Profiling provides an in-depth look at someone’s personality and psychological functioning that may not be readily apparent. Using self-report questionnaires, many companies rely on psychometric tests to screen candidates and gain a better perspective on how well someone will perform in a given position.

Should you try psychometric testing yourself? Read on to learn the benefits of psychometric profiles and how they can help you find the best talent.

1. Identify Ideal Candidates

Coming up with a personality archetype through psychometric testing is a great way to scout potential hires. Understanding the characteristics, qualities and behavioral tendencies of the ideal person makes it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to identify the right people.

The DiSC personality test can help you design a personality framework for each position you need to fill.

2. More Effective Matching

When you have job candidates take a psychometric test, you can get a better idea of how well their own values and beliefs reflect company culture. If their personality vastly differentiates from the company at large, then they probably won’t be a good fit regardless of their past work experience or other qualifying credentials.

Although you shouldn’t read into psychometric or personality test results too much, they can provide a solid working idea of a person’s general demeanor, problem-solving ability and work ethic.

3. Get a Clearer Picture on Candidates

Some job applicants have stellar resumes and cover letters but fall flat during interviews. Nerves and social anxiety can cause many qualified people to miss out on jobs they’re perfect for. Companies can ensure a person is judged for more than just their interview skills by employing psychometric tests and taking the profile into consideration.

4. Save Time

When you use profiles to screen potential employees, you can drastically reduce the amount of time spent sifting through resumes, online applications and holding in-person interviews. For larger companies, it’s simply not feasible to spend hours a day sorting through the hundreds of applications and resumes that are received.

Instead, using psychometric measures, companies can assess candidates’ aptitude and personality traits first, thus narrowing the applicant pool to a more specific, detailed group before reading resumes and reaching out.

5. Help Employees Identify Key Strengths

You can use psychometric tests and personality profiles in the office, too. Many workers with immense talent struggle to apply themselves effectively in the workplace. They may know what they can do in theory, but they lack the insight to apply their skills in the most beneficial ways.

Through psychometric tests, employees can learn more about how they think and tap into their best assets. Managers can gain valuable insight into each worker’s individual competencies and take advantage of them when making decisions, divvying up work loads, creating teams and giving assignments.

6. Assess Ability Over Education

Many companies falsely assume that a university or graduate degree reflects a candidate’s ability. The result is hiring new employees who do not know how to perform their job, which affects productivity and ultimately causes stress for everyone involved.

Psychometric tests can give companies an inside look at how well a person really can perform a given task, regardless of their educational background. When hiring managers start to look at candidates through a skill-based lens, they are more likely to find the type of person they’re looking for than when they focus on credentials alone.

7. Improve Existing Operations

Personality profiles can help managers understand their existing team. Whether they want to improve conflict resolution skills or figure out why their best workers aren’t thriving, psychometric testing can shed light and offer insight into some of the most perplexing social problems in the workplace.

Learning how to communicate and which managerial style to employ with a certain person based off their personality can have a ripple effect. The more you can see employees as individuals beyond their title, the easier it becomes to have more meaningful, productive communications.

One shouldn’t rely on psychometric profiles entirely, but they are a fantastic way to start learning more about how others think, what they are capable of and where their values lie. By reviewing profiles along with resumes, you can gain a much clearer perspective on who you’re hiring and make more informed, accurate choices.