Psychometric Analysis in HR: How Can It Help Us Find the Right Fit and Career Path?

Hi All,

At the outset, let me acknowledge that this site is the place where any HR person would like to hang out... Thanks, Citehr.

Here I share my ideas and opinions regarding Psychometric Analysis:

Psychometric analysis is taking center stage as more and more HR professionals start believing in this aspect of science.

Psychometric analysis is helpful in recruiting, analyzing training needs, and even during appraisals. This aspect of science would definitely be a very useful tool for HR personnel in placing the right candidate in the right place.

Psychometric analysis would also help youngsters in choosing their careers. I am sure everybody would agree with me if I say, "Every human being has a specialty of his own," while those who realize it would be more successful than those who do not realize it. Psychometric analysis helps to identify the talent, and then one can choose the career that suits their talent.

These views are posted to start the ball rolling on psychometric analysis, and I hope senior professionals would shed some light on this topic and enlighten us about this aspect coupled with HR.

Best Regards,

PIPPALLA RAM

Email: pippallaram@sify.com

Dear Pippallaram,

Namaskar.

Nice to meet you. You are absolutely right, but the problem is that companies think that psychometric tests can be bought from certain farms and applied straight to get the results. There are no culture-free psychometric tests. Therefore, a test standardized in a population in Washington cannot be applied in Hyderabad. To apply tests in a specific population, the tests must be standardized in that population only. If tests already exist that are standardized in another population, those tests need to be restandardized before use. The whole process should be handled by an expert competent in psychometry.

Regards,
Jogeshwar

Namaskar Jogeswarji,

It is absolutely correct that a psychometric test needs to be personalized for each occasion based on the objective of conducting such a test. Moreover, a psychometric test and analysis are only a means to an end and not an end in itself.

Thanks for your response, Doctorji.

Regards,
PIPPALLA RAM

Dear friends,

Namaskar.

PSYCHOMETRY: THE BIG BULL, BIGGER THAN THE DEAD BIG BULL YOU KNOW.

Long back, my senior, who is no longer with us, was planning a project. He asked me to review the tests he intended to use. I requested the technical details. For one test, he provided a reference to a publication, most likely the American Sociological Review of the 1964 volume. Upon reviewing the paper, I discovered an interesting fact - the scores did not follow a normal distribution. The authors expressed their bewilderment as they had followed all standardization steps, yet the scores did not exhibit normal distribution, a fact they acknowledged in the paper.

I shared the paper with my senior and explained the error regarding the non-normal distribution of scores. The first author was a prominent figure in the corporate world back then and remains so today. I feel insignificant compared to his stature.

The second test my senior showed me had a manual authored by a well-known director of a reputed institute. It comprised 9 scales and a single reliability estimate, specifically a split-half reliability. It is illogical for the 9 scales to be internally consistent, yet the author claimed to have found such consistency. This aspect seems to mock the testing process.

A doctoral dissertation, published in book form, was sent for review to a friend of mine who asked me to write the review. Upon examination, I noticed a stark contradiction between the results and the text. I provided a scathing critique, which was eventually published, although it seemed to go unnoticed.

Another doctoral dissertation was submitted for evaluation to a senior colleague who lacked expertise in testing. He requested me to write the evaluation. The tests employed were foreign-made and not readapted for the local context. Interestingly, the scores displayed a different distribution from the standardization sample, yet interpretations were drawn from the standardizing authority.

This is the reality of the testing world. I share these experiences to highlight that psychometry is a formidable challenge. While some may attempt to conquer it, seizing it by the horns demands strength, stamina, endurance, vigor, vitality, and resilience.

Regards,

Jogeshwar.

Dear Sukhia,

Make an internet search, and you will find any number of sites. My concern is whether the tests are appropriately standardized. In citehr, you will find many threads on this topic, but when I pose the standardization question, hardly any answers come. Is any company in India interested in taking up test standardization?

Regards