4 ms·
Yes, sadly a quite common part in too many recruitment processes here in Sweden.
by kukallan 5y ago
Yes, sadly a quite common part in too many recruitment processes here in Sweden.
- domano 5y agoWow, first time i hear that. Aren't those IQ test horribly biased?
- pvillano 5y agonot only that, but they aren't a great predictor of actual job performance
- weird-eye-issue 5y agoDepends on the job actually. (I know this will be unpopular but in my experience hiring for certain roles it is correlated)
- willeh 5y agoThis is exactly why these IQ-test companies make so much money. It gives out yeses and no:s confirmation bias does the rest. Quickly why they don't work: You create a huge chain correlational assumptions. First that visual-spatial tasks of this kind predict performance on visual tasks. 2. That performance on visual tasks predict general intelligence (whatever that is). 3. That this notion of general intelligence (which is usually and arbitrarily defined not to include social skills) actually correlates with the tasks that you think the person will be performing, and finally that your idea of what the role has an impact on the company. Of course it is completely absurd, what they are selling is snake oil, plain and simple. The remedy I recommend is simple, talk to the person - do it and you will be able to tell within 5 minutes.
- ericmay 5y agoRight - and the general intelligence thing is funny too because all of these companies want to hire specialists in some area, not generally intelligent people.
- weird-eye-issue 5y agoYou are making assumptions here that are incorrect. I use it when hiring virtual assistants. They don't need a specific skill.
- ericmay 5y agoI think you're just trying to justify an unjustifiable test to protect your ego. First, if you're just hiring assistants from the Philippines they could just have someone else take the test or get around it some other way. Second, you have no good data to support this hiring practice. You're free to use it, but it's no better than just hiring a random person from your pool of applicants. You might as well screen based on their favorite color too to just make up filtering criteria.
- weird-eye-issue 5y agoI use it to filter out candidates when hiring assistants from the Philippines. I get so many applicants that I don't have time to talk to all of them. Have you been on the hiring end? You get hundreds of applications within a couple days when you have a good position and are paying well enough. There is a strong correlation between IQ and professional achievement whether you want to believe it or not.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- tarsinge 5y agoGiven that these tests don't evaluate critical thinking and knowledge of statistics it's quite ironic but coherent for the company using these tests.
- wreath 5y agoThey are a great predictor of actual job environment though (the test, not its results)
- lmkg 5y agoIn the United States, the Supreme Court has ruled that using IQ tests for employment screening can violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griggs_v._Duke_Power_Co https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griggs_v._Duke_Power_Co.
- moogly 5y agoReally? I'm surprised I haven't heard of that.
- tephra 5y agoMy first job at a consulting company out of uni I had to to an IQ test that could also indicate if I had rabies. It had questions like "are you afraid of water", "have you showered in the last three weeks", "have you felt more aggressive lately"...
- somedude895 5y agoI'm sorry what?
- rwoerz 5y agoConsidering these questions, have you honestly answered "yes" to the last one?
- retzkek 5y agoI've had to take the MMPI [1] for an employer before. About 500 true/false questions to screen for mental health disorders. Some of the questions seem quite outlandish but taken as a whole make sense. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Multiphasic_Personality_Inventory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Multiphasic_Personal...
- progre 5y agoI have never had to take a general IQ test when job hunting here in Sweden. Coding tests, yes, but not IQ.
- Oddskar 5y agoI would disagree. I’ve never heard of any company doing this, nor any former or current colleague that had to do one.
- NalNezumi 5y agoI had to do it twice for different companies that used the same IQ-test platform. And most of the time it's not even proper IQ-test but only Raven Matrice test + maybe quick math tests. Funny thing was that I did very good (apparently according to the HR person) on one of them, but did horrible enough they didn't even call back on the second test. grids my gear why this is still a common practice in Sweden. HR in Sweden seems to be about one or two decades behind rest of the world in their efficiency.
- brabel 5y agoI failed a job application because of the IQ test. It was administered in a second language for me, so I really didn't do well... the interviews had been completely smooth and I got on well with everyone I had talked with... The thing is, I really needed that job... ended up going to another job that offered me a very low salary (I had no visa in the country , so was looking for a sponsor, which makes things a lot harder) and the company went bankrupt within a few months! Anyway, I still got the visa, and then, with a few months to find another job with more peace of mind, I eventually got much nicer job, paying a lot more! But I still dread the though of doing an IQ test, despite my years of experience indicating I am more competent than average, at least.