Friday, 25 May 2012

use of psycometric testingin recruitment

Posted in: Discussion | Policy forum

Big Society, careers, development, housing policy

19/09/2011 11:44 am

shaun parrin

shaun parrin

Posts: 3

I read with alarm of the increasing practice of using psycometric testing during housing recruitment.  Similar to the HR framework which ensures that potential recruits have rote learnt and absorbed organisational specific / relevant information and are able to regurgitate, thus demonstrating independent thought is not favoured, the use of psychometric testing places a strong reliance on psychological sciences allied closely to the alleged need to apply the PREVENT agenda (NHS) plus others. Unfortunately the psychological sciences don't work for all.  As a ward of court in 1960's, (todays language looked after child), I have been subjected to a lack of support from the age of 3 from all agencies that are allegedly there to assist including social care, education, and criminal justice and housing.  My psychology has been constructed by the 'system', either as action or reaction due to it's long history of failures.  Reliance on such tests is biased in favour of those who have had a 'normal' growth pattern and inaccurate due to the myopic views of those constructing them. Will people ever learn?           

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Anonymous

Anonymous

19/09/2011 12:11 pm

Is there something in particular that you think is wrong with psychometric testing - what is it about it that you think doesn't work. The fact it is biased in favour of 'normal growth patterns' - is that a bad thing?

Where have you read it is becoming widespread in housing? I have never had to complete a psychometric test.

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Melvin Bone

Melvin Bone

Posts: 190

19/09/2011 12:56 pm

Where did you read this then Shaun?

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To whom it may concern

To whom it may concern

Location: Home Counties
Posts: 32

19/09/2011 2:22 pm

I'm left with the question 'What would psychologists conclude from a person's concern about psycometric testss?'

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shaun parrin

shaun parrin

Posts: 3

19/09/2011 2:56 pm

just browse the adverts...

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Anonymous

Anonymous

03/10/2011 6:21 pm

I think someone has been turned down who recently sat an assessment centre.....

But no you are correct the whole assessment centre concept/psycometric testing  is a load of bull for housing jobs, I have seen first hand is doesnt select the right people for the job, nor does it actually test the behaviours needed to do the job, just how you test for how a person will react when they have had their 7th angry ASB complaint that day still remains unanswered though.

If you can smile wide enough and spin a company line you can be a N.O these days.

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Welsh Dragon

Welsh Dragon

Posts: 1

04/10/2011 10:44 am

Psychometric testing is nothing new in recruitment in housing. I remember doing one back in the early 1990's for a Housing Officer job.

How much influence they have on the actual recruitment decision is debateable. My understanding is that they are most likely to be used to back up a decision when it is a close call and to check that what sort of personality came out in interview is backed up on paper.

However, I agree with the general view that they are a load of bull and I always thought they were old hat and in reality used to justify HR's involvement in the actual decision making process through bringing some specialist pseudo-science to it.

Personally if I was recruiting, I would take no notice of them. As far as I am concerned they don't add anything to the process and just add a load more stress to candidates

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Howard Clark

Howard Clark

Location: South East
Posts: 1

04/10/2011 11:58 am

The use of Psychometric testing is an assumption about the role that staff play in organizational performance. It suggests that by weeding out the bad people, in some way you will get the hard-working people left over. Hard working normally means compliant, able to follow instructions, work hard etc.

Organizations focused upon systems thinking understand that the majority of performance is actually down to how the system has been designed and only a small part of performance is down to the individual. The split is normally perceived to be 95% system 5% people. These organizations also know that to focus upon the 5% (instead of improving systems design) can exacerbate and make staff performance worse. In effect it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you treat workers like performance is down to them, then they begin to engage in behaviors that don’t improve performance.

In systems thinking organizations, the focus upon improving performance actually kicks-off a positive re-enforcing cycle. The system gets better at giving service users what they want (through better design). Service users get happy and this shows through to staff. Staff then give more because all human beings want to do is help people (we are intrinsically purposive creatures). Systems design effectively turns all staff into people who want to contribute. No psychometric testing needed.

Howard Clark
The Systems Thinking Review

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