Psychometric Assessment

Definition

Scientific evaluation using tests to measure personality, intelligence, or job fit; supposedly objective but often validates whatever bias you already had.

Example Usage

The psychometric assessment said I had low 'agreeableness,' which is just code for 'doesn't suffer fools.'

Origin

Field emerged in early 1900s from psychology; formalized in HR around the 1970s.

Fun Fact

The Myers-Briggs test, while popular in HR, has questionable scientific validity but is used by 88% of Fortune 500 companies.

Source: Industrial-organizational psychology

Related Terms

Advanced

psychometric testing

Standardized assessments measuring candidates' cognitive abilities, personality traits, and behavioral tendencies for hiring or development purposes. It's astrology for HR, but with more statistics and legal defensibility.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

organizational design

The strategic arrangement of reporting structures, roles, and workflows to theoretically optimize performance, though in practice it's often an excuse to reshuffle the deck chairs. It's architecture for humans instead of buildings.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

job carving

Breaking down a traditional job into smaller, specialized tasks that can be performed by workers with different abilities, often used in disability employment. It's job description Jenga played for inclusive purposes.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

time to productivity

The period between when an employee starts and when they actually contribute value rather than just attending orientation sessions and asking where the bathroom is. It's HR's acknowledgment that new hires are expensive decorative objects for a while.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

Retention Strategy

An elaborate plan to convince employees they actually want to stay, usually involving ping-pong tables and the promise of 'unlimited PTO' that nobody actually uses.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

Full-Stack Talent

An employee who can do multiple things adequately, borrowed from tech terminology. Essentially, your one-person army before you hire a proper team.

👥 Human Resources

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