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The McQuaig Word Survey and Job Survey:
Enhancing Recruitment with Valid, Predictive Insight
Understanding the McQuaig Suite: A Strategic Advantage for Recruitment and Talent Management
The McQuaig Word Survey® (WS) and McQuaig Job Survey® (JS) are best-in-class psychometric tools trusted by organisations worldwide and backed by over 40 years of research and validation. Both are registered with the British Psychological Society’s testing centre; affirming their credibility and scientific rigour.
1. The McQuaig Word Survey®
The WS is a self-assessed, ipsative personality profile designed to be completed online in about 10–20 minutes.
It presents 42 groups of four words, where respondents rank each word by how well it describes their natural temperament and their current behaviour, that reveals any behavioural adjustments in their current role.
It measures four core dimensions:
• Dominance
• Sociability
• Relaxation
• Compliance
These dimensions provide insight into a candidate’s natural tendencies, motivational drivers, work style, leadership behaviour, sales style, team approach, and coaching needs.
2. The McQuaig Job Survey®
The JS is a 21-item questionnaire filled in by key stakeholders (typically those who are part of the interview team) who understand the role and is designed to be completed online in about 5-10 minutes.
It defines the ideal personality profile for a specific job by mapping which traits best match that role’s requirements.
Individual WS profiles can then be compared for fit. The closer the match, the higher the probability of job success, job satisfaction, and retention.
3. Scientific Validity and Predictive Accuracy
- Decades of independent research show the WS and JS accurately predict work behaviour and success when aligned with job context.
- Registered with the BPS, they meet strict standards of fairness, reliability, and validity.
- Predictive validity studies confirm that WS-JS match scores correlate with future job performance.
- Ipsative design and response consistency metrics help minimise faking.
4. Practical Impact: Hiring, Retention, and Development
- Clear Role Definition: The JS creates a benchmark of expected behaviours.
- Improved Interviewing: The WS provides tailored, behaviour-based questions.
- Better Retention: Matching temperament to job demands reduces early turnover.
- People Development: WS results oIer coaching tips, motivators, and onboarding strategies.
- Efficiency: Both tools are fast, scalable, and produce instant reports.
5. Mock Case Study: Hiring a Sales Manager
Scenario:
A company is hiring a Regional Sales Manager. The team completes the McQuaig Job Survey® and identifies a high Dominance and high Sociability profile as the ideal match, favouring a driven, persuasive, energetic leader who thrives under pressure.
Candidate A completes the WS and shows high Compliance and low Dominance—indicating a preference for structure, stability, and rules. Although the CV is impressive and interview answers are polished, the WS reveals a natural temperament misaligned with the job demands.
Outcome:
Instead of proceeding based on CV alone, the company investigates further and discovers
Candidate A has had previous struggles in fast-paced, target-driven roles. They opt for Candidate B, who scored closely aligned with the JS profile and had past success in similar environments. Within six months, Candidate B is exceeding targets and showing strong leadership potential.
Impact:
By using the WS-JS alignment, the company avoided a costly mis-hire, improved retention odds, and onboarded a high-performing team member.
In Summary
The McQuaig Word Survey® and Job Survey® help you align the right people with the right roles using a structured, scientifically valid system. They enhance decision-making, reduce hiring risk, and support long-term success through data-backed clarity. They don’t replace your judgement, they improve it.