Being yourself
"Do you run up a flight of stairs skipping one step as you go or do you walk up step by step?" This was one of the questions that Joel S., a B.E. Computer Science student from the PSG College of Technology, had to answer in a psychometric test conducted for campus placements.
If you run up, you may be a person who searches for opportunities and if you walk up slowly and systematically, that is what your personality may be.
Different jobs have different job requirements. Empathy, ability to tolerate stress and meet deadlines may be critical for a call centre executive while creativity, innovation and detail-orientation a must for a design engineer.
Identifying the right person for the right job needs a closer and more objective assessment of the personality profile. Your actions speak volumes about your personality, attitude and preferences. Hence matching your personality-traits with the job requirements is key. The science of psychometrics or measuring how you will behave in various situations leads employers to make decisions.
"Companies use psychometric tests to measure behaviour, skills and applied intelligence," says Sindhu, Senior Organisational Psychologist, Eduquity, a Bangalore-based company that conducts such tests for a range of IT, ITES companies including some educational institutions.
What is it?
"If a company is looking for persons having leadership qualities, work in a team and interpersonal skills, eight to 10 questions about the same skill but couched in different situations will be asked" says Bharath Kaushik and Shankar, students from PSG Tech, who are now placed at TCS.
In a particular format, there would be 150 questions. For example, you may be asked:
* You enjoy working in teams
* You are in the habit of starting and then losing interest in things
* You are an outgoing person
* You rather work in a lab than with others
* You must answer yes, no or can't say.
The tests also evaluate how consistent is the candidate's response, says Shankar, another PSG Tech student now placed with the TCS. So it is important that you are truthful in your responses.
Adds Ms. Sindhu: "These tests are scientific and bring in objectivity into the recruitment process."
Some companies use these tests as elimination round while others use it to fit the candidate in the right job. These tests are also used for training and development in companies and also to plan promotions. In fact, in the Indian Institute of Bangalore, these tests are used to help the second year students select their management specialisation.
Preparation
"No preparation is required," says Ramesh, a PSG Tech student who has made it to TVS Motors. Suraaj K. R., a mechanical engineering student says: "It is important to know yourself."
This helps you in consistency while responding. It also helps you identify whether this is the right company for you. In fact, such tests actually help one to find out whether she will be suitable for the company, says Mr. Shankar.
Puja S Navin
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