Made to measure: how you can match the candidate to the job
Psychometric assessment can shine a light on the suitable people for a position, says John Cameron, chief executive, International Association of Hotel Executives, so why do we not use it more?
The growth of the international hotel industry is reinforcing the demand for executive talent, which is compounded by a challenging turnover rate. This makes the process of selecting and matching candidates to jobs a high priority for employers.
Quite often, not enough time is spent correctly defining job responsibilities or accountabilities or communicating clear expectations for the role. This is a huge problem for the industry and it comes at significant cost for employers and employees.
One of the more constructive ways of tackling the issue is the use of psychometric assessments. These provide detailed information on a candidate based on scientific data, so that informed decisions can be made throughout the selection process.
Psychometric assessment is a method of measuring the abilities and personal attributes of people. It is based on a precise set of scientifically developed and validated measurement tools, which look at a broad range of important areas, such as abilities and aptitudes, interests, needs and aspirations, and features of a person's personal style or temperament, particularly in relation to dealing with workload and colleagues.
Standardised tests and questionnaires provide a level of objective information that cannot be obtained as effectively from an interview alone. For instance, they provide the necessary information to formulate a personal development plan with the general manager or hotel executive. This information comes about from the comparison of the test outcomes when compared with a senior-level executive competency model.
They also effectively match people to jobs, ensuring they have the core skills and knowledge for success in any position they may be considered for in the future.
In our Career Management Centre, the testing panel includes ability tests (where individuals are assessed in terms of their problem-solving skills and capacity to reason, absorb information and respond to learning opportunities) and temperament assessments, which provide a profile of characteristic behaviours and can be particularly useful for hotel executives working in a foreign culture or environment. They help to determine the suitability of an individual's personal style in terms of the exact nature and demands of the job and how appropriate they are for a specific role.
Even though psychometric assessment is proven to save time and money, many people can be wary of undergoing them for fear of their weaknesses being "found out''.
This is the wrong way of looking at it and actually, uncovering any areas for development can be a big bonus as it allows candidates to see where they can improve and what they need to do to strengthen these areas. It also highlights the opportunities people are best suited for, so they have a clearer picture of where they will succeed.
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