- Occupational Ability Tests
- Occupational Personality Tests
- Competency Based Tests
- Decision Making Preference Tests
- Learning Potential Tests
- Career Counselling
Online Solutions
For the next generation of leaders and high-flyers the Internet is already a part of everyday life, both at home and at work. As candidates and employees they represent the future of business. To attract this calibre of candidate we have the latest Internet-based psychometric assessment techniques available.
Working in harmony with more traditional assessments, the Internet represents a highly cost effective tool that:
- Increases cost efficiencies in the recruitment process. E.g. large % time saved in HR, through less interviews, less testing and personnel / candidate logistics reductions.
- Increases flexibility
- Drives competitive advantage.
- It provides a highly cost-efficient, fast, flexible and reliable means of assessment
- There are no logistical barriers; tests can be taken anytime, anywhere, by a number of candidates, making integrated international assessment viable and achievable
- Multi-lingual, multi-national recruitment can be managed centrally, tailored locally, ensuring that corporate processes are consistent but the needs of the local market are addressed
- It enables effective selection from the outset, creating a pool of qualified candidates for management consideration
- Tests can be accessed and taken online 24/7
- It decreases the number of interviews per hire, raising process efficiency
- It generates positive PR for the company by demonstrating professionalism and by giving candidates the confidence that they have been fairly appraised whereas rejections based purely on CV alone are less likely to be accepted
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Can candidates cheat the system?
This has been a key consideration in the development of online tests.
Online numerical and verbal reasoning tests have been devised so that no test is ever administered twice and questions are drawn from a vast pool of equitable questions.
In terms of personality-based questionnaires, research has shown that reliability is maintained between internet based and paper and pencil tests.
The best practice for managing the integrity of internet-controlled tests is to issue candidates with an ID or access code that takes them to a secure site. A separate test site allows recruiters to control the virtual test environment that candidates' experience.
Forced Choice tests (like the ability tests and OPQ) are the hardest tests to "fake" or cheat.
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Available online occupational assessments
Online Occupational Personality Assessment
"Individual's who are well matched to their jobs use their talents more effectively and are happy, fulfilled and motivated. This makes organisations more competitive and more profitable"
Personality questionnaires consider how people like to work and their behavioural style. Such questionnaires focus on how an individual approaches a job rather than the ability to perform that job.
With the OPQ, candidates are required to select which is 'most' and 'least' like him or her from a list of statements. By being forced to choose between statements it is very difficult for candidates to "fake" or cheat on the questionnaire.
Example of an OPQ Question
The role of personality assessment at work is in measuring those aspects of behaviour which cannot be measured by other techniques, yet are crucial to performance potential.
Understanding this means that you not only understand what someone can do today, but what they are capable of achieving tomorrow.
Benefits of completing personality questionnaires online:
- Candidates can complete the Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) anytime, anywhere
- Allows multi-site, multi-country locations
- Improves reach
- Pinpoints talent earlier
- Range of reports are available
- Output can be based on pre-determined job competencies
- Saves huge amounts of time
- Allows preparation and better quality interviewing
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Online Occupational Ability Assessment
a) Unsupervised Ability Assessment
It is a proven, scientific fact that ability testing is the single most effective method of predicting job success.
Testing job applicants online can deliver real value by identifying high calibre talent with efficiency and accuracy. But done poorly it can cause damage to your brand and your reputation.
Many possible risks such as cheating and test security pose severe threats to the integrity of online testing and therefore the defensibility of hiring decisions. In turn, this can undermine the recruitment process and expose the organisation to legal risk.
The Solution:
Def: To make sure or demonstrate that something is true, accurate or justified; to determine or test the truth or accuracy of ...; to regulate by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard of scientific experiments.
Verify is a new online unsupervised testing solution. Through breakthrough innovations in technology and psychology, Verify delivers all the benefits of online testing without compromising on rigour, precision, and reliability.
The Verify range of online ability tests measure verbal and numerical critical reasoning ability. As Verify is a sophisticated package that includes innovative psychometrics, robust technology and industry-first data security and forensics, Verify protects the integrity of online assessment and ensure the process is fair and the results are accurate.
STEP 1: Verify Ability Test
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STEP 2: Verification Test
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Benefits:
- Easy 2-step process. Step 1: Test taken Step 2: Short Verification Test
- Allows multi-site, multi-country locations
- Improves reach
- Pinpoints talent earlier
- Protects against the risks of cheating and security breaches
- Utilises randomised test technology that produces a unique set of items for each test, ensuring that every individual who takes the test receives a different test
- Cuts the time and effort involved in re-testing applicants and creates significant process efficiencies
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b) Supervised Occupational Ability Assessment
Occupational Ability Tests are designed to measure current levels of ability and future potential for different types of work skills. The following are some of the ability tests available online:
- Verbal Reasoning: Measures the ability to understand and evaluate the logic of various kinds of argument.
- Numerical Reasoning: Measures the ability to make correct calculations, decisions and inferences from numerical data.
- Diagrammatic Reasoning: Measures reasoning with diagrams and requires the recognition of logical rules governing sequences.
- Fault Diagnosis: Measures the ability to identify faults in logical systems.
- Mechanical Comprehension: Measures the understanding of basic mechanical principles and their application to a number of devices, including pulleys, gears and levers. Questions typically require candidates to visualise movement from a realistic drawing. A core skill relevant in many technical jobs.
- Checking: Measures speed and accuracy of checking at a basic level. Principally for use with clerical staff whose job includes routine checking, the task is to compare a string of letters or numbers, and select the matching series from five alternatives.
The process involved in supervised online assessment is as follows:
- The Assessment Supervisor and the Candidate are set up online by the Consultants (Psychometrist) and are each provided with an access ID code and password.
- Both individuals log on to the assessment website (as per instructions provided) and normal supervised administration procedures are adhered to.
- On completion, the candidates' assessments are scored by remote computer.
- The candidates' results are sent to the Consultant within 24 hours and a report is written based on the candidates' results.
Occupational Ability Tests
Occupational Ability Tests are designed to measure current levels of ability and future potential for different types of work skills.
The following tests are available:
Verbal Reasoning: Measures the ability to understand and evaluate the logic of various kinds of argument.
Numerical Reasoning: Measures the ability to make correct calculations, decisions and inferences from numerical data.
Diagrammatic Reasoning: Measures reasoning with diagrams and requires the recognition of logical rules governing sequences.
Fault Diagnosis: Measures the ability to identify faults in logical systems.
Mechanical Comprehension: Measures the understanding of basic mechanical principles and their application to a number of devices, including pulleys, gears and levers. Questions typically require candidates to visualise movement from a realistic drawing. A core skill relevant in many technical jobs.
Checking: Measures speed and accuracy of checking at a basic level. Principally for use with clerical staff whose job includes routine checking, the task is to compare a string of letters or numbers, and select the matching series from five alternatives.
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Occupational Personality Questionaire (OPQ)
People who are well matched to their jobs use their talents more effectively and are productive, fulfilled and motivated. This makes organisations more competitive and more profitable.
However, over reliance on subjective techniques when making hiring decisions means many organisations fail to accurately and objectively assess an individual's fit to the job competencies. This leads to costly hiring mistakes and underperformance.
The role of personality assessment at work is in measuring those aspects of behaviour which cannot be measured by other techniques, yet are crucial to performance potential.
Understanding this means that you not only understand what someone can do today, but what they are capable of achieving tomorrow.
Providing this information is where personality assessment comes into its own.
Use personality assessment to
• Uncover hidden performance potential • Understand how a new recruit will fit into an existing team
• Assess areas that are impossible to measure with other selection techniques • Provide managers with an insight into the likely strengths and development areas of their staff
• Remove reliance on subjective CV's • Save time and money by assessing competencies earlier in the hiring process
• Increase the power of your interview by uncovering hidden areas to probe
The OPQ is among the best-researched and most widely used psychometric tools available today, it has set a standard of measurement excellence that others find hard to match. Unlike most other personality questionnaires, the OPQ is designed specifically or use in a business environment, meaning it delivers Line managers and HR professionals with relevant and accurate information to make fast and well-informed people decisions.
The OPQ provides detailed information on 32 personality characteristics which underpin performance on key job competencies critical to the position. Its depth of insight and range of business-relevant reports make it an obvious choice for recruitment and development purposes.
OPQ - predicting 20 key job competencies
Leading & Deciding
Deciding & Initiating Action
Leading & Supervising
Interacting & Presenting
Relating & Networking
Persuading & Influencing
Presenting & Communicating Information
Creating & Conceptualising
Learning & Research
Creating & Innovating
Formulating Strategies & Concepts
Adapting & Coping
Adapting & Responding to change
Coping with Pressure & Setbacks
Supporting & Co-operating
Working with People
Adhering to Principles & Values
Analysing & Interpreting
Writing & Reporting
Applying Expertise & Technology
Analysing
Organising & Executing
Planning & Organising
Delivering Results & Meeting Customer Expectations
Following Instructions & Procedures
Enterprising & Performing
Achieving Personal Work Goals and Objectives
Enterpreneurial & Commercial Thinking
Business Applications of the OPQ:
- Identify best-fit applicants against job competencies
- Improve interview hit rates when hiring
- Identify future leaders
- Evaluate talent pool after a merger, acquisition or restructure
- Create project teams
Key Benefits
- Provides accurate, in-depth insight across 20 competencies
- Range of reports to reflect the needs of both line manager and HR
- Available in 28 international languages
- Supported by over 50 norm groups to allow specific role, level and industry comparisons to be made.
- Flexible, time-saving administration options including online, PC and paper-based formats.
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Competency Based Tests
A competence is "those knowledge, skills and attitudes that people bring to the job and which results in superior performance". Competence takes knowledge, skills and attitude into account.
Competency based assessments are made up of in-tray and role play exercises.
A Competency based assessment therefore measures which of the knowledge, skills and attitudes (that have been identified as important to the specific job) can be demonstrated by the individual. Competency Based Tests are available for the following levels:
- Team Leader / Supervisor
- Manager
- Administrative Positions
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DECISION MAKING PREFERENCE TESTS (IRIS)
"Flow" a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it." During flow experiences, work is pleasure and is rewarding in itself. "Joy, creativity and the process of total involvement in life"
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
As individuals, we thrive when the challenges of the work in which we work, learn and live draw fully on the perspectives we bring to it. We flourish when the challenges are diverse enough for our curiosity and complex enough for the connections we want to make, the potentials we want to imagine. People all over the world describe the feeling of that balance as being "in flow" - energised, confident, competent, going with the grain, exhilaration as they cope successfully with new challenges. Things just seem to happen right of their own accord. Our intuition is just there for us and if there are choices to make, we make them almost without being aware.
If the challenges are insufficient for the perspective we bring, we feel frustrated, switched off, and eventually anxious, hesitant and low on confidence, We lose touch with our intuition and if there are choices to be made, they seem obvious and self evident, they require not judgment and are felt to be tedious and demoralising and no fun.
If the challenges are overwhelming, at first we feel perplexed and have to coax our intuition. If overwhelm increases, worry takes over, we lose our feel for significant differences and so are forced to gamble rather than make coherent choices. We long for the comfort of our intuition and yet we fear it.
The IRIS (Initial Recruitment Interview Schedule) is used to ensure that an individual's capability is correctly matched to their level of work, both now and in the future. What is IRIS used for?
- Ensure that people recruited for specific positions will be in flow with the capability requires of the position, and they will be neither over-extended nor under-utilised
- Identify supervisory or managerial potential for career development, selection, or equity initiatives
- As an aid to succession planning and to identify "high flyers" for fast tracking
- To "chart the human talent pool", ensure optimal utilisation of human resources and assist with career path planning and training and development
Career Counselling
Choosing one's career has never been the easiest of choices and Equinox is able to assist in making this choice an easier one.
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