What is a personality test
Personality Test:
What is a personality test. Definition of the personality

What is a personality test? Discover what you need to know about personality tests and psychometrics used in human resources for recruitment and employment. All about personality tests & definition.

Some of the largest companies in the world make their applicants pass a battery of personality tests prior to hiring. Discover what a personality test is.

What is a personality test?

1. Personality test allows to analyze the personality of an individual to obtain its behavioral trends.

2. Personality questionnaire includes questions of the type "I like working in a team", "I am nervous before an important meeting." There is no right or wrong personality answer in the personality questionnaire.

3. Personality tests are scientifically validated and include control mechanisms to measure the sincerity of the answers of the candidate.

4. Many personality tests are broken into “five factors” (OCEAN):
Openness to change
Conscientiousness
Extroversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism

Other tests include ethics, honesty, integrity, kindness, negativity, loyalty, sales potential, customer service skills, leadership potential, critical thinking ability, and stress tolerance.

5. Among the classical tests, there is the Personality test (free), the Big Five personality test (candidate profile based on personality factors), the Personality test profile (online test that identifies 20 personality traits) and 16PF personality test (measure 16 personality factors).

The positives of personality testing

Some experts feel that these tests benefit both the employer and the job candidate by helping both avoid making a bad choice. Most states now recognize the tort of negligent hiring, with an increasing number of employers having to defend themselves in suits seeking redress for crimes committed by their employees, such as theft or assaults.

The negatives of personality testing

Many companies are in the business of selling these tests, and not all of these tests are valid or reliable. The person choosing the test must have a firm understanding of psychological testing to make a wise purchasing decision. In addition, it is not a sure thing that a good personality test score will result in hiring a good performer.

What happen if I don't have a good score on my personality test?

Don't have a good score in a personality test is not synonymous of failing in the recruitment process. It's important to get a higher score than the other candidates in the whole recruitment tests (interviews, CV, test, motivation).

In addition, it should be noted that in personality questionnaires there is no right or wrong answer. If the candidate profile doesn't match the expectation of a company, it may be perfect for another company.

Personality tests are reliable?

There are several criteria for evaluating a personality test. Fundamentally, a personality test is expected to demonstrate reliability and validity.It seems that some job applicants are able to successfully fake their answers on these tests. Also, some applicants really do think very highly of themselves and are not trying to lie, but do score themselves higher than what reality might prove. This is why careful scrutiny of work history still is considered as the most important factor when making a hiring decision.

Makers of psychological tests state that a person is possibly able to fake one part of a test, but is not able to fake the entire profile. Some tests have built in “lie detectors” that screen for people who answer with extremes only, such as “strongly agree” or “strongly disagree.”

Personality tests & Career tests in company

The largest USA companies make their applicants pass a battery of personality tests prior to hiring. Research shows that the use of psychological testing in the workplace has increased since the economic slowdown, because companies now are using more care than in the past when making their hiring decisions. This article looks at the effectiveness of personality tests and what is involved.

Approximately 20% of people, across all age groups, say that they have taken such a test. Nearly 30% of people 18-24 years of age have taken a personality test for work, while only 10% of adults 50-64 years of age have done so. Males are more likely to have taken a personality test as part of a pre-employment screening than women. Forty percent of Fortune 100 companies state that they make applicants complete a psychological test before hiring them.

How to use personality tests in USA & Legal

Some states have restricted or banned integrity tests under the antipolygraph statutes. InMassachusetts, the use of any written technique to form a diagnostic opinion of honesty isforbidden. This includes application blanks, reference checks, structured interviews, and thevalidity scales of most psychological tests. It is illegal to ask anyone to complete a personality test that:

• Intentionally discriminates against minorities or that have a negative impact on minorities
• Are not job related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity

Employers also should avoid tests that employ gender-specific norms. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), mental illness is considered a disability, and employers should avoid using clinical measurement tests, so as to not discriminate against the disabled when hiring. Testing for honesty, tastes, and habits is not prohibited by the ADA.




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