The MIE Assessment team recently observed a steep increase in queries received from candidates that were assessed. While some candidates seek insight into their development areas for career planning, many challenge their results or question the outcomes of recruitment decisions. This growing trend highlights the increasing importance of handling candidate queries on psychometric assessments results with care and precision. We suspect that the increase stems from the high unemployment rate in our country and the limited opportunities caused by widespread recruitment freezes.
We would like to ensure our valued clients of peace of mind that our professional team of psychometrists and psychologists ensures that all legislative and regulatory requirements, as well as psychometric best practices are met when outsourcing your talent assessments to us. There are, however, a few areas that we discuss below that you as the potential employer are responsible for and should take care of to ensure that you eliminate any risks.
Handling candidate queries on psychometric assessment results begins with the right processes and employer responsibilities
When employers neglect key steps in the assessment process, they risk compromising fairness, validity, and legal defensibility. To support successful hiring outcomes and reduce exposure to candidate disputes, it is essential to get the fundamentals right. The following areas require deliberate attention and consistent application.
1. Get the requirements spot-on
To ensure that the assessment results relate to the inherent requirements of the role, the employer must perform a proper job analysis that will establish the correct requirements. Getting this wrong could impact the assessment outcome significantly and result in poor selection or even talent decisions. Contact us if you need assistance employing a more defensible process.
2. Share the psychometric assessments results appropriately
Line managers often need guidance on how to interpret psychometric assessments results effectively and unpack the risks that were identified during the recruitment process. Asking our psychometrists for feedback helps line managers to reach a deeper level of insight about the candidate and therefore results in more effective decision making and peace of mind.
3. Don’t risk exposing yourself
At MIE we offer candidate-friendly development reports to help your candidates make sense of their results and plan their development. It is not good practice to share your selection reports with the candidates. They do not usually understand the results in the way we do. Sharing these reports can expose your company and do the candidate more harm than good. Always speak to us to obtain candidate development reports before sharing any information with your candidates. It is best practice to offer feedback from a qualified person to ensure that the results are communicated effectively. Rather invest the extra time in doing this right from the beginning, than spending additional time trying to argue your case when challenged.
4. Ensure fairness through standardization
We ensure that all requirements related to fairness towards candidates are met by following a standardized approach, and it is critical that you do the same in your internal practices. Applying standardization and consistency is one of the ways to eliminate the risk of candidates being able to prove unfairness. This should imply regardless of whether they are internal or external candidates. Lastly, it is also critical that you embed standardization by making provision for the use of assessments within your HR policies and ensure adherence throughout the organization.
As always, please reach out to us if you are unsure or need our expert advice.
The MIE Assessment Team
