deals).

1.1 WHAT IS A PSYCHOMETRIC TEST?

Psychometric tests were initially developed as a response to a social demand, for use in academic psychology.
Today, these measurement tools are increasingly present in the world of employment, not just in recruitment but also
in internal assessments, and are used to predict behaviour and performance more accurately. They allow the user to
appraise candidates personality traits, motivation, reasoning capacity and emotional intelligence.
What makes psychometric tests stand out is that they are standardized, measured against norms and subjected to
validity studies. The calibration also allows users to situate each person within his/her reference group based on criteria
such as gender or the level of education. For example, a reasoning test must be calibrated in terms of level of education,
age, gender, in the same way that IQ tests are calibrated in terms of age and gender for children.
The proliferation of personality and intelligence tests, encouraged in no small measure by the phenomenon of the world
wide web, does not mean that we should put to one side the demand for high standards particular to the objective
assessment of individuals.

1.2 WHEN IS A PSYCHOMETRIC TEST CONSIDERED TO BE VALID?

A test is considered to be a good measurement tool if it can demonstrate sensitivity, reliability and validity.
These are the three major validation criteria which are generally used to guarantee the efficiency of psychometric tools.
In order to justify its usefulness and effectiveness, a test has to be regularly updated.

RELIABILITY

VALIDITY

SENSITIVITY

Reliability refers to the way in which

a test measures a given dimension
(when considering the stability of
results or the consistency of the
measurement).

Validity tells us to what extent the

test is credible and stable in order to
assess a particular situation.

A tests sensitivity refers to its

discriminating power, or to its
capacity to make distinctions
between individuals.

A test which provides similar scores

when a person takes it several times
is considered a reliable test.

- content validity, which ascertains

how well a test measures the
construct or the characteristic it has
been formulated to measure;

There are two types of reliability

which are particularly important:
- internal consistency, which
indicates to what extent different
items
measure
the
same
dimension.
- test-retest reliability, which
indicates the temporal stability
of results obtained by the same
individuals for each measured trait.

There are three main types of validity:

- criterion validity, which looks at

the correlation between a candidates
performance in a test and his/her
performance according to an external
criterion;
- conceptual or theoretical validity,
each measuring instrument is based
on a theoretical concept or model,
and this can be verified when the test
results conform with model results.

Social desirability
The phenomenon of social desirability is a bias which results from a persons inclination to adapt his/her responses so
that they will be seen favorably by other people.
For some tests, the analysis of item sensitivity means that one can also ensure that the social desirability level is the
same across each of the dimensions that are being assessed. Items in a test need to be examined in a way that ensures
that they are not affected by social desirability.

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1.3 HOW DOES ONE CHOOSE THE RIGHT ASSESSMENT TOOL?

From personality and career guidance questionnaires to emotional intelligence tests, there is a wide range of assessment
tools available on the market. But in order to choose the test or tests which are best adapted to what you are looking for,
several factors need to be taken into account.

A tool adapted to each target

Choosing a scientifically validated test

Looking for a social desirability indicator

Mastering assessments so you can get the best out of them

Choosing tests that can be customized

Debriefing allows for the best interpretation

Before deciding which test to use, you should take your target audience and your objectives into account. What are the
qualities and competencies required for the job concerned? For example, it is not relevant to assess critical thinking
when recruiting a data entry clerk, but it is essential to assess this aptitude when recruiting a marketing manager.

The development and validation of a test according to psychometric criteria is a long procedure which can take several
years, depending on the tests objectives. A test can only earn its stripes and claim scientific relevance if it fulfils the
necessary psychometric criteria.

Whether we like it or not, we all have a tendency to want to present ourselves in the best light possible, particularly in
a recruitment context. If the results of an assessment tool are to be interpreted correctly, the phenomenon of social
desirability has to be taken into consideration. Since it is of the utmost importance when assessing personality, it is
important to find out how this notion is taken into account by the people who have conceived the tests that you would
like to use. Certain tests control social desirability, while others measure it.

Even if the ergonomics of assessment tools are being simplified all the time, users still need to be trained before
taking tests. In order to better understand the administration of psychometric tests and interpret them more effectively,
assessors are advised to take the tests themselves.

Selecting an assessment offering the possibility of setting job parameters and skills referentials fosters a better
exploitation of the results both in recruitment and internal mobility.

A face-to-face debriefing session will help to sharpen and consolidate results. Interviewing candidates makes it possible
to have a more concrete idea of the dimensions of their profiles which stand out the most. For example, if a person
obtains a high score for stress management, one can put this into the context of reality by asking him/her during the
interview to relate a real-life situation in which he/she has had to maintain his/her composure. This interview will also
allow for a better understanding of the way a person functions when the results of the personality questionnaire do not
show strong tendencies in any particular direction.
Simply taking a test cannot be considered sufficient for providing all the answers to the questions that HR staff might
ask when faced with a candidate. Just as multiplying information sources allows for an increase in coherence, so having
access to several different assessment tools reduces the risk of misinterpretation.

1.4 WHICH ETHICAL CODES SHOULD BE FOLLOWED?

Where psychometric assessment is concerned, adhering to a code of conduct is not just about adopting a legal
framework; it is about demonstrating an ethical approach and a common-sense attitude. You should respect
the following rules.

Precautions to be taken by assessors

Test administration

Make it clear to candidates how tests are taken and for what reasons.
Candidates have the right to refuse to take tests and the consequences of a
refusal must not be eliminatory.
Personality questionnaires are complementary to the interview process and
using them as screening tools is not recommended.

Confidentiality

Test results cannot be forwarded to a third party without the express consent
of the person being assessed.
We recommended to administering aptitude tests on company premises to
ensure that the candidate receives no outside help.

Access to results

At the very least, assessors should be aware of the objectives of

each test and the precise meanings of the assessed dimensions
in order to avoid making hasty interpretations of the results.
The main information is provided in the report, the handbook and through
consulting and training offers proposed by the different tests editors.

POINTS TO REMEMBER
Psychometrics uses statistical analysis in the form of standardized psychometric tests to study
the differences between individuals and between groups.
Tests are subject to validation and should be designed to counterbalance the bias of social

desirability, a phenomenon whereby people modify their answers in order to conform to external
expectations, to the greatest extent possible.
Assessors should be trained in the use of tests and the interpretation of results and should
respect the ethical codes.

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AN OVERVIEW OF
PSYCHOMETRIC
TESTING

2.1 PERSONALITY TESTS

BACKGROUND

While experts down the years have not always agreed on

the definition of personality, today it is widely accepted that
personality traits:

In Ancient Rome, the Latin word persona

referred to the mask worn by actors when playing
a role. Today, the word personality represents the
psychological characteristics shared by all human
beings, both in terms of human nature and in terms
of individual differences in behaviour.
The earliest analysis of individual differences dates
back to ancient times, when Hippocrates (460-377
AD), used the biological knowledge of the time to
identify the humours of the human body, (phlegm,
yellow bile, black bile and blood), associating each
of these to different temperaments.
Centuries later, in 1971, Eysenck built

his

descriptive approach of personality on this initial

classification

of

personality

types

(sanguine,

phlegmatic, melancholic and choleric).

The

first

person

to

actually

use

the

term

personality was Gordon Allport, who introduced

the theory of personality traits in 1937.
The majority of theoreticians like Allport, Cattell and
Eysenck considered traits as fundamental units of
measurement for assessing personality.
Cattell defined personality as that which enables
us to predict how a person will react or behave in a
given situation. For Cattell personality was, above
all, the combination of all of an individuals traits.
Eysencks

definition

of

personality

was

combination of traits which a person has a

tendency to manifest in different situations and
which remains stable over time.

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are relatively stable over time (in adults)

differ according to individuals
have an influence on behaviour
Any personality theory developed since 1980 has been
designed with a focus on measuring peoples ability to adapt
within a professional framework. Employees are required
to demonstrate a marked capacity for adapting to different
situations and for self-control. A clear link exists between
personality and efficiency in the workplace.
Personality questionnaires today are used as much in the
field of employment as they are in education or in psychology.

THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL

Since the 1990s, the Big Five model has found consensus
in the field of personality analysis. Also known as the Five
Factor model, it was made popular by Costa and McCrae,
who drew up the OCEAN acronym in 1985. OCEAN stands for
Openness to experience / Conscientiousness / Extraversion /
Agreeableness / Neuroticism.
The five personality traits make up an empirically stable and
efficient classification system.

THE BIG FIVE AND THE WORK PERFORMANCE

Conscientiousness

Agreeableness

assesses the ability to

be organized, to plan, to
control impulses and to
respect societal norms.
Extraversion

is the tendency to
demonstrate a pro-social
and conciliatory attitude
towards other people.

assesses the tendency

to actively go after social
relationships and thrillseeking activities.
Openness to experience

Neuroticism

assesses intellectual
curiosity, imagination
and appreciation of new
experiences.

assesses adaptation
compared with emotional
instability.

Barrick and Mount published one study in 1991 that had a great deal of influence on the use of personality tests in
assessing employees. The authors proved that the dimensions of the Big Five model could predict with a certain degree
of accuracy at least one aspect of performance at work in different types of occupation.
The authors refer to several types of performance analysis:
overall assessment of performance at work;
assessments made by hierarchical superiors;
objective performance (productivity data, turnover/sales figures, promotions);
performance as part of a team at work;
performance with regards to the capacity to train oneself.
They discovered that the Conscientiousness could predict performance to quite an accurate level, no matter what the
type of performance being considered and no matter what the professional group1.
Barrick and Mount believed this was due to conscientiousness being motivation-oriented and hence playing a central
role in theories which aim to elucidate performance at work. Because it is motivation-oriented, it ought to play a
central role in theories which aim to elucidate performance at work. People who demonstrate the characteristics of
dependability, perseverance, of being organized and results-driven are generally more successful at work, regardless
of their occupation.
These lines of research would appear to be particularly relevant for certain categories of employee, such as those who
are in contact with clients or who work in sales or as managers. However, the decisions should be made on the basis of
all the information obtained on candidates, including their work experience, their motivations and their life skills.
1

M.R. Barrick and M.K. Mount (1991), The big five personality dimensions and job performance: a meta-analysis, Personnel Psychology, vol. 44

11

THE MAIN PERSONALITY ASSESSMENTS

FOCUS ON PROFESSIONAL PROFILE-R

Developed by Central Test in 2002, the Professional Profile-R
questionnaire uses a dynamic and global approach to assess
personality.
The test assesses 12 opposed dimensions. There are 98
questions and the test takes less than 15 minutes to complete.
MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)
Developed in 1962 by Katherine Briggs and Isabel
Myers, this test measures 16 different personality
types.
Duration: 20-30 minutes
Taken individually or in groups
Self-evaluation
This test is based on one of Carl Jungs theories, which
sets out 4 main bipolar dimensions that influence
behaviour. Combining these 4 components makes it
possible to distinguish between 16 personality types.

16PF
Developed by Raymond Cattell in 1949
This personality inventory makes it possible to assess
16 personality factors, which are grouped under 5 global
factors: Extraversion, Anxiety, Tough-mindedness,
Independence and Self-control.
Duration: 30-40 minutes
Taken individually or in groups
Self-evaluation
The normative data available today only concern the
population of the United Kingdom.

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Strengths of the test:

personality analysis using 12 opposed dimensions which
avoids item repetition
monitors social desirability
matches profiles with 58 occupational groups
suitability with job positions within the organization
available in 11 languages: English, French, Spanish,
German, Dutch, Romanian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese,
Russian and Arabic

PERSONALITY AND PERFORMANCE AT WORK: A WINNING COMBINATION

Today, personality assessment is commonplace in many businesses, but few of them make a direct connection
between personality and performance at work. As much as motivation, intelligence or experience, personality
can be an indicator of success if it aligns with the position in question.
Indeed, we all have personality traits that influence the way we see the world and the way we react to events. These
traits explain why we are more or less at ease in certain situations and therefore more or less likely to do well.
When using this approach, it is also essential to ask what kind of performance we expect in terms of operational results,
quality of service and teamwork.
Conscientiousness, a key indicator
The connections between personality and performance at work were discovered largely thanks to the Big Five theory.
But it was not until Barrick and Mounts study in the 1990s that the correlation between an individuals performance
and his/her level of conscientiousness became clear. It is demonstrated by rigour, dependability and a critical and selfdisciplined streak, regardless of the position and function held.

Performance and personality: its all about the role!

In order to discern the connections between personality and performance at work, one has to look in depth at the job
profile and at the candidates personality. This is why personality tests examine certain traits that are specific to the
professional context, such as determination/being demanding, which is key indicator in the assessment of the ability
to manage and negotiate.
Personality is one indicator of an individuals performance, but it is certainly not the only element to take into consideration.
One also has to look at motivation, interests, professional experience and a persons resources and strategies. For
example, an employee who becomes uncomfortable in conflict situations might be well aware of this and try to overcome
his or her feelings when such situations arise.

Personality
Conscientiousness/
Meticulousness
Emotional stability
Influence (extraversion)
Determination/
Being demanding

Performance
Overall performance
Teamwork
Leadership
Negotiation

13

IS LEADERSHIP A MATTER OF PERSONALITY?

Are you looking for a good manager or a good team leader? When trying to find the first of these, looking at candidates
technical know-how and skills is a prerequisite. When looking for the second, assessing personality provides a wealth
of information.
Manager and leader do not mean the same thing! Above all, a good manager displays technical know-how, which
he/she uses to define priorities and implement actions. But these qualities do not necessarily make for a good leader.
Optimism, a desire to go beyond ones limits and an ability to keep looking forward are the three personality traits most
often found in good leaders. These qualities are very difficult to find unless one uses a smart combination of methods.
Combining assessments
Leadership and personality go hand-in-hand, so it is important to have a personality test to assess this. Depending on
the candidates profile, it could be either a specific tool devised for those who already have managerial roles, or a test
of a more general nature.
For a more in-depth analysis, the first test could be combined with a test that analyses emotional intelligence and
helps to delve more deeply into the candidates attitudes by examining the extent of their self-motivation, optimism and
assertiveness.
The results of these tests will form an interesting basis to build upon, using one-on-one interviews and role-play situations,
which will give concrete evidence of the persons leadership abilities.
Undertaken by groups of candidates together, these role-play situations will have the advantage of illustrating how
candidates interact with one another.
Your one-in-a-million employee will be someone who can lead the whole group to a shared goal without seeking to
dominate.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

An individuals personality is a combination of traits that stay more or less the same over
time.
The Big Five model summarizes the main differences that can exist between individuals,
and shows how certain personality traits can be used to predict at least one aspect of
performance at work with a certain degree of reliability.
Personality can therefore be considered a key indicator in identifying a persons potential
and predicting how well they will do at work.

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2.2 APTITUDE TESTS

BACKGROUND
Aptitude tests assess knowledge and performance
levels in any given domain, be it attention,
precision, ability to concentrate, understanding or
critical reasoning.
Intelligence, which is the capacity to find things
out, to be creative and to resolve problems, is
what enables us to acquire the knowledge required
to adapt to our environment and to changes that
occur around us.
From the Latin intellegere (to understand), inter
(between) and ligare (to link) came the old French
word intelligentare (the ability to understand),
which gives us the modern word intelligence. The
origin of the word implies that intelligence consists
of an aptitude to link separate elements.
In France, intelligence assessment began at the
start of the twentieth century, boosted by the French
government. Psychologist Alfred Binet was given
the challenge of finding ways of identifying children

Various psychological approaches have proved that

intelligence is a complex notion and that we are still a long
way from understanding its subtleties. IQ has been studied
since the beginning of the twentieth century and remains
the principal indicator of general intelligence. Up to a point,
it can be correlated with achievements at school and in the
workplace.
But other factors, such as personality, emotional intelligence
and motivation also play an important role in success, as has
been demonstrated by recent scientific research, such as the
study by Anita Woolley. The study, published in 2010, shows
how an individuals intelligence only has a small impact
on the performance and cohesion of a group, whereas an
individuals emotional intelligence and social sensitivity have
a big impact.
The use of reasoning tests in the HR world is proof that
businesses are starting to become aware of this phenomenon.
Of the tests taken by Central Tests 3500 clients in 2012,
8.5% were reasoning tests, 8% were emotional intelligence
tests and 50% were personality tests. For the assessment
of candidates potential and/or that of their employees,
businesses now have greater access to a combination of
personality and aptitude tests.

who might be susceptible of facing difficulties in

the classroom. Working together with Thodore
Simon, Binet developed the Binet-Simon scale,
from which the concept of the intellectual quotient,
or IQ is derived.
Some years later, the Binet-Simon scale was taken
up in the United States by Lewis M. Terman, who
developed the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.
When the United States entered the First World
War and began recruiting soldiers, David Wechsler
showed that there were limits to basing IQ on
development alone. He introduced the notion
of a standard IQ, positioning individuals within
a

reference

population

following

normal

distribution.
Since then, the scales devised by Binet-Simon
(the current version is the New Metric Intelligence
Scale-2) and by David Wechsler (the WPPSI, WISC
and WAIS scales) have become standards for
IQ test use and an entire industry of intelligence
assessment derives from them.

15

THE MAIN APTITUDE TESTS

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TEST

Developed by Central Test in 2010, this test assesses the
12 essential factors of emotional intelligence and allows us
to have a complete idea of where the person is positioned in
terms of emotional skills.
RAVENS MATRICES

The test is made up of 79 questions and takes less than 15

minutes to complete.

Developed by Dr. John C. Raven in 1936

Ravens Progressive Matrices are multiple-choice
intelligence assessments which test observation skills
and thinking ability.
Duration: Untimed, individual or Group: 20-45 minutes
Administration: Paper and Pencil
Ravens Progressive Matrices come in a variety of
formats to cover educational, clinical and occupational
uses.

GMAT (GRADUATE MANAGEMENT ADMISSION

TEST)
GMAT assesses a persons analytical, writing,
quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in standard
written English in preparation for being admitted into a
graduate management programme.
Duration: 3 hours and 45 minutes
The maximum score for GMAT is 800 and the mean
score is 533. The test score is valid for 5 years.

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Strengths:
Social desirability indicator
Calibrated EQ score
Analysis of 4 principal dimensions with scores
Profile summary describing how key competences,

such as optimism and leadership, impact well-being and
performance.

EXPLORING FACULTIES BEYOND THE IQ

IQ tests rely on our ability to reason in a structured environment, posing sets of problems for which there can only be one
correct answer. Thus IQ scores do not take into account our behaviour in non-structured environments, although these
bear more similarity to our daily reality. It makes sense, therefore, to look at other factors when considering professional
performance.
Emotional intelligence
Intuition

Language

Creativity

Critical thinking

Global vision

Emotional intelligence: this concept has its origins in the English-speaking world and is gaining prominence in HR
processes. Less well-known than the IQ concept but no less important, emotional intelligence defines our ability to
identify and control our emotions and to adapt ourselves to the environment around us. It is measured with the emotional
quotient (EQ) score, which is the common denominator for emotional faculties just as the IQ is for intellectual faculties.
Creativity: being creative is about thinking outside the box and finding new solutions. It also involves knowing how to
ask the right questions while considering things from a new perspective.
Language: understanding and written expression, as well as the arts of improvisation and public speaking are all part
of language ability. The verbal intelligence factor that is assessed in intelligence tests only measures one part of our
ability to communicate.
Critical thinking: This is linked to, but goes beyond, reasoning; it is our ability to exercise good judgement in response
to given situations, to observations or to complex arguments.
Intuition: few studies have been carried out concerning intuition, certain capacities of the human brain remain unknown.
Information registered by the unconscious mind about our environment can have a sudden effect on our conscious mind,
for example alerting us to a form of danger. Intuition is essential to all kinds of roles: a sales person or a journalist might
have a sense that it is more worthwhile pursuing one subject than another before having all the information at hand.
Global vision: This refers to our ability to use hindsight to appreciate a situation as a whole. A manager with good
global vision will be able to bear all the aims and strategies of his/her company in mind. He/she will also assimilate
various approaches and points of view (be they financial, technical or sales-related) and amalgamate them in order to
streamline the decision-making process.

17

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: AN ASSET IN THE WORKPLACE

Emotional intelligence, which is the ability to control and identify our emotions, is still a relatively unexplored concept. It
is, however, gaining importance in the world of Human Resources.
Emotional intelligence under the microscope
The two components of emotional intelligence are the intra- and interpersonal intelligence. Intrapersonal intelligence
is about self-knowledge and being aware of ones strengths and weaknesses. Its also about self-motivation, knowing
what one is worth and knowing how one functions. Interpersonal intelligence, on the other hand, concerns our ability to
empathize, to manage conflicts and to understand other peoples emotions and react appropriately.
The notion of emotional intelligence was first put forward in the 1990s by Peter Salovey and John Mayer, and the idea
gained popularity with Daniel Golemans theory that emotional intelligence could be further developed. Reuven Bar-On
then devised one of the first ways of measuring emotional intelligence and gave us the term emotional quotient. He felt
that emotional and cognitive intelligence contributed equally to an individuals overall ability and could therefore be used
as an indicator of potential success.
Why is it useful?
For certain daily functions, having a high level of emotional intelligence is an important asset. In sales particularly, it
makes it possible to analyze potential clients reactions and to adapt ones discourse accordingly. It is just as useful in
management roles. A manager with low emotional intelligence will seek to impose changes where a more emotionally
intelligent manager will manage to get his team to accept the idea beforehand. We use our emotional intelligence on a
daily basis. If an e-mail exchange turns sour, an emotionally intelligent individual will be aware that changing the mode
of communication might help and will arrange a face-to-face meeting to resolve the problem.
How can it be measured?
Emotional capacities can be identified and measured using emotional quotient (EQ) tests. These are gaining ground in
Human Resources departments, where they are used either to assess external and internal candidates for new roles or
in order to brief them and therefore help them make progress. They are also popular with life coaches. Dimensions like
self-knowledge, self-motivation, conflict resolution and an ability to empathize are each related to different aspects of
emotional intelligence. It is therefore important to consider test results in the light of the qualities necessary for the role
if this type of test is used in a recruitment context or that of evolving job requirements.
Can emotional intelligence be developed?
It would seem that emotional intelligence is partly innate and partly acquired. Anything that is acquired can be
developed! Training programmes exist for improving ones personal efficiency, becoming a better listener, getting to
know oneself better, improving assertiveness and becoming a better team leader. But one needs to be aware of a need
for improvement in the first place, or progress will not be possible! It is important to know which personal aspects one
would like to improve and to be prepared to work on them in order to see a difference.

POINTS TO REMEMBER
The principal aptitude tests are based on reasoning ability.
Other more recent assessment tools measure emotional intelligence and critical thinking.
Emotional intelligence and cognitive intelligence contribute equally to a persons overall ability
and are therefore an indicator of potential success.

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2.3 OCCUPATIONAL INTEREST

TESTS
BACKGROUND
Edward K. Strong was the first to put together a tool
to measure occupational interests, with his Strong
Interest Inventory (SII) in 1927. Thus began years of
research on interests, choices and satisfaction with
regard to the professional environment.
The aim of this occupational interest inventory was
to assess candidates interest in a given profession.
In 1939, Kuder tried to define the principal interest
dimensions in order to connect them with groups
of professions.
His inventory, the Kuder Preference Record, was
made up of homogeneous items grouped under 10
fundamental scales, each of which corresponded to
a different activity sector.
For American psychologist and researcher John
Holland, an individuals choice of profession or
occupation was evidence of the personality expressing itself. In 1966 he defined interests as
the personality expressing itself through work,
through pastimes, through recreational activities

Together considered to be a dimension of personality and

more specifically the motivational sphere, interests can be
defined as relatively stable and durable tendencies and
dispositions directed towards different activity fields and
experiences in a given cultural milieu. 2.

THE THEORY OF VOCATIONAL

INTERESTS
Holland identified six main types of interest, which together
covered all existing occupations. They are: Realistic,
Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional
and are known under the acronym RIASEC.
Any person will be able to identify with the personality types
in this model. Clearly, each individual possesses more than
one of the typologys characteristics, but the idea is to focus
on the two dominant traits alone. The individuals working
environment can also be characterized using the same
approach, with each profession combining several fields of
interest.
The person/working environment combination is the mostcommonly used assessment method in the world in the
domain of scholarly and professional orientation.

and through preferences.

The theory of vocational interests confirms thus
the hypothesis that professional interests are
an extension of the personality and reflect an
individuals motivations.

P.DUPONT, La psychologie des intrts, PUF, 1979

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MOTIVATION IN THE WORKPLACE

What is it that encourages us to choose one activity over another? What makes us act the way we do, or go to work?
Motivation, or a combination of conscious and unconscious mechanisms, is what triggers action and is at the origin of
individual behaviour.
In 1943, Abraham Maslow published his theory, which posits that all individuals experience needs in the workplace and
that these are sources of motivation. Maslow divided these needs into five categories, which can be put in hierarchical
order and displayed in a pyramid. This classification corresponds to the order in which the needs appear to the individual
once needs on a lower level have been satisfied, the needs on the next level will have to be satisfied. One can only
reach the top of the pyramid if one has managed to satisfy all the needs below.
la base, les besoins physiologiques (tels que la faim, la soif) ;
1 At the bottom of the pyramid come physiological
needs (such
as hunger
and thirst).
Ensuite,
les besoins
de scurit
et de protection (tels que le
dsir dun toit ou dune bonne
assurance) ;
2 Next, the need for safety and protection (such as the
desire
to have
a home
or a good insurance
policy).
Puis les
besoins
dappartenance,
besoins
sociaux qui
refltent la volont de faire partie dune famille, dun groupe,
Then tribu
the needs
of belonging, which are social needs
3 dune
;
which reflect the desire to be part of a family, a group
or a arrivent
tribe. les besoins destime de soi (qui permettent de
Ensuite
se regarder dans le miroir le matin) ;
4 Next come the needs of self-esteem (which enable
one
to look
at oneself in
mirror inde
thelamorning).
Enfin,
apparaissent
authe
sommet
hirarchie, les
besoins dauto-accomplissement (qui renvoient au dsir de
Finally,
at the
pinnacle
of the hierarchy,
areun
the
needs
5 se
raliser
soi-mme
travers
une uvre,
engagement).
for self-actualization (which relate to the desire for
personal accomplishment through creative acts or
having commitments).
Several theories about motivation exist, but most theoreticians
agree on the three points below:
the existence of needs: the individual feels needs on a fundamental level and seeks to satisfy them. These
needs are therefore the impetus for action in individuals.
the existence of objectives: an individual is motivated to do something. This means that he/she is in pursuit of
a goal through the activity he/she is carrying out.
motivation is a personal phenomenon: since individuals do not necessarily have the same problems or
experience the same problems in the same way, they cannot have identical needs or experience needs with the
same intensity. Needs being personal, it follows that motivation is also personal.

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THE MAIN OCCUPATIONAL INTEREST TESTS

Occupational Interest Inventory

Developed by Central Test in 2006 (and revised in 2010), the
OII analyses 12 fields of interest according to the RIASEC
model and evaluates the candidates profile against a
standardized reference system of 80 occupation groups.
RMIB
(The Rothwell-Miller Interest Blank)
Developed by: Rothwell-Miller in the 1950s (3rd
version, 2011)
Duration: 15 minutes
Taken individually or in groups

Based on John Hollands typology, the questionnaire is

composed of 84 questions, 60 of which are in the form of
mini scenarios. The test can be taken in under 12 minutes.

Strengths:

The test consists of putting lists of occupations in order

and is based on Hollands typology. It makes it possible
to deduce with ease and in a generalized manner a
persons professional interests

general profile analysis plus 15 combined RIASEC profiles

standardized reference system includes recent
occupations.
comparison of the profile with 80 occupation groups

The Strong Interest Inventory

This test is used in skills assessment centres, universities

and specialized higher education institutions and large
companies.

Developed by: Strong in 1927

Duration: 30 minutes
Questions: 291 items
The test assesses the individuals interests in a range
of roles, activities and leisure pursuits. It compares
similarities between the candidates interests and those
of other people working in similar roles.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF OCCUPATIONAL INTEREST TESTS IN INTERNAL MOBILITY

Highly prized by skills assessment centres, professional interest tests are now gaining ground in large
companies.
In which contexts are they used?
What are their strengths?
Here we focus on these tools, which are so important for internal mobility and career changes.
In recent years, career progression has taken on a new dimension in the employment market, with skills assessment
being particularly encouraged. It appeals to employees with several years of professional experience who wish to
change their occupation, to further evolve, or who are unhappy in their current role.
According to Ipsos research carried out in France in 2012, the main reasons for which a French employee moves to a
different company are stress levels (38%) and a lack of recognition (47%). The same survey also reveals that people in
the 18-24 and 50+ age brackets admit to having considered leaving the company they work for.
Professional interest tests, whether they are used within companies or by skills assessment centres, give both employees
and jobseekers the opportunity to find the answers to their questions.
The aim of these assessment tools is to work out peoples areas of interest in order to find activity sectors and roles
that are better suited to them. This is why large companies also use these tests when they are planning internal
restructuring. Other enterprises, such as certain banking institutions, want their staff to move to different roles in order to
remain motivated, and in such cases professional interest tests make it possible to suggest career changes or evolution
of current roles, depending on peoples aspirations. Some companies use these tests in tandem with motivation tests,
before staff begin in-house training sessions or prior to job changes.

Baromtre Ipsos/Edenred 2012

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AREAS OF INTEREST AND PERSONALITY

As efficient drivers of motivation and loyalty, these assessment tools are helpful not only for making the right decisions
but also for detecting structural changes. Sometimes it is not so much the job as the work environment which can be
a source of discomfort for an employee. If professional interest tests are combined with personality tests, it is then
possible to align the individuals areas of interest, values and life skills, and this allows one to see whether it is really
necessary for the person to consider changing their job and/or their employer.

These days, the tests most frequently used by skills assessment centres are the RMIB (the Rothwell-Miller Interest
Blank) and Central Tests Occupational Interest Inventory. The test has a distinct advantage where internal mobility is
concerned, because there is an option to include existing company positions in the standardized reference system.

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OCCUPATIONAL INTEREST INVENTORY: THE TEST OF CHOICE FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDENTS
The ESIEE is an electrical engineering educational establishment in Amiens in France that trains high-level
engineers. By choosing Central Tests Occupational Interest Inventory, the institution is offering its students the
chance to build up a professional project that is adapted to their personalities and behavioural characteristics.
Michele Flipaux, in charge of career guidance at the ESIEE, answered some questions for us.
How do you use the Occupational Interest Inventory?
Central Tests Occupational Interest Inventory is an important part of the ESIEEs pedagogical strategy: we use it as a
tool for support and self-knowledge. It is available to all of our students via our social sciences platform.
I use it particularly with first year students in order to find out if they have any particular worries and so as to be able to
better help them resolve issues. It also helps with decision-making: some students are not sure which course to take
and some feel they have already made the wrong choice.
How are the test results useful to you?
They help me to get to know the students better. Going over results with them face-to-face is very important. It helps to
establish a climate of trust and improves communication. The person generally opens up more, and this enables us to
dig deeper and then initiate the appropriate plan of action. By doing this, the students are able to get an idea of their own
potential and then develop it by taking the professional path that is right for them. I should add that we often combine
this test with the Professional Profile questionnaire because this gives the students a good overall view of their interests
and life skills, which means they can prepare for the future.
What feedback have you had from students who have taken the test?
They are often surprised at first. But in two years I have yet to receive negative feedback, even from those students
who were initially the most sceptical! Indeed,they find that the results, once they have been explained and expanded
upon during the interview, enable them to put into words things that they still dont understand, and to ask themselves
questions that will enable them to go further.

POINTS TO REMEMBER
Analyzing interests and motivations is complementary to analyzing personality and it is therefore
interesting to combine the two approaches, especially in the context of orientation and internal
mobility.
Interests and motivations can evolve over time and may be influenced by circumstances and by
working environments.

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THE USE OF
PSYCHOMETRIC TOOLS
IN HR DEPARTMENTS

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3.1 RECRUITMENT AND INTERNAL MOBILITY

WHAT ARE THE 5COGNITIVE BIASES THAT RECRUITERS SHOULD AVOID?
All of us, even recruiters, are subject tocognitive bias, which is the human tendency to make errors of judgement and
bad decisions. These mental shortcuts can be the result of social influence, prejudice or motivational factors. We might
not be able to free ourselves of them, but we can learn to recognize them in order to reduce their influence on our
decision-making. There are about 60cognitive biases.
Patrick Leguide, founder and CEO of Central Test, has identified five principal types of cognitive bias regularly experienced
by professionals working in the recruitment world.

The naivety bias

Emotions sometimes have a role to play in the decision-making process, but they
shouldnt be allowed to take over the critical mind. According to Patrick Leguide,
the naivety biasis particularly commonplace in inexperienced recruitment
professionals, who are lulled into a false sense of security by some candidates
relaxed attitude and forget to verify the consistency between what they say and
what they do. Central Tests founder believes that knowing how to combine
intuition with facts is an art that one acquires over time.

The entomologists bias

This is the opposite of the naivety bias, and certain recruiters might succumb to it
when trying to put their emotions to one side in order not to judge candidates on
factual elements alone.
Says Patrick Leguide, They look at their future collaborators technical
competence, experiences and qualifications but forget to consider their personality
and life skills.

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The confirmation bias

This is the tendency to look for information that confirms our preconceived ideas
and hypotheses.
This cognitive bias might lead a recruiter to interpret certain information the way
he/she wants to, by minimizing a candidates deficiencies, for example. Central
Tests founder points out that, in order to counter this tendency, recruiters can fix
priorities in advance so as not to lose sight of them during the recruitment process.
Faced with a cunning candidate, it is important to remember to ask questions other
than those which help to reinforce ones own convictions.
The projection bias
Going hand-in-hand with the confirmation bias is our tendency to be attracted to
people who share our values, thoughts and psychological states.
A recruiter might thus have the tendency to choose candidates who are similar
to him/herself. This in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, says Patrick Leguide.
The main thing is to know whether the post you are seeking to fill needs to be
occupied by someone similar to you or not.

The stereotype bias

Although we arent aware of it, we all have beliefs and prejudices and a facility for
associating a collection of characteristics to a group of people. Patrick Leguide goes
on, This means some recruiters might still be inclined to suppose that a candidate
who is a graduate from a commercial institution or who holds a prestigious diploma
is bound to have all the necessary skills for a post.
Many other forms of cognitive bias exist, and it would be pointless trying to control
them all. But in order to reduce their impact, recruiters can use tools that make
it possible to objectify decision making, such as personality tests or role-play
situations. Tests make it easier to look at the emotional side of things with greater
objectivity.

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HOW SHOULD PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS BE USED IN RECRUITMENT?

The use of tests in recruitment has increased significantly over the past ten years. Today, nearly all big businesses and
70% of SMEs in Europe, India and Australia use them. In the USA, tests are even more commonplace, largely thanks
to the government-led accreditation scheme devised to regulate testing. Costs have also fallen, thus allowing smaller
businesses to use tests as well.
A genuine aid in the recruitment process
With CVs resembling each other more and more, psychometric tests are a valuable aid for recruiters, providing objective
information on aspects which are often difficult to assess using other methods. They help to save both time and money
by reducing the risk of errors in the recruitment process, which can be costly for employers.
This is not to say that they work like a crystal ball. They are complementary tools and should never be used as a
substitute for a recruiters judgement. In every case, the recruiter must make the final decision.
When should tests be used?
It is recommended that psychometric tests are taken after the initial CV selection and telephone contact, but before
recruitment interviews take place. This allows recruiters to gather a large amount of information that cannot be found on
CVs or application letters and to use the results as a basis for discussion during interviews.
Questions asked during recruitment interviews make it possible to confirm and fine-tune test results, which are considered
to be a supplementary aid in the searching mechanism. If a test shows that a candidate has a capacity for innovation,
for example, the recruiter can ask questions to find out how the candidate has demonstrated this capacity over the
course of his/her career.
Which tests should you choose?
Ideally, competence tests should be taken at the same time as personality tests, in order to have a 360 view of
candidates abilities. Tests should be chosen according to candidates profiles. As an example, candidates applying for a
junior position should take a reasoning test so the intellectual quotient (or IQ) can be calculated, along with a personality
test, or a competence test for a specific function such as a sales role.
IQ tests are not relevant, however, to management roles, where it makes more sense to use emotional intelligence tests
in order to evaluate candidates ability to observe, understand and manage their emotions and those of other people.
Candidates for any position requiring frequent interaction with other people should take emotional intelligence tests.

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How does one interpret the results?

First of all, the criteria of the role to be filled need to be precisely defined before candidates take the psychometric tests,
because the criteria will determine which tests are taken and the way the results are interpreted. With personality tests
in particular, the results can only be interpreted in relation to a specific role. There is no such thing as a bad or a good
personality. For example, if a personality test reveals that the candidate needs strong supervision, this could be positive
for a role within a strict hierarchy, but negative for a manager who is expected to work autonomously.
In order to interpret results correctly, one needs to be familiar with several aspects. For example, scores should be
looked at from a particular perspective: if Candidate As score is twice that of Candidate B for the discretion dimension,
this does not mean that A will be twice as discreet as B when faced with the same situation. It means that A will be
discreet in twice as many situations as B. So a score of 90% for discretion means that the candidate will be discreet
in 90% of situations. Another point to bear in mind when analyzing psychometric test results is that small differences
between scores should be ignored.
We recommend taking a training session in the form of a practical workshop in order to master the various aspects. This
will help to have the right attitude when choosing and administering tests and interpreting results.

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INTERNAL MOBILITY: 5 HR SYNDROMES TO AVOID

Helping employees to evolve within a company is as challenging as recruiting, if not more so. Knowing staff
members often means one can be more subjective.
Below, Central Tests founder and CEO Patrick Leguide reviews those HR syndromes which can lead to mistakes
being made.
Internal mobility is about not only hierarchical promotion but also helping staff to specialize in a certain area or to move
into a different occupation. At a time when employees are seeking change more and more often, businesses need to
bear this in mind. To encourage loyalty, companies should consider all aspects of internal mobility and be aware of what
could go wrong.
Just as cognitive errors can lead recruiters to make mistakes, certain syndromes can confuse things where internal
mobility is concerned. From my experience as a human resources consultant and a company manager I have identified
five such syndromes.

PETERS SYNDROME
According to Peters principal, all employees have a tendency to rise to the level of their incompetence. In other words,
an excellent technician will not necessarily make a good technical director. Promoting staff by giving them ever more
responsibility, especially in a managerial context, will eventually lead to the wrong person being chosen for a role. What
is more, people who feel incompetent in their role will have an unconscious tendency to recruit people less competent
than themselves for fear of being replaced! Company performance will then decrease dramatically, ending with an
inverted pyramid of competence. In order to combat this syndrome effectively, businesses need to thoroughly assess
their employees potential, as well as training them.

THE STEREOTYPE SYNDROME

Giving a position of responsibility to a man rather than a woman, choosing an employee for a management role because
of qualifications rather than results achieved. We are sometimes influenced by such discriminatory stereotypes without
realizing it, and this can lead to a cloning effect at management level. Businesses are becoming more aware of this
phenomenon, as is borne out by the professional agreements which mention these discrimination problems.

THE STAGECOACH / FLY SYNDROME

We are all familiar with busybodies who like to claim the credit once a task has been completed. French fabulist Jean
de La Fontaine put it well in his fable The Stagecoach and the Fly, which ends: Thus do certain people, making
themselves appear very busy, / Enter all affairs. / Everywhere they make themselves seem essential, / And, everywhere
a nuisance, should be chased away.
Some people know how to get noticed by their superiors, but are their results and competence really what they should
be?
As with the naivety bias in recruitment, decision-makers affected by this syndrome will allow themselves to be influenced
by those staff who are best at self-promotion.

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THE OCTOPUS SYNDROME

Directors of small businesses often make the mistake of thinking that everyone should know how to do everything. In
my early career I was a victim of this myself. If a salesperson is concerned mainly with developing sales, he/she should
not be made to carry out marketing and communication tasks.
Spidermans Doctor Octopus might have many arms, but the rest of us only have two! Giving existing employees too
many roles can also create confusion in terms of mobility and progression.
CAESARS SYNDROME
The Roman Senate had great cause to regret Julius Caesars ambition when he seized power in Rome after conquering
Gaul.
Expertise and know-how do not guarantee loyalty. Special care should be taken when promoting staff to key positions;
you do not want the cat to get among the pigeons.
Staff in important roles ensure a companys success, but they also need to spearhead its values.
Now is the time to remedy all this! You should take as much care over your internal mobility process as you do over
your recruitment process. If you set rules from the start, including establishing job descriptions, there will be less room
for subjectivity. Using assessment tools helps to find out where the potential is and also helps to explore a persons
motivations and professional interests on an objective basis. Todays personality tests are also about professional
advancement and take dimensions such as ambition or adaptability into consideration. Looking at test results and
discussing them in depth during a once-yearly interview, for example, makes it possible not only to avoid putting the
wrong person in a role but also to offer each staff member a specifically-adapted career path.

POINTS TO REMEMBER
There is no such thing as a bad or a good personality. Tests are chosen according to the criteria of
the role you are seeking to fill.
Internal career progression is as challenging as recruitment. Using assessment tools is
recommended in order to avoid biases where internal mobility is concerned; it helps to explore a
persons motivations and professional interests on an objective basis.

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3.2 TALENT MANAGEMENT

HOW DOES ONE IDENTIFY AND HOLD ON TO TALENTED STAFF?
We have entered the era of talent warfare: there is much more
movement on the employment market, candidates are increasingly
demanding and large numbers of senior staff are retiring. In this new
age, businesses must identify and retain their best staff if they want to
survive. Each organization has to work out its own strategy in order to
rise to the challenge.
The dictionary definition of the word talent is a given disposition, aptitude
or particular capacity; an ability either natural or acquired to do something.
This interesting interpretation does justice to the intangible nature of the
concept, but it is much too vague for the business world. For talent can
assume as many different guises as there are positions and organizations.
Having artistic ability might be a precious quality in the world of advertising
and marketing, but it wont be of much interest in a sales role. Therefore, before determining which of their employees
has the most potential, a company must decide on its own definition of talent.
Finding talented staff using psychometric tests
After observing staff at work or obtaining references, there exist a multitude of methods for finding employees with the
most potential. But talent is by nature an intangible concept, and the most efficient and objective way of detecting it
is via a combination of psychometric tests. One way of a attaining an integral view of an individuals character traits
and qualities is to combine critical thinking and personality tests. Perhaps you are looking for a manager with good
imaginative potential, someone who will be capable of putting new solutions into practice. Candidates imaginative
potential will be evident from their personality test results, while the critical thinking test will show their cognitive qualities.
Anyone possessing both qualities will be well-equipped to do the job. On the other hand, candidates with a gift for
imagination who lack cognitive ability will be capable of imagining new scenarios but will not be any good at putting
them into practice.
Managing differently
People with a lot of promise have one thing in common: they lose interest quickly and are not afraid to look elsewhere
to see whether the grass is greener. In order not to lose such people, companies need to know how to adopt new
management strategies, adapting their approach to individuals to allow them to do what they like doing best on a daily
basis.
This can be done by putting individual career plans in place so employees can get a feel for their career progression. If
a manager has creative talents, it might be appropriate to provide him/her with challenges such as adapting a product to
a new market or launching advertising campaigns to promote it. Management on a case-by-case basis will encourage
talented staff to feel that they belong to the company and to further identify with their position within the organization.
Ultimately, there is no point launching a programme for identifying and retaining talent if this does not tally with the
companys global strategy. For such a programme to be successful, businesses need to articulate and align their global
objectives.

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HOW DOES ONE RECOGNIZE A CANDIDATES SALES POTENTIAL?

We cannot ignore the fact that the best salespeople share a common denominator, regardless of the sector in
which they work or the specific tasks they carry out, and that is a particular capacity for selling, which is not
necessarily easy to define but which can be identified using a variety of different approaches.
A sales person might only have one job, but he/she has a multitude of different roles, and this is something that some
companies are inclined to overlook when seeking that one-in-a-million employee. Not content with looking for someone
who is a good canvasser, capable of expanding his/her database while maintaining good relationships with his/her
clients, some employers also expect a salesperson to be skilled at managing and marketing as well as having four or five
years of experience in a given sector. The trouble is, such a creature doesnt exist.
Rather than looking for something that doesnt exist, companies would be better off providing a clear job description and
defining the task which will take up 80% of the employees time. Then, in order to broaden their reach, they should focus
on candidates sales potential.

Analyzing motivations
It is not unusual to hear candidates, when interviewed, saying that they are incapable of selling a product if they do not
believe in it. This argument could be evidence that such candidates are less suited to sales roles than they claim to be.
According to some research, an appetite for selling is the attribute that the most talented salespeople share, just like the
appetite for negotiation, which they often allow to come to the fore when discussing their own contracts. These traits,
much like the desire to self-manage and a preference for telephone contact, can be perceived during interviews, but they
might also show through when candidates sit professional interest tests or specific sales tests.

Studying personalities
At the same time as studying candidates motivations, it can be interesting to take a look at their personalities using
personality tests and interviews. This makes it possible to complete the assessment of a persons motivations and to find
out whether he/she has what it takes to be one of the best salespeople. Salespeople are generally extraverted, dynamic
people who like action. Other characteristics include autonomy and a tendency to be less compromising than the average
person. Without indulging in stereotyping, such personality traits can be good indicators of a candidates sales potential.

Focusing on expertise
Taking both motivation and personality as given, will the candidate have the expertise and competence of a good
salesperson? The indicators to watch out for are a fighting spirit, resourcefulness, good interpersonal skills and being
comfortable taking centre stage. Role-play situations are an excellent way of highlighting these skills.
By using a combination of the various tools available to them (CVs, interviews, personality and life skills analysis, roleplay situations), recruiters can discern a candidates sales potential.

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INTEGRITY: CAN IT REALLY BE EVALUATED?

Integrity is one of the main virtues that Human Resources look for in a person. Which business leader has
never had the nasty surprise of encountering theft, lies, corruption, embezzlement, or loss of clients to a former
employee? Actually, integrity issues apply not only to employees, but also to business affiliates. Can these
issues be avoided?
What is integrity?
While integrity refers to being in line with oneself, it also refers to a code of honour, of which we may or may not be
aware, that is related to culture and education. We cannot dissociate integrity from social context.
Playing video games during working hours might be considered acceptable or even normal in certain environments, but
inacceptable in others, even though each person tends to interpret things according to what suits his or her ethics. In the
end, there is a wide continuum between borrowing a pen from work and committing actual fraud, but we must consider
culture and the perception of what is acceptable and what is not.
Which tools evaluate integrity?
During the recruitment process, the ideal solution would be a simulation in which the candidate finds a 20-dollar bill on
the floor, so that recruiters could observe how he or she reacted! Since it is only actions which count in the end, similar
role plays sometimes take place after a person is hired, and may be used, for example, to test the integrity of cashiers
or sales clerks. But these role plays must be implemented very delicately. In the search for truth, the lie detector
(polygraph) test was invented, but this has been banned for a long time due to doubts about its scientific reliability and
its inappropriate use.
What about tests?
Today many integrity tests consist of a large number of questions that are like police interrogations. While they have
some validity, their implementation leads to legal and ethical issues, since they are intrusive, relate to the candidates
private life and may not be relevant to the required job skills. Some tests, such as the Hartman Value Profile, provide
evaluations of values and ethics. But this test does not assess the integrity of the individuals themselves: just because
a person is conscious of ethics does not mean that he or she would behave ethically.

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Other specialized tests are geared to personality, such as those inspired by the Hexaco model, which is similar to the
Big Five but has a sixth dimension called Honesty-Humility. This approach brings out certain dimensions of personality
that are tied to integrity, namely altruism, agreeableness (or tolerance) and conscientiousness (respect for rules).
A set of clues
While the Hexaco model is particularly worthwhile, the main personality tests also provide clues that could be useful
in an overall evaluation. We cannot directly tie personality traits to integrity, but we can pay attention to favourable
conditions.
In personality tests such as the Professional Profile and CTPI-R, we have identified certain factors as potentially
unfavourable to integrity: individualism (as opposed to altruism), persuasion (as opposed to the need for objectivity),
ambition (as opposed to modesty), the lack of commitment, the tendency to be negligent about process and structure,
vigilance (as opposed to trust) and the lack of respect for rules.
Indicators of social desirability, included in certain tests, also give an idea about the persons tendency to cheat and his
or her chameleon-like behaviour.
Nevertheless, personality assessment cannot be considered as sufficient way to gauge integrity; just because a person
likes to persuade does not mean that he or she is necessarily dishonest.
During an interview, the consistency of what the person says and the quality of his or her references are also essential.
In the end, there is no miracle recipe, but we can obtain a set of clues to evaluate the persons potential and skills.
No-one has to be perfect!
Paradoxically, no company would want a person with excessive integrity, since such a person would not be able to adapt
and would be difficult to manage. Lacking integrity does have a natural and social root. For example, lying is a sociallyuseful form of behaviour. We all learn to lie out of obligation or by empathy, in order not to hurt someones feelings.
Since the dawn of time, people have worked to create strategies to conquer their enemies, increase their own wealth
and achieve world dominance.
It is therefore completely natural that people should be clever and crafty for their personal benefit, whether they are
alone or in a group. But a persons own conscience, morals, and desire to respect and serve others will sustain his or
her character. And employees will expect companies and leaders to show the right example!

POINTS TO REMEMBER
Identifying, managing and retaining talent is a challenge faced by every organization.
Adopting new management strategies based on a personalized approach, encouraging diversity
in teams and using challenges to stimulate creativity are all methods that should be utilized sideby-side with psychometric tools to encourage loyalty in talented staff.

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THE 3 BEST REASONS FOR USING PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS

The pursuit of data has become a vital part of any decision-making process, and those who work in the field of
human resources know this only too well. It is a question of obtaining relevant and objective information about
potential employees, putting coherent guidelines in place for tracking employee performance, and having clear
ideas about talent mobility.
Psychometric tests are essential for providing complete and objective data in order to make good recruitment and talentmanagement decisions.

1 Test results are easily quantifiable

Having a flawed recruitment policy or taking bad decisions when promoting employees can have catastrophic
consequences.
Lets look, for example, at the actual cost of a flawed recruitment policy: if a bad recruitment choice comes to light during
a new employees trial period, the cost to the company will be, on average, more than 50% of the employees yearly
salary, while the cost of replacing an established employee is estimated on average to be 150% of his/her yearly salary.
With this in mind, the aim of psychometric tests is to evaluate human behaviour and to better assess the likelihood of a
person succeeding in a particular role.*
It follows that the predictive validity of psychometric questionnaires is the main factor in anticipating how well an individual
will perform in the workplace. The use of questionnaires in recruitment and in the context of internal mobility makes it
possible to identify those people who are most suitable for particular roles. For instance, people who obtain good results
in reasoning tests are more likely to use analysis to resolve complex situations.

2 Tests reduce the effect of cognitive biases

Evaluation is often limited to the interview alone, which is only useful if it is used together with a range of appropriate
objective indicators. A number of scientific studies have shown that there is only a 14% correlation between a candidates
capacity for self-promotion during interviews and his/her performance once employed in a role.*
Assessment results might be falsified by, among other things, the assessors background and cognitive biases (his/her
stereotypes and prejudices), or by a lack of self-awareness in the person being assessed.
Unlike traditional selection methods, psychometric tests provide key indicators, which facilitate decision-making in an
objective and non-discriminatory way.
These standardized measuring tools draw on a statistical approach and make it possible to study the differences between
individuals using a common calibration.
According to the Schmidt & Hunter study referred to above, using these tools in addition to interviews reduces errors in
selection by 24%.
Central Test uses a combined, comprehensive approach in order to better identify potential in terms not only of expertise
but also of suitability for vacant positions or for a specific workplace culture.

* Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of
research findings. Psychological Bulletin.

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2013

3 Effective training is all one needs to be able to use todays tests

We no longer live in a time of clinical questionnaires and overcomplicated reports whose results cannot be interpreted
without the help of a psychologist.
These days, the majority of test developers offer assessment tools which have been specifically devised for use in the
workplace and which, while being ergonomically simple, also respect scientific validation standards.
The reports, which are immediately accessible online, make for pleasant reading, with graphs providing a quick overview
of the subjects main traits. Central Tests reports also include customized feedback, thus reducing the risk of overinterpretation.
But in order to fully grasp the dimensions evaluated by the tool and better interpret the results, training must be
given, regardless of the assessment context, whether it involves recruitment, internal evolution, skills assessment or
reclassification.
Central Test provides training sessions which enable the user to concentrate on the main points and quickly become
self-sufficient.
Whether they are used for candidate recruitment, strengthening employee commitment, retaining the most efficient
staff or increasing company productivity, psychometric tools play an essential role in establishing an efficient talentmanagement policy.

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CONCLUSION
Whether it is for recruiting candidates, developing employee motivation, holding onto your best staff
or increasing company productivity, psychometric tests are a crucial requirement when setting up
an efficient talent management programme.
They have become more and more commonplace in the business world, used by large and small
companies alike.
Against a dual backdrop of economic gloom and the war for talent, using a combination of these
tests alongside stimulated work situations and personal debriefing sessions considerably reduces
the risk of error, and brings objective clarity to the decision-making process.
And the world of psychometric testing is still evolving, through more advanced statistics, improved
control of social desirability, the possibility to interconnect with HR software and the integration of
situations that are ever closer to reality.
New technology will help to optimize the reliability of tests, which, as decision support tools, will
become an essential component of HR processes.

Central Test 2013