As psychometric assessments are universally used by graduate recruiters, understanding and navigating the psychometric landscape is now an essential part of employability.

Psychometrics for Careers and Employability has been specifically designed for University Careers Services. The workshop will equip attendees with the knowledge and skills they need to support students in understanding how recruiters use psychometrics and how to prepare effectively for taking tests. It will also stimulate Career Services to think about their delivery of psychometrics and how this can be used to enhance career-readiness and employability.

Whole-service impact

Delivered as a one-day workshop, the course is aimed at whole services. By working with the whole Careers team, the course builds common understanding of psychometrics and their potential applications. It encourages sharing of information, reflection on current practice and strategic development of the delivery of psychometrics to students.

Practical skills to support students

Psychometrics for Careers and Employability gives attendees a working knowledge of psychometrics, covering key concepts such as scoring, standardisation, reliability and validity. This background knowledge gives attendees the confidence to use assessments in practical ways to support students, whether through one-to-one guidance sessions or group work. Exercises and case studies are used to develop practical skills that can be applied in work with students.

Careers services are also able to adapt course content for delivery to students as part of career development or employability programmes.

Wide coverage

The course encourages Careers Services to think broadly about how they can use psychometrics. Going beyond simply using psychometrics as practice materials, it positions psychometrics as valuable tools for learning and personal development. Attendees will be taken through a range of practical activities exploring how psychometrics can be used as part of a comprehensive test preparation process. They will also learn how assessments can enhance employability through raising self-awareness, encouraging informed career exploration and finding the right ‘fit’ with careers.

Course content

Psychometrics for Careers and Employability is broken down into five topics:

Topic 1: Basics of psychometrics: Exploring the nature of psychometric assessments and how they are scored and interpreted. Key concepts such as reliability, validity and the fairness of tests is also explored.

Topic 2: Types of test: Introduction to the main types of psychometric assessment including ability, personality, situational judgement tests (SJTs) and strengths-based assessments. Experience of completing and reviewing a personality profile.

Topic 3: Trends in test use: Why employers use psychometric assessments, how and when they are used in the recruitment process. Employers’ use of test results in decision-making.

Topic 4: Test preparation: Understanding the difference between practice and preparation, and how test results can be used to inform development strategies. Practical exercises in interpreting test results and reviewing these with students.

Topic 5: Career development and employability: Using test results to enhance self-awareness, the identification of personal strengths and challenges, finding ‘fit’ with careers and navigating the recruitment process. Practical exercises using student case studies.

Courses can also be adapted to the needs of individual Careers Services.