Relax. Whether you are told you will be required to sit psychometric tests or attend an assessment centre (the non-“psy” way of saying the same thing) there is really nothing to worry about. It is highly unlikely you will lose a job opportunity on the basis of psychometric tests alone, and it may be that when you do get your next job, if psychometric tests were used during the selection process, your transition into and development in cabin crew job will be smoother.
What are psychometric tests?
Psychometric tests fall into two main categories:
• Aptitude tests: which assess cognitive capacity such as numerical and verbal reasoning ability.
• Personality tests: which assess behavioural and motivational characteristics.
So, how do you look good in these tests?
In short, prepare. It is not true that there is nothing you can do to improve your performance. Simply knowing what to expect can help you to perform better, whether in aptitude tests or in personality tests.
Aptitude Tests
Aptitude tests are relatively straightforward to prepare for. They comprise a series of multiple choice questions, each question having a correct answer. They are designed to measure an individual’s capacity to think logically and solve problems independent of prior knowledge (such as abstract reasoning tests) and the capacity to learn from past situations and apply this to new situations (such as numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning tests).
When assessments are conducted scores are derived from actual ability (as opposed to ability relative to other candidates) and are established by comparing scores to a norm group. A norm group consists of scores collected from a comparison group of individuals of a similar level of attainment.
If you have time you can take a wide ranging approach to your preparation. Ditch your calculator and brush up on your mental arithmetic. Or to improve your critical reasoning skills you could take up Sudoku or crosswords.
However, if time is short, the best way of getting up to scratch will be to practice under test conditions. This will also help to build your confidence by increasing your familiarity with the tests. Reducing test anxiety through practice and feedback has been shown to reduce errors when completing subsequent tests.
Personality Tests
But what of personality testing? The best advice we can offer is “be yourself”. However, gaining confidence through familiarising yourself ahead of the tests can be beneficial to your overall performance – not lease because it will reduce your anxiety about what is to come.
Personality questionnaires help to establish a profile of individual behavioural preferences, needs and talents. These can include motivation and perceived effectiveness. Since these are self-report questionnaires it is important that the data gathered is validated through discussion with a psychologist or someone else who is trained to accurately interpret the profile. Personality questionnaires are considered to be fair and objective tools with an established reputation for predicting performance.
Perhaps this is why they worry candidates so much: the anxiety to appear as the “perfect candidate” leads them to assume the tests are there simply to trip them up. This is how many people make the worst mistake they possibly could: they try to answer the questionnaire as they imagine the prospective employer would like to see it answered.
Don’t – really, don’t try to second guess what you say: much research has been carried out into response styles. The more robust and reputable tests incorporate multiple checks to measure response styles throughout the questionnaire. As a result, you will also be scored on how consistent you have been in your answers and to what extent you have tried to create a favourable impression.
Needless to say, trying to present a certain image which simply isn’t “you” can result in a confused or distorted profile which will ring alarm bells with the trained assessor or psychologist. In brief – be yourself, there is a lot less to remember!
What are Employers looking for?
The devil is in the detail but airline and airport employers are looking for people who are a good fit for their team and who demonstrate the right aptitudes to do the job well. What is important for the employer is how your different needs, behaviours, preferences and motives might interact with aspects of an organisation’s culture, the job and the work environment.
In other words, if you want to be happy and successful in your new role, answer truthfully. You are unlikely to have a thorough enough understanding of the organisation you’re hoping to work for to really change your answers simply for that job. Furthermore, when asked about your revealed shortcomings, by explaining what strategies you have developed to deal with them, you will demonstrate two qualities much prized by employers: strength of character and self-awareness.
Psychometric testing may sound mysterious to many
cabin crew jobseekers. What could be scarier than someone looking deep
into your thoughts, as part of your application process for a flight
attendant role?
Well in fact there is little to worry about, and it is becoming
increasingly common for employers to include some form of psychometric
testing during the employment selection processes. HR professionals say
that by combining interviewing with psychometric testing, it is far
easier to judge candidates accurately.