Career Guidance Through Psychometrics

By Devika Kapur

At some point in our lives we have all gone through or might be going through confusion about what field to pursue, whether we should change professions or what are we really passionate about. This occurs especially when we are presented with an opportunity that we must make a decision to move forward from. It may be deciding what to study, where to work, what job to apply for or even where to move. These decisions also bring about a lot of self-doubt and introspection to make a choice.

Leading counselors and coaches have moved from assessing grades or performance to using psychometric tests to get a grip on individual traits of their client. Statistics of marks or static figures of work requirement do not provide a holistic view of what drives the individual. But the different types of psychometric tests, when used together, may be able to do just that. Starting with aptitude tests, which measure the ability or skill set that you use to perform specific tasks in certain situations. These are usually different sections within the tests that are divided into a number of questions, following numerical, verbal reasoning, spatial knowledge, etc. which gets an all-around viewpoint with a high incline in a certain competency. For example, people that score high on spatial intelligence can search for a job in architecture, engineering, designing, etc. Secondly, there are interest tests that are usually presented to students that have no idea in which direction they are leaning regarding their future. The test gives you two options of activities at the same time and you must choose one of them over the chance of the other, this allows the test to narrow down your preferences and the field that they are found in. Next, the personality tests are used by the staff to measure the traits that are abundant in your individual personality that might aid your working ability as well. For example, if a person is an extrovert with high agreeableness, they might excel in jobs that require interacting with others like sales, marketing, real estate, media.

Many people face issues after graduating or even working in a field for years, which is why another set of psychometric tests can be applicable to them about whether to change their profession or area of study. This would imply the use of all the previous tests, as well as more tests that are inclined towards the workplace, like workplace competency, employability quotient, BEI skills, etc. They measure the different measures that would allow the company to see whether a candidate would fit into their corporate cultural system at the workplace.

With an increase in number of people receiving counselling, from students to mid-tier office workers with years of experience, it is said that the quality and scope of the testing is more important than the number of candidates that would apply. Every company wants to work with an individual that is good at their job and amplifies the culture at the workplace, which can only be achieved when like-minded people work together to create the best experience for the consumer that could be possible. If someone is working in a field, they aren’t passionate about, it would show in the quality of work they produce. Many individuals have only realized their interests when the results show their competencies, while some have known it but didn’t have any insight about which field to venture into. An all-round evaluation of a person and their interests are essential when facing such confusion and falling into a professional that doesn’t suit them. So, isn’t it better to completely know yourself and your interests before making those decisions?