Psychometric tests reveal bankers' far side

Eager to peer deep into the mysteries of their personalities, newly unemployed bankers are queuing up at outplacement firms in large numbers to answer questions of the "If you saw someone kicking a chicken, would you try to stop them?" variety, in the belief that it might help them decide what sort of job they should do next.

Then there are the remorseless "What comes next in the sequence Q000!*%88&&~+?" type of question, calculated to reduce anyone except the fantastically self-confident to thoughts of suicide.

At Penna Meridian, one questionnaire claims to measure no fewer than 16 personality characteristics. Taking this one is particularly enjoyable for those who had never realised their personalities even had 16 characteristics.

Radicalism, shrewdness, dominance and sensitivity are among the traits dealt with by the test in a bell curve approach, with most people's scores coming out roughly in the middle but plenty of scope for revealing outrageous extremes.

For this (gainfully employed) sceptic, the experience, in fact, proved most rewarding. The results seemed undeniably accurate in most respects and their value went well beyond the statement-of-the-obvious, as a result of an absorbing discussion about them with Penna psychologist Beth Taylor.

Taylor has gone through the test results of hundreds of City of London bankers.

She says: "I suspect that many people in the City have more than their share of extreme scores. I suppose some jobs attract a certain kind of person.

"But it's difficult to generalise - the test is a tool to help people think about what situations they feel comfortable with, rather than a specific career guide."

People who get to the top in their careers, she says, do not necessarily show similar personality traits because every company and situation is different - not to mention the role played by chance.

But many leaders share a high degree of emotional intelligence, she believes.

My own test results produce almost no average scores. Instead, results teetering on the extremes seem to crop up everywhere. Taylor, who must have seen it all before, is unflaggingly diplomatic.

"Conventional situations might not always suit you. You might prefer doing things that are... well, a little bit off the wall," she suggests helpfully.

Reading between the lines, I learn that I am also unlikely to be the world's most successful office politician. Devoted commitment to a noble cause might also not be my strongest suit.

I am more pleased with my result on the intelligence factor, but Taylor soon disabuses me. "This is partly from right-or-wrong answers, but it's also a measure of how someone perceives themselves. And they might not be right," she says firmly.

The intelligence bit of the test is not her favourite. "You try telling a senior person who has just lost their job that they weren't very intelligent in the first place," she says.

At BG Careers, another outplacement firm, psychologist Mary Nelson says: "Sometimes people are surprised by the picture of themselves that comes out of the questionnaires we use.

"They are not like exam results - their value is in helping people think about themselves and the way they behave."

A shy person, for example, can discuss with a psychologist the ways in which they deal with confrontation, to see whether other approaches might work better.

Nelson adds that she does not recommend psychometric testing for everyone who has lost their job. People who know they want to get back into the same type of work as before would not necessarily benefit, she says.

On the other hand, psychologists have many meetings with some clients and occasionally meet their partner as well.

"We can help with emotional trauma, whether it arises from redundancy or is related to someone's domestic life," says Nelson.

Vivienne Young, another psychologist at BG Careers, says: "When people come in, they are sometimes sceptical about psychometrics. But they often change their minds.

"It can be very satisfying to see someone released from work they dislike into a job that they enjoy."

Outplacement firms also help clients prepare for psychometric tests that many banks ask job applicants to take.

Young says she advises people to answer promptly and without worrying - and on no account to lie.

"Some people think they can outwit tests, but sometimes test designers outwit them," she says.

A former recruiter for Reuters says the firm's tests could always spot lying.

He says: "I used to rule out anyone who didn't tell the truth - unless they were salesmen."

After my test at Penna, I am now a believer in psychometrics. If I am ever made redundant, then any company that is looking for someone who is aloof, thinks they are clever and likes to tell the boss he is a fool, is welcome to get in touch.

I could just be the perfect employee.