How to Work with Personality and Behavioural Assessments
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Here at the-Coaching Blog-run by Gerard O’Donovan, our aim is to constantly bring value to those seeking to improve their lives. Therefore we have a policy of publishing articles and materials by guest authors whom we value and appreciate. Today’s guest author is Robin Hills (UK).
Does the Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume of the person that you are coaching contain rather general statements such as “good communication skills” or “ability to work independently and as part of a team”? If so, they are not alone. Most CVs will contain similar bland statements in one form or another.
How can you help your coachee give a better explanation of their capabilities and stand out from other job seekers?
Psychometric testing is being used more and more as part of the recruitment or selection process. The assessments are devised by occupational psychologists with the aim of providing employers with a reliable method of selecting the most suitable job applicants. They aim to measure attributes like intelligence, aptitude and personality. The results provide a potential employer with an insight into how well a person works with other people, how well they handle stress, and whether they will be able to cope with the intellectual demands of the job.
With this in mind, wouldn’t it be worthwhile to pre-empt the use of psychometrics by arranging for one to be taken privately and incorporating what it tells you into career coaching? The report generated will give a detailed explanation of your coachee’s personality; what their strengths and liabilities are and what is likely to cause those issues. They can use the positive words and phrases within their CV or at interview, and prepare for any discussions about what they are not so good at.
There are many assessments that are free on the internet. These are not to be relied upon as they often do not have the level of validity and reliability required to give confidence in their use.
You may already be qualified in using one or two assessments and should not overlook how you can use these in career coaching. Alternatively, you can arrange for your coachee to take a robust psychometric (such as Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Occupational Preference Questionnaire (OPQ), DISC etc.) through a qualified practitioner who will work with your client to give comprehensive insights and a thorough analysis of the assessment. You can use this information to coach your coachee further in the development of their CV and with their interview techniques.
Alternatively, if they have taken a psychometric as part of a selection procedure, and have been unsuccessful, use this to your advantage. Get them to ask for the feedback to which they are entitled. Encourage them to listen very carefully to what they are being told and to make notes. Even better, suggest that they ask for a candidate report – most psychometric suppliers provide these as a part of their package for recruiting managers. All of this feedback can be incorporated into your coaching sessions to add greater value to the career coaching process.
Through your coaching, encourage your coachee to think about what they have learnt about themselves and turn this information into positive, strong points. Use this optimistically to help them construct their CV, plan for further applications, and prepare good answers to questions that will, without doubt, come up at interview whether they take another psychometric or not. This will give them much more confidence and create more interest in their applications as they look to develop their career.
About Robin Hills
Robin Hills specialises in people development and the practical application of emotional intelligence through personality and behavioural assessment. He runs Ei4Change – Emotional Intelligence 4 Change – a company that operates internationally providing tools for change to support the development of emotional intelligence.
He is registered and accredited with the British Psychology Society as a Test User: Occupational Ability and Personality (Level A and B) and uses a range of internationally recognised profiling tools to assess type, trait, behaviour and emotional intelligence. He is a Member (Business) of the Association of Business Psychologists and sits on the UK North West Committee.
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