Other Graduate Selection Methods

Graduate Recruitment Guide: Other Selection Methods

Other methods to select graduates are available to recruiters. You can use on of the standard personality or psychometric tests, or for assessment centres, design your own; in-tray exercises are increasingly popular and give a good indication of how a graduate is going to perform in role. 

Options include:

  • Personality tests
  • Psychometric tests
  • Assessment centres

Personality tests

Personality tests are used to determine how a candidate is likely to behave in certain situations. Some tests which are popular with graduate employers are:

Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ)

 - measures either sixteen or thirty two dimensions of an individual’s personality, grouped into four areas; relationship with people, thinking styles, emotions and energies.

16 PF (16 Personality Factor) 

This measures 16 personality traits to predict behaviours; warmth, reasoning, emotional stability, social boldness, sensitivity, vigilance, openness to change, self-reliance, perfectionism, dominance, liveliness, rule consciousness, abstractedness, privateness, apprehensiveness, and tension.

Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

MBTI is one of the most common personality tests based on Jung’s psychological personality types. The test tends to be used by employers for teambuilding and it must be administered by a qualified practitioner.

Psychometric tests

These are designed to objectively evaluate candidates' attributes like intelligence, aptitude and personality. These tests provide potential employers with an insight into how well a candidate will work with other people, handle stress, and whether they could cope with the intellectual demands of the job. Psychometric tests are popular but controversial and need a qualified practitioner

Assessment centres

One of the most comprehensive and expensive selection methods is using an assessment centre and they are generally used by larger organisations. Candidates will take part in individual and group exercises, including an interview, psychometric tests, group discussions and tasks, written exercises and presentations. Smaller companies can add an element of the assessment centre by setting a task such as an in-tray exercise to see how the candidate is likely to perform in role.