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The psychometric profiling test is often used in candidate recruitment in order to see how suitable someone is for a given role, based on their personality and capabilities. They are an excellent way to source a candidate who is a great fit for your team. But how can you tell if a candidate is lying during a psychometric profiling, sometimes thereby negating the purpose of it altogether? Read on to find out! How To Test Effectively The effectiveness of psychometric profiling is a subject of some debate, but they are most effective when carried out in certain circumstances. For example, you ask indirect questions, which force the candidate to rely on their own judgement. The test is often made up of ranking things in order of preference, making it difficult for candidates to detect a “right” or more preferable answer. The Science Of Psychometric Profiling Pre employment psychometric profiling is based on scientific evidence, which is used to measure patterns and consistencies within responses. Therefore, using an assessment that has some scientific merit is a better way to root out the right candidate. Difficulty Of Detection Lying is hard to spot during interviews, but psychometric profiling makes it easier to detect a candidate’s true thoughts and feelings on subjects. This is why some people believe that psychometric profiling for interview purposes is a more reliable way to source the right potential employee. Location Matters With everything being increasingly digital, it may be tempting to carry out psychometric profiling offsite. However, testing onsite gives the candidate less time to think about their answers and makes them more likely to answer “off the cuff” and honestly. This makes the test that little bit more valid, by taking them slightly out of their comfort zone. Follow Up Once the psychometric test is complete, assess the answers and follow up with a face-to-face interview. This is the best way to assess the truthfulness of the candidate in combination with the psychometric profile. Ask questions based on the answers given, especially if you have found anything of concern. So, is psychometric profiling accurate? There is strong evidence to suggest that psychometric testing can help you to find a great fit for your company. However, if you are looking for another way to source that perfect candidate, get in touch with Headway Recruitment. We are experts in finding the right match for you, so let us know how we can help.  

Recruitment can be one of the hardest things about running a business, especially if it’s not something you need to do regularly. You may not have people in place within your business who are experienced in finding the right candidate and the additional work, on top of their usual duties, may add extra pressure on your HR team. A specialist recruitment company could be the ideal solution to finding your perfect new hire. Read on to find out why you should use a recruitment agency for the best results. 1. Experience In Identifying The Right Candidates Recruitment specialists spend their days focusing on nothing else but learning their particular industry needs and dealing with employers and prospective candidates. It’s their bread and butter. With such expert knowledge and experience, they can keep your company from making an expensive mistake by avoiding poor candidates for your roles. 2. Find Hard To Reach Candidates Your ideal candidate may already have a job elsewhere and may not be actively looking to move to a new company. These people are difficult to reach if you don’t know what you’re doing and you don’t have the contacts to find them. A good recruitment consultant will have the experience and the contacts to find these people and approach them in the right way. They will advertise in the right places, both online and offline, but if needed, your recruitment consultant will actively search out excellent candidates. 3. Salary Negotiation Professional recruitment specialists already know the standard salaries and benefits expected for a role like yours. They know what other companies are paying and what candidates will expect. This saves you time in researching and lets you know what to expect so you know you’re offering a fair salary and on a level with other employers. Your agency can also negotiate salaries on your behalf. 4. Most Of The Work Done For You Before you even see your final selection of candidates, a recruitment agency will have brought all their experience to advertising in the right places, going through CVs, pre-screening candidates and interviewing to narrow down the right people to send to you for final interviews. They will also take up references for you, perform DBS checks, if needed, make final offers to candidates and inform unsuccessful applicants. Think of how much time and money you’re saving by not having to do any of that! 5. Industry Insights Many recruitment consultants and agencies specialise in particular areas and industries, giving them vast knowledge and experience of the current job markets and trends, salaries, what benefits people now expect and other extremely valuable industry insights that you could otherwise miss out on. With all those benefits of using a great agency, it’s not really a question of why do businesses use recruitment agencies, but more a question of why wouldn’t you? To speak to a recruitment specialist at Headway, contact us today. Image Source: Unsplash

No company wants to have the kind of high staff turnover where they might as well install a revolving door. That’s not good for your company or your customers, with potential loss of profits, efficiency, and the high costs of hiring and training new employees. Luckily, there are so many things you can do to make sure your staff love where they work and want to stick around. Invest In Your Recruitment It might sound obvious, but if you start by hiring the right people to begin with, your staff turnover rate is likely to be far lower. Invest in experienced HR staff who understand your business, and tell them exactly what and who you need. Create a Great Company Culture It’s really obvious when you work for a good company. There’s a great atmosphere, high energy, and it’s clear that the staff are happy and feel heard and appreciated. That comes from the top-down, with a lot of work from everyone to offer decent pay and benefits, and to create a good working environment where staff want to stay. Offer Clear Staff Development Most employees want to learn, grow and improve. They want to know that there are possibilities for development and training and that they have opportunities for advancement. With training and clear plans for staff development in place, you’ll keep everyone from new starters to long-serving employees happy. Employee Recognition It’s so important to recognise your employees for great work. If your employees feel seen and appreciated for all the work they put in, and for their achievements, they’re far more likely to feel motivated and want to stay. Flexible Working Options Flexible working can be a lifesaver for parents if they need to take their children to appointments or attend school performances and important events, but it’s definitely a nice-to-have option for any employee. It's even better if you can offer the option of working from home, part-time working and flexi-time. People then feel more in control of their working hours, and their life, which, you’ve guessed it, reduces staff turnover. Open and Honest Working Environment In an open environment, employees feel comfortable talking about any concerns they have. They’re also more likely to come up with ideas and improvements because they know they’ll be listened to. That’s a great way to solve problems and end job frustrations, as well as making your employees feel valued. So much of good staff recruitment and retention is about communication, from discussing the employees you need to make sure you know how your employees feel and what will make a good staff retention scheme. And if you keep communicating, and keep improving your recruitment, your company culture, and what your company offers employees, then improving staff retention is definitely possible. And you can keep that revolving door firmly shut. If you're looking to recruit new staff, get in touch with our team at Headway Recruitment today. Image Source: Alamy