If you are recruiting, planning talent development, or assessing team strengths, it can be difficult to genuinely remove bias and look objectively at the strategic decisions you need to make.
This is why companies, such as nationwide property developers Countryside Properties, approached us to support them with internal promotions and talent development by recommending a suite of psychometric assessments. Whatever part of your business you are hiring for, using a tool such as an Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) or an ability assessment quickly gives you the insight you need to make those important hiring decisions.
Marion Whitty, Head of Learning and Development at Countryside describes what introducing psychometrics into the recruitment and development process did for them: “It’s always important to get the right person for a role particularly when you are looking for someone to strategically drive your business and be a good cultural fit. Waddington Brown give us an objective perspective to enable us to make the right selection decisions.
“Waddington Brown has helped us with psychometric testing for some of our most senior roles. The service we receive is exceptional as they are able to act quickly, be flexible and provide objective guidance and support in the selection of suitable candidates.”
So, how do you introduce psychometrics into your processes?
Firstly, it is important to identify what skills or behaviours you are trying to assess through the process. When you have clarity on that the next step is to speak to a qualified psychometric assessor who will recommend the best tools to use to achieve the results you require.
The person you wish to receive the psychometric assessment is sent a link via email, with clear instructions on how to complete the assessment. The completed report is returned and, depending on the level of support you choose, our qualified Psychometric Assessor works with you to interpret the results and place them in context with your decision making.
Waddington Brown’s Psychometric Assessor, Eithne Sanders, has seen first-hand the value the OPQ and ability assessments bring to clients and their candidates. “Having objective insights into candidate personalities has meant clients could make confident, informed decisions,” she says. “This has included times when a candidate was appointed that would constructively challenge the leadership team, rather than simply fit a safe, existing mould, helping to stretch and develop them as a team as well as lead effectively in their area of expertise.”
“The pandemic has also seen a greater number of candidates having to explore opportunities outside of their existing industries. An OPQ can help hiring managers cut through the CV content and get right to the heart of a person’s work style, values and the dynamic they will bring to your team.”
“Forward-thinking companies are also using OPQs to add value for the candidate as part of the recruitment process too, with the knowledge that every interaction with candidates is a way of demonstrating your brand and culture.”
This last point was re-iterated by Marion Whitty from Countryside Properties too, who said: “The feedback we receive back from candidates is that the [assessment] process is professional, constructive and valuable. We want all candidates to have a positive experience and that’s why we work with Waddington Brown.”
Individual Assessments are priced from £195 + VAT and can be used for hiring decisions in any discipline and industry. Visit our web page for more information, or contact us to find out how psychometrics can help you.