THE VALUE OF PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS IN RECRUITMENT

Lessons in Leadership: What It Takes to Be a Future CFO

Last Thursday we had the pleasure of hosting an insightful and inspirational Future CFO-focused event, where we explored their experiences and journeys. All attendees had the privilege of hearing from three fantastic senior finance leaders - Nick Shaw, Kayleigh Wright and James Wenninger, each bringing a unique perspective shaped by their own career journeys — with the consensus across all speakers and focus of: driving meaningful, strategic value across their organisations. Each leader shared personal experiences of navigating challenges, leading transformation, and elevating the role of finance from a back-office function to a true business partner and value creator. Each speaker offered valuable perspectives, and several key takeaways stood out: Build a team that compliments you : Great leadership means recognising and embracing the skills you don’t have. All three CFOs emphasised the strength of surrounding themselves with good people and team members whose strengths contrast their own — creating well-rounded, agile finance functions. Embrace the unknown with confidence: Whether navigating new industries, acquisitions, or rapid change, one message was clear: lean into the uncertainty and trust your ability to adapt. Growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones. Blend experience from big & small companies : The synergy of experience from both large-scale corporations and nimble, fast-paced environments is invaluable. The ability to scale thinking and apply structured processes in leaner settings was a recurring theme. Identify and align with key business needs : Strategic finance leaders go beyond numbers. They seek out synergies and align with business-specific needs — from systems integration to cultural alignment — to ensure long-term value add. Own your decisions…fully! : True ownership means standing by your decisions and being accountable for their outcomes. Openly discussed and demonstrated how conviction and responsibility can elevate leadership and trust across the organisation with a wider impact! A huge thank you again to Nick Shaw, Kayleigh Wright & James Wenninger who were incredible speakers and all who contributed to making this event a success. It was a timely reminder of the evolving, multi-dimensional role of today’s Finance leaders. Huge thanks as well to all attendees for bringing openness in their points / questions , and energy to the room. Looking forward already to next year!To hear about future events, contact Jack Curtis!

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For many organisations, psychometric tests play an essential role in the recruitment process. Used effectively, they can provide an insight into a candidate’s personality traits and behaviours providing would-be employers with information about their character, strengths, weaknesses, motivations and working styles which cannot be gleaned from a CV – or even interview – alone.

When adopting psychometric testing as part of wide-ranging recruitment strategy it is important to remember that these should not be used in isolation to make decisions on whether to progress with a candidate; there are no right or wrong answers, and an individual cannot be seen to pass or fail.

So, in what way are they beneficial to employers? Interviews, whilst useful in assessing candidates against specific characteristics, skills and attributes, are often subjective. A psychometric analysis can provide an employer with measurable and objective ‘data’ which they are then able to utilise effectively within the recruitment process - typically either in the very early stages to shape interview questioning or to confirm a final selection once the field has been whittled down.

The results produced from a psychometric test adds real value to an employer’s decision-making ability; they enable more accurate judgements to be made about, for example, how a person may gel with existing team members, how they approach leadership challenges, what their management style is to ensure the ideal candidate is selected.

These valuable insights are not just confined to the recruitment process; they offer ongoing opportunities for conversations around role development, career progression, job satisfaction and employee engagement.

There are potential pitfalls however, if such tests and their subsequent results are not administered or used correctly. For example, if an employer rejects an applicant because they do, or do not, display certain traits – say a particular approach to leadership - they may find that they inadvertently overlook an otherwise strong candidate for the role.

In addition, verbal reasoning and numerical assessments can also be a useful tool and enable employers to set candidates a minimum competency bar. As with psychometric tests, the maximum benefit is gained when the results of these are used to guide decision making as part of a suite of assessment methods.

Cost factors of such assessments can prove prohibitive for some; however, effective recruitment must be seen as an investment and when used as part of a robust, well rounded hiring process, the benefits can enable employers get the right people on board to reap some valuable rewards.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment and executive search of finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for temporary, interim and permanent roles across the full spectrum of positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today and speak to a member of our team about your recruitment needs or next career move.