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What are and how are the projective techniques of a company managed
We're sharing the top 3 main projective techniques for businesses, and how you can manage them optimally. Read us on the blog!
Marcos Lopez
HR Consultant
21 of March, 2025
Did you know that a company’s projective techniques are a clinical tool? If you want to apply them, it would be ideal for projective instruments in the organizational field to be evaluated by expert psychologists.
Here we will see three valid projective instruments for staff selection or evaluation for job promotion.
In this article we will delve into graphic projective techniques. Since graphic language is very useful for personality studies. For it displays both the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate. Let’s go!
What are a company’s projective techniques
The projective techniques of a company are characterized by penetrating some elements of individual personality. Human resource professionals apply them to understand unconscious, covert, or latent aspects of personality in processes such as staff recruitment.
They are defined as an unstructured activity with countless possible responses. For this reason, the presence of a specialized psychologist who can decipher this language with the minimum margin of error is essential.
Among these techniques, a series of tests known as projective tests are applied, among others.
The projective tools that we present in the following section provide an ambiguous stimulus from which an internal response is generated that will be associated with a representation and will result in the observed behavior.
3 projective techniques of a company
When it comes to hiring a candidate or promoting an employee, countless projective techniques can be applied that effectively complement other evaluation methods such as psychometric tests or interviews.
Among the projective evaluation instruments used by psychologists, we have chosen projective tests. These can be classified into verbal and graphical. The main advantage of projective tests is that those being evaluated do not know the aspects that they intend to evaluate with their answers.
We are going to summarize three graphic projective tests because of their great advantages. Experts understand that graphic language offers greater reliability than verbal language. For verbal language is subject to the conscious control of the subject because it is a language that occurs later.
Among the many advantages, we want to highlight that the person being evaluated will hardly be able to manipulate their drawings to transmit those personality traits that are socially desirable. Without a doubt, the best way to evaluate the soft skills of candidates.
The graphic projective tests are related to drawings of:
- Animals
- People
- Lines
- Geometric figures
- Undefined drawings
Let’s see more about them in the following sections.
Wartegg test
Its name is given by the psychologist who created it in 1930. We start by analyzing the Wartegg test because it is one of the most used tests in the work area.
The test consists of eight or sixteen squares with certain graphs or predetermined drawings in each of them on a white background. Each stroke is a set stimulus so that the subject completes each square and then has to entitle each drawing.
The eight squares are divided into two groups. The first is represented by squares 1, 2, 7 and 8. It is called organic and deals with the emotional field and the affectivity.
The other four boxes belong to the inorganic group and in them the evaluated person shows his rational, objective and pragmatic part. In this second group, the examined person is induced to draw inanimate or object drawings.
It is a test that has been evolving since its creation and allows to reveal one of the competences required in most jobs. This general competence is the employee’s ability to solve situations and self-confidence.
Test of the Two People
As the name of the test itself indicates, you have to draw two people. The candidate will have to write names and ages. Then he will have to write the story of each of them and add a title to that story. In the description, he should reflect the thoughts, what happens to them and what his characters think.
Here graphic and verbal tests are combined. Therefore, it is very convincing for psychologists when deciphering the candidate’s identity, the relationship with the other and what he expects from the bond between both.
We bring up this test because it helps to perceive quite accurately the evaluated person’s ability to establish interpersonal relationships.
We find this last aspect important because most organizations are looking for profiles capable of establishing good interpersonal relationships.
Person under the Rain Test
Here the psychologist will ask for a drawing of a person under the rain. Thus, the examiner obtains information about the candidate’s own body image under a disagreeable weather condition.
In labor psychology, the person, the rain and the protection reveal in a very graphic way information about the degree of compliance with the request and especially show the degree of vulnerability to stress and the capacity to cope, as well as the mechanisms they use.
Generally, it is expected that the candidate will draw a person with all its parts proportionate to each other. With an erect posture, regardless of whether it is stationary or moving, or whether it is facing forward or sideways.
It is very important that they draw the sensory organs visibly. They will also evaluate the expression according to the situation.
Finally, it is worth knowing that this very graphic test can be enriched with verbal material. But in the form of a short story, that is, a short description of the fact.
What psychologists expect from this story is a description of an action or state. But under no circumstances should they recount a general description or refer to the name or age.
How are projective techniques managed in a company
The most important thing is for the psychologist to make careful planning according to the purpose and objectives desired by the human resources department.
A good incorporation of the latter favors a correct identification of the labor skills, abilities, and knowledge, as well as the behaviors required for each position.
A correct application of the projective techniques of a company allows to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the employees. In addition, it fosters positive relationships with collaborators.
At Sesame HR, we are experts in strengthening the good working climate of companies. If you want to know more about these and other topics, continue in our resources section. We are your reference HR software!
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