The importance of tests in recruiting

“Personality is the psychological variable with the highest degree of complexity, as it simultaneously involves elements of perception, thought, learning, emotions, etc. An assessment of personality may take place either in clinical contexts or in workplace situations, and the tools utilised will differ depending on the assessment’s goals.
Personality tests are assessment tools that define an individual’s personality profile. They may measure just one aspect of personality, or various dimensions simultaneously. The degree of reliability and efficacy of these tools is determined by the use of standard techniques when building the tool itself.
Personality tests are characterised by the fact that, while structured non-ambiguous stimuli are presented, the interpretation of results requires a knowledge of psychological dynamics and of the theory underlying the administered test.
In essence, the application of personality and/or aptitude assessment tools within an organisation is beneficial in that it provides predictive elements regarding a person’s performance in a certain role, as well as information on the candidate’s possible success in a certain position.”
I recently discussed this and other topics with an industrial psychologist, who expressed her considerations as to how superficially companies often entrust skilled personnel recruitment to head hunters who have no other knowledge than the direct acquaintance of people working in a certain sector.
There is no doubt that, in order to occupy certain positions in hotel management, previous work experiences and an in-depth professional preparation are important; it is equally true, however, that these requirements are not sufficient to ensure that a person successfully integrates in an existing organisation within a specific role: there are therefore clear limits to the notion that “if he performed well before, he will perform well now”.
We should not forget that, particularly in tourism, human resources are a company’s true assets, and the choice of co-workers (especially those in key positions) should be given extreme attention; the use of personality tests should be one of the main tools in the recruiting process, on condition, however, that tests results are interpreted on the basis of scientific knowledge aptly combined with a good knowledge of the occupational sector.