by Gail McManus
29. March 2010 14:21
Should you employ some form of psychometric profiling in your recruitment process? I think it’s useful. The first point to be clear about is that the profiles are structured personality questionnaires which map behaviours. They aren’t skills or aptitude tests. They give an indication of characteristics such as attitude to work, ability to get on
and empathise with others, levels of self–motivation and ambition, determination and so on.
So you won’t know if someone is good at something – rather how they will tend to behave in a work situation. In that sense there are no right or wrong answers. However, there will be a right or wrong profile for your firm. It is hard to know what this might look like unless you first of all map the behaviour of high performers in your firm. So whether you use a highly trained profiling expert or a quick and dirty online test (and there are lots of these), be sure to make your high performers at the right level in the organisation do it first. And study their results. Getting the level right is important – no point in using your highly entrepreneurial chief executive as the calibration point if the hire is going to be an analyst. So if you have to get everyone to do it for appearances sake make sure you separate the less successful performers from the stars – and you should get some useful feeling for why they aren’t performing so well.
In order to get the best out of the profiles you should be looking for patterns that match the characteristics of the job. For example in recruiting for a private equity role, you will tend to find highly data rational people (remember, it’s behaviours not skills that you are profiling so it doesn’t mean they’re any good at numbers – just that they like playing with them). If you then match this with a behaviour that shows they are a very cautious decision maker, then you may not have an ideal pairing of behaviours for private equity as you need them at some stage to exercise some judgement. More...
by Gail McManus
1. June 2009 08:37
As you may have noticed, times have changed. Today’s private equity market has evolved into a very different creature from what it was last year. But has your team evolved in the same way?
You might be one of those managers who is looking at your team, thinking you don’t have the right people, and as such is ready to introduce new people at the expense of others. But these measures may not be the right way forward.
In all likelihood you have the right people for the job right there in front of you. It’s just that some roles need to be changed. In the words of Eric Morecambe, you’re playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order.
Now’s the time to take stock of what you have in house, to identify the talent you have available and to match it with the competencies you need to succeed. You’re probably already focusing more on portfolio management, investor relations or business development and you may need to shuffle your pack a little. Assessment and redeployment is a useful exercise and will leave your business better equipped to tackle today’s tough market.
Many firms use techniques such as psychometric profiling, which is a useful tool in identifying people’s behavioural strengths and weaknesses. But it’s no substitute for speaking to your people and finding out what makes them tick. 
Dialogue is an essential part of the audit process. I recommend taking each person out to lunch! In a more informal environment you can ask them about their hopes and ambitions, their concerns and motivations, as well as find out where they think their strengths lie. You might be surprised at what you learn, and you might learn you already have the right people in the team.
Now’s a great time to roll the dice. A shake-up of the talent you have can invigorate the team and help people develop new skills that will benefit the firm tomorrow. So don’t be afraid to speak to your people and find out what role they think they can play going forward. Check your diary and get those lunches booked.
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