FAQ: Psychometric Testing in Recruitment

Locating the right franchisees is crucially important to ensure the long-term profitability of a franchise operation. Increasingly, testing is being used to evaluate potential franchisees. Use our frequently asked questions below to help you use psychometric testing to choose the right recruits for your business franchise.

What Exactly is Psychometric Testing?

Simply put, psychometric testing attempts to make an evaluation of the personality of the person being tested. Commonplace in corporate human resource departments, psychometric testing is also now finding its way into smaller businesses as well. This is mostly because the tests themselves have become cheaper to buy and also easier to obtain thanks to the Internet.

Can the Tests Really Tell Me if a Franchise Applicant Will Apply Themselves and Make My Franchise a Success?

As with all testing it is how the tests themselves are set-up and more importantly, how you interpret the results. If you don’t ask the right questions, you won’t have answers that will give you a clear indication of how well - or not - your franchise applicant will perform if they buy a franchise from you. Psychometric testing should not be used as your only guide to potential new franchisees, but the tests can help you weed out the time wasters and those people that don’t have any business acumen.

Are All the Tests the Same as I Have Seen Very Cheap Test on the Internet I Can Just Download?

This are is really where you have to be very careful. Psychometric tests bought off the Internet may purport to be accurate, but it is still advisable to use a psychologist or recruitment agent to help you choose, implement and then interpret the result you obtain. Don’t forget, your business will make a substantial investment in a new franchisee. Your psychometric testing is just an aid to help you award franchises to the right people.

What Can’t Psychometric Testing Tell Me About a Franchise Applicant?

Some people are just very good at passing tests, but you should realise that applicants don’t actually pass or fail a psychometric test. The test itself is a guide to their personality type and if this will fit with the application they are making. You should, therefore, not base your award of a new franchise simply on the test results you get. It is vital to include psychometric testing as just one component of your recruitment process. Never just give a psychometric test over the Internet. It is important to interview your applicants, and look closely at their background and qualifications. The psychometric personality testing you do can give you a shortlist of potential new franchisees, but you should still use traditional recruitment techniques as well.

Are Psychometric Tests General, or Can They be Tailor Made?

One of the main problems with the psychometric tests that can be downloaded from the Internet is that they usually just general tests. It is unlikely that you will find a psychometric test online that will answer all of the specific questions you have in the context of recruiting new franchisees. It is important to be confident that the results you do get are accurate and can be relied upon. To this end, using a testing agency is money well spent. They will design a psychometric test for your specific needs and give you the metrics by which to evaluate the results you receive.

It Seems Easy to Have an Element of Discrimination in Psychometric Tests. Can This be Avoided?

You are right. Many testing regimes that exist can open themselves to discrimination. Don’t forget there are regulations about how businesses recruit staff. Selling a franchise operation is a recruitment process. As such, you should eliminate all forms of discrimination in the testing you do. A testing agent will be able to help you with this. Also, the British Psychological Society has a code of practice you can adopt with your testing.