How Can I Implement a Common Psychometric Test for Electrical Engineering Candidates?

I am working as an Assistant Manager - Recruitment with an MNC in Mumbai. I am recruiting B.E. Electrical and Diploma in Electrical Engineer profiles. I want to conduct a common psychometric test for all the candidates who come for the interview. Can somebody help me with this?

Hi Rupali,

You can go for Thomas DISC Profiling. The product is good. It will not only help you with recruitments but also with identifying behavioral training needs for your team. It will tell you if a person is under pressure. The cost is Rs. 600 for the graph they prepare and another Rs. 600 for the report. However, you can prepare the report yourself and save that Rs. 600 for your organization. We are using the same tool, and it is very convenient to use.

Regards,
Kaif Ahmad

The first question to ask is, what are you trying to assess: aptitude, personality variables (e.g., interests and inclinations), or competencies?

The DISC measures four dimensions, as referenced in Wikipedia:

The assessments classify four aspects of behavior by testing a person's preferences in word associations (compare with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). DISC is an acronym for:

- Dominance - relating to control, power, and assertiveness
- Influence - relating to social situations and communication
- Steadiness (submission in Marston's time) - relating to patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness
- Conscientiousness (or caution, compliance in Marston's time)

Is that what you need?

There are many tools available, and you may need some help determining what you need; getting some support from a Level A and B workplace assessor would be a useful thing.

Assessment centers definitely add to the job match, but they need competent professionals to sift through them.

Agreed that it is important to know what your need is, but as it's said, "you can't send a duck to eagle's school," which means if one has the personality traits (attitude that suits best to the profile), you can teach him/her the product and the culture. For example, if your mission is to climb a tree, you can either hire a squirrel or train a horse... What would you do???

DISC Profiling suggests if the person has the requisite traits or not. This is made easier by a tool provided known as the HJA or Human Job Analysis.

Assessment Centers are reliable and have an accuracy of 66-67%. However, the issue is that for positions with a large number of candidates, you will need more people, and the cost increases. Additionally, assessment centers may not be available all the time, whereas DISC is accessible at all times, taking a person 7-8 minutes to complete, and another hour for the report preparation (or instantly if you don't do it yourself).

As far as accuracy is concerned, it is pretty good. Based on my personal experience, I can suggest it is 60% accurate.

That's why I'm suggesting DISC.

DISC could prove to be a very useful tool in many organizations. However, one of the major drawbacks it has is that, although it would tell you the Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness level of a person, it would not tell you the desired measurables. For example, managers would need to be more dominant than others. These traits need to be strong for a certain designation and may not be that important for other levels.

In other words, DISC would reveal the profile of the person, but the corrective action plan is open-ended...

It's not that DISC doesn't tell you what the desired level of D I S & C is, but for a particular position, you will need to conduct an HJA (Human Job Analysis). This analysis will provide you with the base level or an idealistic graph for that specific position.

Ensure proper paragraph formatting and maintain the original meaning of the text.

Dear All,

I was not disputing the value of a DISC profile. I was suggesting that before you can use any test instrument, you have to know what you are trying to gather information on; that is, what you are attempting to measure or determine about the person.

For example, if I want to understand abstract or numerical reasoning ability (which might be crucial in engineering), the DISC profile will not provide insight into those aspects. While the DISC may reveal a person's tendencies on the four scales it employs, understanding how these tendencies may relate to the position or category of jobs you are recruiting for is essential.

Psychometric tools (along with any assessment or evaluative methods or techniques we use) presuppose that we have carefully considered what we are trying to measure or assess, why we are doing so, who will utilize the data, and how.

I'm simply saying that before you view any tool or test as a "panacea," you need to engage in additional strategic HR work.

Cheers

Dear all,

Thank you for your suggestions.

I am responsible for hiring Electrical and Mechanical engineers who will lead a team of Electricians and technicians. Therefore, mathematical and reasoning abilities are not required. I need a psychometric test to assess these individuals based on their leadership qualities, attitude, patience, and behavior in various situations.

I believe Kaif Ahmed's suggestion to use DISC will be helpful for me. Kaif, could you please assist me with the DISC Questionnaire? Please forward it to me at radiance.19@gmail.com.

Regards,
Rupaali