Top Psychometric Tools for Better Talent Management

Psychometric tools  are automated, structured frameworks to ensure an unbiased evaluation of psychological characteristics, such as personality, creativity, intelligence, motivation, and values. These tools help assessors perform an objective assessment of the dimensions upon which candidates can be differentiated psychologically. There are various psychometric tools for evaluating skills, abilities, personality, values, and motivation.

Psychometric tools mainly focus on presenting an unbiased assessment of the dimensions upon which individuals can be differentiated psychologically. There are various psychometric tools for evaluating skills, abilities, personality, values, motivation, and much more. Thoroughly validated psychometric testing tools help provide an objective evaluation of psychological characteristics, such as personality, creativity, intelligence, motivation, and values. The resulting data can then be used to understand and predict real-world outcomes (such as job performance, educational achievement, environmental behavior, etc.)

Psychometric tools are well-received in the HR industry. These tools help recruiters understand the candidate’s mental capabilities, behavioral styles, and underlying personality traits that are impossible to extract from a face-to-face meeting. These tools are commonly used in recruitment, development and talent retention.

Psychometric assessment tools are used extensively in talent management processes to make better decisions. Used across various processes – psychometric tools for recruitment, psychometric tools for assessment of competencies, psychometric tools for development and career progression – these have become a recruiter’s go-to tools to foolproof systems concerning individual and organizational development. The talent management landscape has changed drastically for the better since the introduction of psychometric tools in the HR ecosystem.

The implementation of psychometrics depends on the concept and technique of psychological measurement. Tests are the primary tools to assess the mind, and it is not feasible to imagine psychometrics (psycho means ‘of mind’ and metrics means ‘evaluation’) without tests. Psychometric tests add objectivity to the evaluation process by assessing a candidate on such parameters as ability, attitude, competencies, intelligence and personality, etc. The test’s accuracy in predicting behavior and providing information on a person’s ability to react or perform in a specific way underlines its usability. The test outcome is of utmost importance for making the right decisions.  

Listed below are the three groups on which many tests are based:

Psychometric tools have become integral to the selection and hiring process as they utilize various approaches and systems to produce accurate results. These tools are used in combination with other evaluation methods such as technical tests, interviews, and/or physical assessment centers.

Psychometric testing tools are automated, structured frameworks to assess cognitive abilities and personality traits. These tools are used to understand and rate the candidate’s mental capabilities, behavioral styles, and underlying personality traits, which are difficult to understand completely from a face-to-face meeting. These testing tools are now more commonly used in recruitment, development and talent retention.

Psychometric tools enable organizations to perform a holistic evaluation of candidates’ personalities and competencies to identify the best person for the role. The increasing use of psychometric testing tools for recruitment and selection attests to the tools’ popularity. Leading management consultancies, IT companies, financial institutions, local authorities, civil services and armed forces, etc. utilize psychometric testing tools extensively. Countries such as India have witnessed a steady adoption of psychometric tools for recruitment.

Earlier, psychometric tests were based on the pen-and-paper format and MCQs, but technology has ushered in their digitized version. Now, HR professionals can easily integrate a suite of psychometric tools into any phase of the hiring process, significantly reducing their workload. Psychometric testing tools assess various human attributes such as critical reasoning, motivation, intelligence and personality. Consequently, prospective employers can use these tests for insights into the candidates’ abilities, personalities and preferences and select the ones matching their requirements.

Using psychometric tools for assessment, employers can assess a test-taker’s overall performance, including his/her skills, abilities, knowledge, and professional competency. Psychometric instruments are centered on different objectives and outcomes. Such tools provide valuable insights into candidates’ skills and determine the probability of success in any role or career.

Mercer | Mettl’s suite of psychometric testing tools is one of India’s best psychometric assessment tools. Our organization offers psychometric tool development, execution and analysis to help you make better talent decisions. Our psychometric tools accurately measure critical workplace competencies. We offer holistic solutions for all your hiring and learning and development needs. You could either opt for a prebuilt test from our vast psychometric resources or get a customized test designed for yourself. 

Psychometric Assessments: Gauge Human Behaviour and Traits for Better People Decisions

Developed after extensive research and meticulous efforts, Mercer | Mettl’s psychometric assessments offer valuable insights into personality traits and work behaviors. Our differentiated offerings, Mercer | Mettl’s suite of proprietary psychometric tools, are a product of painstaking research and unflinching alignment to prominent psychometric theories, such as The Big Five Theory, Watson Glaser, Raven’s Progressive Matrices and The Iceberg Model. Mercer | Mettl offers a world-class solution for every hiring challenge. Learn more about the available product features to recruit seamlessly.

Mercer | Mettl Psychometric Tools List

1. Mettl Personality Inventory

At Mercer | Mettl, a team of in-house psychometricians and data scientists serves to take steps beyond the broader facets that describe the Five-Factor Model (FFM). Instead of resorting to a simplified model of the general ‘Big Five’ personality factors, our scientists have developed twenty-six scales of narrower sub-facets on which Mettl Personality Inventory (MPI) tools are based. 

The FFM predicts important job-related outcomes such as performance, the potential to burn out, trainability and job satisfaction, among other things. For a quick refresher, refer the table below to review the five factors involved:

The Mettl Personality Inventory (MPI) is an innovative, evidence-based assessment tool. It evaluates personality traits pertinent to crucial components of work. The test predicts behavioral competencies related to business outcomes.

As is the case with any inventory, the MPI extensively focuses on design to help employers gain access to objective information in synchronicity on a current employee or a job applicant.

Use of the Likert Scale

Likert Scaling is a bipolar scaling method that measures positive or negative responses concerning a statement. The Likert sometimes utilizes a seven-point scale where the middle option of ‘Neither Agree nor Disagree’ is unavailable. This is often referred to as a forced-choice method, considering the removal of a neutral option. MPI utilizes a five-point scale.

In terms of tool rigor, or quality of the test, the MPI scores between the range of 0.4-0.67 on validity and 0.63-0.73 on reliability. The data was collected on a sample of 2,000+respondents from varying ages, genders, job levels and educational qualifications.

2. Mettl Dark Personality Inventory

The dark traits, such as narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy, offer profound insights into a person’s antisocial behavior. A psychometric tool to assess negative personality constructs, known as Mettl Dark Personality Inventory, has been created utilizing these six dark traits: Opportunism, Self-Obsession, Insensitivity, Temperamental, Impulsiveness and Thrill-Seeking. This personality diagnostic helps organizations safeguard their work culture and ensure customers’ safety. 

3. Mettl Personality Profiler

Mettl Personality Profiler (MPP) is an efficient tool to evaluate a candidates’ potential and growth mindset based on key personality traits and working preferences and focuses on their behavioral preferences based on their predispositions.

It uses the Semantic Differential Scale, limiting the respondents’ problem, either faking good or bad. 

The key features and functionality are inherently similar to MPI, with customizability outside the Mettl Competency Framework. It can map any job role within organizationally-specific competency frameworks and measure relevant traits required for critical work.

The tool also allows users to customize scoring and configuration for specific needs, using the client’s inputs to determine performance-based or behavioral competencies most critical for success in an organizational or individualized process.

Use of the Semantic Differential Scale

The Semantic Differential (SD) scale measures two polar objectives. For example, good-to-evil, adequate-to-inadequate, valuable-to-worthless. It primarily measures opinions, values and attitudes on a psychometrically-controlled scale.

In contrast to the Likert Scale, where a candidate is given a choice to either agree or disagree with a statement, the Semantic Differential Scale offers to help a candidate complete a statement with two polarized options along with a neutral or balanced option.

Additionally, a semantic differential response format may offer alternatives to negations to reduce much of the bias experienced with the Likert scale. But a drawback with the format is an increased cognitive demand from the candidates, introducing new errors in the scores.

In a study conducted by Oddgeir Friborg, Monica Martinussen and Jan H. Rosenvinge, 334 university students completed a psychometric test using both formats. Apart from a slightly reduced variance and internal consistency, the factor structure in the semantic differential version fitted the data better. It reduced bias without lowering psychometric quality.

In terms of the tool rigor, or quality of the test, MPP scores between the range of 0.4-0.75 on validity and 0.63-0.88 on reliability.

4. Mettl Sales Profiler

Mettl Sales Profiler (MSP) is a proprietary tool that includes a competency-based framework, which aids in building a perfect sales team. The innovative profiler tool identifies the crucial cognitive and behavioral competencies to address the growing needs of the organizations. It measures team cohesiveness with high-value pieces across the board, ensuring that the team performs at the highest possible efficiency. This is done by identifying critical cognitive and behavioral competencies unique to your organizational requirements.

The theory behind the psychometric tools for assessment stems from collaborative research with SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management). Based on extensive research, the tool creates itself with empirical evidence from over 1,600+ sales professionals across industries. Its foundation is formed on the Three-Factor Model.

A Mettl-SHRM Whitepaper titled ‘Demystifying Sales Hiring covers the Three-Factor Model,’ includes examples covering several job roles across industries.

With assessment technology applied primarily to investigative research on a performance bell curve of employees and secondary research from the subject matter or industry experts, a couple of competencies and sub-competencies have been found to influence sales job roles.

5. Mettl Personality Map

Mettl Personality Map (MPM) is a contemporary, evidence-based personality assessment that seeks in-depth measurement of critical, work-relevant personality traits and behavioral tendencies. It is designed to be used across employees’ life cycles, from personnel selection to training and development and help employers gain access to otherwise hidden information about a person, critical in influencing their workplace behavior. This tool was specially curated to be more in-depth than previous measures of personality and includes contemporary work-relevant personality traits that have been found useful by industry experts and practitioners to create a more comprehensive understanding of personality at work. It is notably more relevant at mid and senior levels.

What does MPM measure? 

MPM measures 28 work-relevant personality traits. Mercer | Mettl’s scientists went beyond the well-established ‘Big Five’ model of personality – which uses five factors or broad personality trait categories to describe people. It was found that even though the five-factor model of personality was well-researched and extremely relevant in the field of assessment, it was needed to include more contemporary work-relevant facets of personality to provide a more in-depth analysis of personnel at the workplace. Therefore, MPM does not discard the old model of personality but moves beyond it. It measures personality via a unique and innovative 28 facet and a 4-factor structure of personality. 

What are MPM’s Unique Advantages? 

The main value additions of MPM assessments are:

Applications of MPM

MPM is a robust workplace measure that can be used throughout an employee’s life cycle across different employment levels. 

• In Hiring, MPM can help employers gain access to otherwise hidden information about a job applicant, critical in influencing their workplace behavior. This provides organizations with an added advantage in making more confident hiring-related decisions.

• In Training and Development, MPM can help identify an individual’s relative strengths and/or weaknesses within a job setting. Information about such intrapersonal and interpersonal variables that boost or interfere with one’s desired performance may help organizations design more effective training programs.