Lately, Swedish newspapers have questioned whether personality tests add any value. History seems to be repeating itself. Even in the 1980s, there was a lively discussion about the value of the tests, and a Norwegian professor, for example, thought it was better to 'predict using coffee grounds' than to use personality tests for recruitment.
But here are some examples of the value of using good tests for recruitment:
2,6%. Candidates recruited through Psykometrika had a much higher billing rate compared to existing personnel. For our client, consistently using their own 'success profile' in their recruitment process resulted in significantly increased revenue. For the company, this translates to hundreds of thousands of kronor per month in increased revenue.
26,86%. This was the average annual long-term sick leave for our client. Through mapping and statistical analysis, we were able to show the management which personal qualities to look for when hiring. In just three years, the long-term sick leave rate dropped to 7.91%. In addition, employee turnover decreased significantly.
31 557 Swedish kronor. That was the estimated cost of absence per day and employee for one of our clients. In our group analysis, we were able to show that the office managers consistently recruited individuals with the wrong personality and instead hired people who resembled themselves. After careful consideration, the management decided to sell the entire business to an international player. The Swedish operations have now been shut down.
122 000 Swedish kronor. That's how much the top consultants invoiced per month. The problem for the international consulting organization was that the best ones left after just a few years. Why? Through statistical analysis, we found the cause. The analysis was then the basis for a reorganization to get the best consultants to want to stay longer at the company.
This is some examples of how good tests can help companies. At the same time, it's good to be skeptical of tests. There is still so much ignorance about what tests really say and how they arrived at their results. Simply put, the more incompetent a user is, the more trust they have that a single test result tells the truth about a person - and vice versa.
Sources:
Svenska Dagbladet (2023). 30 Mars, 31 Mars, 4 April.
Psykometrika (2022). Scientific Background.
Paul Moxnes (1988). Test og kaffegrut. Ledelse, nr 7, page 78–80.
Paul Moxnes (1988). Personlighetstester er null verd. Ledelse, nr 4, page 43–45.