In the past, the selection of employees was based on relatives, friends and close circle relationships. Later, objective data such as diploma information and demographic characteristics were used in recruitment.
Interviewers who acted like judges of character began to conduct face-to-face interviews with candidates. However, over time, it was understood that the subjective realities of the manager conducting the interview were more effective in the selection of candidates than the characteristics of the candidate being interviewed.
Psychometric measurements, which began to be used in recruitment since the last quarter of the last century, have enabled the evaluation of candidates’ intellectual abilities and personality traits, and have brought a great deal of confidence to business life. Thus, it has become easier for the institution to draw strength from the employee and for the employee to draw strength from the institution, and it has been understood that results such as reduction in layoffs, establishment of synergistic teams, focus on success, increase in work efficiency and employee happiness based on the confidence of contributing to this are possible with the right selection and evaluation processes.
Strong institutions mean strong individuals. Today, it is seen that institutions that can bring the right job together with the right candidate provide a significant advantage in achieving success. In order for the suitable job to meet the suitable candidate, the competencies required for the position must be determined in advance, and then the candidate’s suitability for these competencies must be measured.
Individuals and institutions can only be successful if they can realize themselves and reach the goals they have set. Qualified individuals who come together around a common goal form the core of strong institutions; like the cells that make up the organism, they structure the organism of institutions in line with the same goal but with different characteristics and functions. On a puzzle board, the pieces are tried to be put together in the best way to complement each other in order to form the whole of the puzzle. If we think of the puzzle pieces as positions and individuals; we achieve the integrity of the institution by combining the positions and individuals that best complement each other. This integrity of the institution is the key to its success.
According to a study, a rate ranging from 30 to 50 percent of senior employees working as managers leave their jobs in less than a year. Employees who are selected according to their diploma knowledge and skills are forced to leave their jobs due to adaptation problems related to their personality traits. These results lead to loss of job, loss of time and financial investment in selection processes, and social fluctuations that damage corporate culture.
A study conducted in 200 companies over a period of five years found that there was a tangible increase in the profitability of companies that applied psychometric tests. The new generation of psychometric measurements developed in the last quarter of the last century are based on personality theories that define job performance. The most prominent representative of these personality measurements that predict job performance today is the tools developed by Hogan Assessment Systems.
Hogan assessment tools have a usage prevalence of 60 percent in the USA and 50 percent in the UK today. These tests provide access to candidate information that is not possible to access with other methods. Thus, the most suitable pool can be created in the shortest time without the need for candidates to come together in the same physical environment before being invited to interviews. It allows healthy questions to be asked that will reveal behaviors that are appropriate for business purposes. After the acceptance phase, effective development plans specific to the individual can be made. In this way, it becomes clear with which competencies the candidate will carry his/her knowledge, experiences and talents to business life.
Personality is the most important element that shapes success in business life
For many years, it was thought that intellectual intelligence was the determinant of business success. However, business results and research highlight personality traits. It has been seen that “how it is done” is as important as “what is done” for business success and the individual’s job satisfaction. How the job is done is related to the individual’s personality traits.
Personality measurements examine the personality traits of individuals and bring these traits to light through various scales and examine them in terms of the needs of institutions. The new generation psychometric tests of the age offer seven basic scales that reflect the leading characteristics of personality for business life. Baltaş-Eksen and Hogan Assessment Systems have developed personality tests that institutions will use in the recruitment process by making evaluations based on these seven basic scales. These are scales for which validity and reliability studies have been conducted for Turkish culture. The Seven Basic Scales consist of seven basic dimensions of personality. These dimensions are internal harmony, sociability, ambition, agreeableness, prudence, openness to innovation and openness to learning.
- Internal Harmony: Self-confidence, self-esteem, and the ability to remain calm under pressure
- Sociability: Extraversion, enjoyment of being in a community, need for social interaction
- Ambition: Competitiveness, leadership potential
- Agreeableness: Warmth, sincerity, ability to maintain relationships
- Prudence: Care for one’s work, self-control, diligence
- Openness to Innovation: Imagination, curiosity, potential for discovery
- Openness to learning: Interest in education and training to improve oneself, desire to stay up-to-date
Psychometric tests at the service of business life
The seven basic dimensions of personality create a detailed map of a person’s inner world, visible from the outside. These scales measure the skills of “getting along” and “getting ahead”, which form the basis of social behavior in human nature, and predict the individual’s job performance.
Socioanalytic theory places getting along and getting ahead at the basis of an individual’s organizational behavior. Because people live in groups and there is a hierarchy in groups. If we consider the hierarchical group as an institutional environment, it is understood that it is mandatory for employees to get along with each other and to get ahead of each other in order to advance. There is an agenda and roles in the work environment for people to take responsibility. In other words, there is a goal determined by the institution in the work environment and different roles to fulfill the responsibilities required to achieve this goal. Employees have to get along with others in order to fulfill their roles on the agenda, and they have to get ahead in order to become competent and be deemed worthy of higher roles. Individuals’ skills in getting along and getting ahead are the precursors of their success in the work environment.
The seven basic dimensions of personality reflect the skills of individuals to get along and get ahead. Internal harmony, prudence and agreeableness are related to “getting along”; ambition, sociability, openness to experience and learning are related to “getting ahead”. People with high internal harmony, prudence and agreeableness establish positive relationships with others; because these people are individuals who are self-confident, respect their labor, and meticulously carry out the work they undertake. They can sometimes be our university teacher, sometimes our colleague who meticulously organizes their files. These people with high self-esteem respect the efforts of others as well as their own efforts; they approach their colleagues with complete goodwill and sincerity.
Getting ahead is mostly related to extroversion, openness to learning and experience. For a person who aims to advance step by step on the ladder of the business world, inner harmony is a “must”; however, in addition to self-confidence and high self-esteem, curiosity, openness to learning and extroversion are also necessary. They are our project managers or newly promoted colleagues; they also have other qualities required to get ahead: They need social interaction, enjoy being in a community, have high leadership potential and do not dream vain dreams.
The 7 basic characteristics of the “outward face” of personality determine job performance. However; two personality dimensions such as prudence and inner harmony are particularly effective in predicting job performance. Hard-working, reliable and disciplined people are self-confident and calm with their high inner harmony. These people, who are at peace with themselves and disciplined, are evaluated more positively by institutions during the recruitment process compared to other candidates.
We can define certain personality traits for each profession; for example, a sales representative needs to have very high social skills; because his/her responsibility is based on human relations and he/she has to convince people. In contrast, social skills are not essential for an R&D officer. A research assistant needs a high level of openness to learning, prudence and inner harmony in order to work diligently, patiently and with care; the same skills apply to university lecturers; they are calm, prudent and open to learning.
As can be seen from the explanations above, the personality traits that determine success in each profession are different. In addition, each institution may have different score ranges regarding professional characteristics. It is possible to create a norm for each institution and each profession. The norm creation study is carried out by determining the productivity-increasing characteristics of a group formed from the most qualified employees and turning them into a profile.
Making choices that are in line with the institutional and professional norms and personality traits provides undeniable opportunities. The business results of these studies can be listed as follows; reducing absenteeism, decreasing the rate of leaving work, reducing orientation and training costs, revealing the strengths of the person, increasing mental added value, creating team synergy and increasing work efficiency. As in every field, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by science in selecting and evaluating the right person for the job makes life easy, meaningful and productive.
Prof. Dr. Acar Baltaş
Ref: https://www.acarbaltas.com/kurumlar-isini-bilen-seven-ve-gelistiren-insanlarla-varolur/
